The Can't-Fail
Mass-Gain Triad: Eat Big, Train Big, Sleep Big
If you've heard
the expression "eat big, train big, sleep big" before, you've already
been exposed to the key components of all successful mass-gaining
programs.
If you've taken
this advice to heart and acted in it, you've already experienced the
synergistic power of reprogramming your metabolism.
If you haven't
tasted the Kool-Aid yet, what are you waiting for?
The rationale
behind the "Big 3" philosophy is rooted in simple evolutionary biology.
If you consider the essential components necessary for successful
species-propagation, you arrive at a few inescapable conclusions:
1) In order to pass on your
genes to the next generation, you need to survive long enough to
reach sexual maturity. This means (among other things) having the
ability to create a portable energy supply in the form of excess fat
deposits.
2) In order to create an
excess layer of bodyfat, you've got to be able to taken in more
calories than you need, on a consistent basis.
3) A big part of this
equation is carrying a minimum amount of muscle (relative to your
survival needs), since muscle is metabolically expensive to create
and maintain.
As you flesh
through these 3 points, you quickly arrive at the idea physique for
survival purposes: "skinny-fat." So first off, congratulations are in
order, because I'm guessing (by virtue of the fact that you're reading
this article), you've got the perfect physique for surviving to mating
age!
OK, I get it- you just want to be bigger.
Been there, done
that- at age 18, I weighed 148 pounds at 6'2", and I wasn't particularly
lean either (today at age 49 I'm about 213 pound at that same height,
and still not particularly lean, but I'm currently carrying about 177
pounds of lean mass, which is more than my total bodyweight was as a
skinny 18-year old)
Hopefully I've
managed to adequately explain the problem- mother nature doesn't really
buy into your plan to get all big and jacked.
Which leads to the
solution- you've gotta fool ol' mother nature. And we're going to do
that by convincing her that 1) you actually need more muscle in order to
survive ("train big"), and that you're taking in plenty of food- on a
chronic basis- to justify those muscles ("eat big").
And along the way,
we're going to further pacify your survival safeguards by sleeping big,
which serves the purposes of reducing your energy expenditure enough to
allow even more additional muscle growth.
Let's discuss each
component of the "Big 3" equation in more detail…
Training Big
When I speak of
training "big," I'm really talking about adhering to a handful of
tactics and principles. These concepts are not controversial,
cutting-edge, hard to understand or implement. In other words, they're
not "sexy." (If you're among the 87% of readers who just closed this
browser window- SEE YA!).
For the rest of
you, let's explore the tried-and true components of successful
mass-gaining programs:
1) Restrict your training to multi-joint movements performed with free
weights.
All forms of
squats, deadlifts, presses, and pull-ups fulfill this requirement. The
"non-approved" list is much larger: any & all forms of exercise
machines, including pec dec, leg curl, leg extension, and leg press.
Don't do curls, ab
exercises, or calf movements. Also avoid all forms of running, swimming,
cycling, aerobics, stretching, and/or dance classes. Refrain from any
form of pilates, functional training, spinning, tae-bo, yoga, body pump,
and/or any device/method you see on a TV infomercial, including Total
Gym, Bowflex, P90X, Hip Hop Abs, The Perfect Pushup, Iron Gym, etc. If
I've missed anything (and I have, trust me), simply line up the
questionable exercise you're thinking of with the first sentence above:
"restrict your training to multi-joint movements performed with free
weights."
2) Train 3-4 days per week.
Not 1, 2, 5, 6, or
7, or any number higher than that (no two-a-days, in other words). Can
you train 3 days one week and 4 the next? Yes. This should be the most
simple recommendation to understand and follow, so I'll move on to the
next point…
3) On your "work sets," use weights that are heavy enough to prevent the
performance of more than 10 reps in a single effort.
Yes, that means
you have a lot of flexibility in the weights you select, and the set/rep
brackets you use, all the way from singles with super heavy weights to
10 reps with more moderate weight. There is no single "ideal" set x rep
equation- anything in the "10 reps and under" category will prove
effective.
What really
matters is how many "quality" repetitions you perform in a session. By
"quality" I mean reps where you expose large muscles to high tensions.
Let's explore that in just a bit more detail…
Creating High
Tensions: Load VS Speed
If you load up a
bare to a weight that's just slightly less than you can lift, and
perform one rep, you'll have exposed your muscles to a very high
tension- that's probably obvious. What's less obvious to a lot of people
is that you can get similarly high tensions by lifting lighter weights.
The way you do
this is with acceleration. Using between say, 65 and 75 percent of a
weight you could lift only once, performing sets of maybe 2-5 reps per
set, using as much controlled speed as possible on the "positive"
(concentric) phase of the lift, creates as much tension as a very heavy
weight would.
And it's both
safer and more fun to boot. So in your mass-training, use a variety of
weights, but always move every rep as fast as possible.
4) Limit (And Time) Your Training Sessions.
Most experts would
say that 60 minutes is a maximum ideal length for a weight-training
session, but I'll go out on a limb and use 90 minutes instead.
The reason for my
recommendation is that if you're using effective exercises (as described
earlier), you'll need a relatively large number of warm-up sets before
you can tackle your work sets for that exercise. So for example, you
don't need to do much of a warm-up for tricep kickbacks or the adductor
machine, but you do need a significant warm-up for a deadlift workout or
a heavy bench press session. This is especially true once you get
stronger- which you will.
5) Limit each training session to no more than 4 exercises.
The reason for
this recommendation is dictated by the previous suggestion regarding
workout length. If your total session is limited to 90 minutes, and
assuming that you're using effective exercises as recommended earlier,
you'll only have 22.5 minutes per exercise, and that includes warm-up
sets. That's not a lot of time if you're working hard. So remember, the
recommendation is no more than 4 exercises- in many cases, 3 is even
better, and very often 2 exercises per session is absolutely ideal.
It's not about
hitting the muscle from all angles, muscle confusion, or any other
bullshit you've picked up on the internet somewhere- it's about picking
1-2, or maybe 3 big, hard movements, and working the piss out of them.
