Busting Through Plateaus For Maximum Muscle Gain

Bust Through Muscle Building Plateaus

The key to breaking through any muscle building plateau is revealed in this video training session by muscle gain expert Vince DelMonte.

Pay close attention on how get your true genetic potential for maximum muscle gain. You DO NOT have to settle for less everytime you hit a plateau and don't think there is any more muscle to gain.

Click Play To Breakthrough Any Muscle Building Plateau




Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com


Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Bodybuilding, Get The Whole Truth

Bodybuilding Truths

How many bodybuilding magazines do you read or just flip through the pages at the magazine rack? Do you believe every word you read or picture you see
regarding bodybuilding programs, tricks, and supplements?

See and listen to what Vince DelMonte of VinceDelMonteFitness.com has to say about all those bodybulding ads and why a pro bodybuilder may not be the best teacher on how to build muscle. Could it be that you are taking advice from the wrong crowd?

Check out this video and see.




Only results matter. It's possible to train for an entire year and look exactly the same!
For hardgainers, getting the correct advice from someone who has broken through with proven results will put them on the fast track to muscle building.



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Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Bodyweight Circuit Training

Bodyweight Conditioning For Muscle Gain

Starting with bodyweight training will build a strong foundation in your strenth and endurance levels. Bodyweight exercises will get you prepared for heavier weight training when it comes time to start pumping iron.

It is also easier to jump into different bodyweight exercises and get the heart rate going since no weights are needed. This type of training known as circuit training will combine resistance training with cardio exercise since no rest is taken in between sets.

See how expert bodybuilder Vince DelMonte proves you can add significant muscle gain to your body just by doing bodyweight exercises.

Enjoy!

Click Play To Start Your Bodyweight Training Program

Body weight exercises should be mastered before external load is introduced. It's amazing how many guys attempt a sloppy 200 pound lat pull down but can't pull up their weight once.

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About The Author

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com


Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Drug Free Muscle Building

How Much Muscle Can You Grow, Drug Free?

Learn how much natural muscle you can add without the use of drugs or steroids, the answer may surprise you...





Building Muscle The Wrong Way – Taking Advice From A Guy Who Uses Drugs

Drugs allow you to train more often because of one's increased ability to recover, but they also speed up normal physiological processes that normally would not occur, i.e. increased hormonal levels. Not only do bodybuilders take an ENORMOUS amount of drugs; they are also known to inject various substances into their bodies to give selected body parts that enhanced look.

Building Muscle The Wrong Way – Trusting The Supplement Ads

Most are unaware that bodybuilding magazines are owned by million dollar supplement companies that use the magazine as a vehicle to sell their supplements. They intentionally get professional bodybuilders to make programs that will cause the Average Joe with average genetics to literally fail. Because the programs are printed in black and white, the trusting consumer believes the advice must be right, and resorts to the latest cutting edge supplement promoted on the next page! The sale has been made.

Your Solution : Take Advice From Someone Like You...

If you goal is to become huge and ripped naturally - you need to get advice from someone who has been in your own shoes. Would you take money advice from someone who inherited a million dollars? Probably not. So why would you take muscle building advice from someone who inherited genetics that makes him grow muscle even when he sneezes?

I have no idea either!

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About The Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com


Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Learn How To Build Muscle In 4 Simple Steps

Keeping your muscle building program as simple as possible allows you to be more focused and committed rather than a program that is overcomplicated.

Having a simple yet effective muscle building plan includes scheduling your weight training and stretching time from week to week and a daily eating & supplementation plan for proper nutrition.

Stick to these 4 basic steps by muscle building expert Vince DelMonte and notice how quickly you begin to see results. Remember to follow each recommendation for maximum results.

Learn How To Build Muscle In 4 Simple Steps
By Vince DelMonte

Are you sick and tired of everyone telling you a different way to build muscle? Are you unhappy with how you look in the mirror? Are you frustrated with your slow progress in the gym? Are you ready to learn four simple steps that will teach you how to build muscle safely and effectively?

There is a good chance that you are not maximizing one of these four steps. Your problem and solution lies in correcting these essential steps before you have any chance of building a muscular and lean physique.

Get ready to learn how to build muscle in four simple steps, in less time, without any drugs and without bogus supplements.

Step #1

Commit to lifting weights at least three to four times per week. Your goal is to stimulate your muscles with resistance (stress) which results in your muscles growing bigger to avoid the stress from occurring again. Once you go home, let the muscle heal through nutrition and rest, it will grow bigger and you will repeat this process again. Ideally you should hit your muscles once every 72 hours so you could perform 2 upper body workouts per week and 2 lower body workouts per week.

Step #2

Focus on eating at least 5-7x a day with balanced meals from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. If your goal is to build muscle than you should be eating at least 15-18 x your current body weight. Your carbohydrates should equate about 45% of your intake, your proteins should equate about 35% of your intake and your fat should be the remaining 20% of your intake. You should focus on over half of those meals being solid whole food meals and the remainder can be liquid meal replacement shakes.

Step #3

You should focus on stretching at least half the amount that you lift weights. One of the biggest mistakes I see is people training, training and training with out any stretching. Stretching helps restore normal length to the tissue and if you are constantly training, your muscle tissues will shorten and begin to perform weaker and slower and have a higher incidence of injuries. So if you are lifting weights 4 hours in the week, at least an additional 2 hours should be dedicated to stretching. You must counteract the shortening of the muscle tissues that occurs with weights or else you are a injury screaming to happen.

Step #4

Avoid supplements that have not been around for longer than 3 years. I learned this philosophy from an Australian strength coach who recommended not trying any supplement until it has been around at least 3 years to pass the test of time. This will make your life much easier and help you avoid all the marketing hoopla in the latest fitness and bodybuilding magazine. If you follow this rule, you will discover only a small handful of supplements still standing.

Here are the ones you should NOT go with out:

• a high quality multi-vitamin
• fish oil capsules
• powdered creatine
• protein powder

These products will cover your nutritional basis for health, healthy body composition, strength and muscle mass.



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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

How To Get Ripped Fast

To build muscle fast and have more definition will mostly come down to these 3 main factors:

1) Weight Training
2) Nutrition
3) Cardio

Depending on your current body frame, whether skinny or bulky, these 3 main factors will vary according to your goals.

Check out the list below for each of these main factors and see where you fit in to get the maximum results.

How To Get Ripped Fast!
By Vince DelMonte

To have a world class fitness body, you must be muscular of course, symmetrical and balanced, have a well defined six-pack but most importantly, you must be ripped and shredded to the bone! If you do not know how to get ripped fast than we are about to discuss how weight training, proper nutrition and aerobic exercise will assist in getting a ripped, beach worthy body by next summer.

Determine Where You Are Starting Before You Start To Get Ripped

If you do not have the ripped body of your dreams then
you are either one of two people:

1. The 'big guy' at the gym who looks huge in clothes but has no muscle definition when the shirt comes off. You are training like a bodybuilder, eating in a caloric surplus, getting stronger and bigger each week but would never win a fitness model show because of your excess body fat.

2. Or, are you the 'skinny guy' who thinks he is ripped because your veins are popping out of your tank top, but have no muscle mass to support your frame. Sure, your veins make you look 'ripped' to the bike club but this false sense of 'big' would only get you laughed off a bodybuilding stage.

To get ripped, you must determine whether you need to start leaning down through a fat loss program or else add muscle mass with a bulking program. You can not be ripped if you are lacking muscle mass or lacking muscle definition. Don't chase both goals at once. I will address how both categories can learn how to get ripped fast with weight training, nutrition and cardio.

How To Get Ripped With Weight Training


Skinny guys should train less than 45 minutes each workout.


Skinny guys should focus on only compound movements and no isolated movements.


Skinny guys should focus on getting stronger by 5% every two weeks.


Skinny guys should do no more than 1-2 forced reps to avoid wasted energy.


Skinny guys should have there body parts split up into a maximum three day program.


Bulky guys can train from 1 hour to 1 and ½ hours for the extra caloric expenditure.


Bulky guys can incorporate more isolated movements for caloric expenditure.


Bulky guys should still maintain there strength which will ensure no muscle loss.


Bulky guys can include drop sets and pre-exhaust sets for the extra energy expenditure.


Bulky guys can spend more time per muscle group and split there body parts over 5 days.

How To Get Ripped With Nutrition


Skinny guys should be eating about 15 x there current body weight in calories for muscle mass.


Skinny guys should eat at least 1- 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.


Skinny guys should be eating at least 2x as many carbs as proteins.


Skinny guys should be getting high quality fats with each meal.


Skinny guys should be getting extra calories through workout nutrition drinks.


Skinny guys should have there largest meals at breakfast, pre-workout and post-workout.


Skinny guys should be eating large quantities of oatmeal, whole grains, potatoes and rice.


Bulky guys should be eating about 10 x there current body weight, in calories, for fat loss.


Bulky guys should eat at least 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.


Bulky guys should eat a 1:1 ratio of proteins to carbs in the day.


Bulky guys should only eat healthy fats like flax oil, olive oil, nuts and avocado's.


Bulky guys should only consume liquid carbs during the workout.


Bulky guys should consume carbs only in the form of veggies and fruits.


How To Get Ripped With Cardio


Skinny guys should only do cardio if there caloric intake is in a 1000 calorie surplus.


Skinny guys should keep there cardio workouts as far away as possible from there weights.


Skinny guy should keep there cardio workouts less then 20-30 minutes.


Skinny guys should do cardio no more than 2 - 4 x a week.


Skinny guys should perform cardio on a full stomach.


Skinny guys should have a protein-carb workout drink ready after the workout.


Skinny guys should avoid long, endurance style training.


Bulky guys should do there cardio immediately after weights.

Bulky guys should do a mixture of long, slow cardio and interval cardio.


Bulky guys can do cardio up to 7-10 x a week in extreme cases.


Bulky guys should do cardio on a empty stomach for quicker fat loss.


Bulky guys should sip on a protein drink to avoid muscle loss.


There you have it. Now you know how to get ripped fast, whether you are a skinny or bulky.


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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.


*** SPECIAL 72 HOUR NEW YEARS PROMO - JAN 14 TO JAN 16 ***

If building *lean muscle mass* is your goal for 2008 then don't miss out on this opportunity Vince is offering you... Click here! for all the details...

Learn The Best Weight Training Exercises For Serious Muscle Mass

Getting the most benefits from your workout includes doing the right kind of exercises that will give the results you're looking for. Could it be that you have been training all these years and haven't seen results simply because you've been doing the wrong exercises?

It may be time re-evaluate your training exercises and challenge your body to put on some serious muscle mass.

See what weight training exercises leading muscle building expert Vince DelMonte used to gain 41 pounds of muscle mass in less than six months.

The Best Skinny Guy Weight Training Exercises
By Vince DelMonte

Can you imagine you are wasting all your time on the wrong weight training exercises? Can you imagine that every weight training exercise you are doing is dead wrong? Skinny guy's must meet a different set of requirements when choosing the most effective weight training exercises for maximum muscle growth. You do want to transform your skinny body into a rock-hard muscular body, right?

Without further ado, here are the top two exercises for each muscle group I used to gain 41 pounds of muscle mass in under six months:

Chest: Bench Press and Flat DB Chest Press

Back: Bent Over Barbell Rows and Close Grip Chin Ups

Shoulders: Seated DB Shoulder Press and Standing Military Press

Triceps: Dips and Tricep Pressdowns

Biceps: Standing Barbell Curls and Incline Bicep Curls

Quads: Squats and Lunges

Hips: Deadlifts and Stiff Leg Deadlifts

Lower Back: Good Morning

Calves: Standing Calve Raises

Abdominals: Weighted Ball Situps and Weighted Cable Crunches

Yes, there are many more exercises I did not list but these are simply the best. Stick to these weight training exercises for the best possible muscular and strength gains and you will have a rock-hard muscular body in less time than before!



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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Avoid These 4 Completely Wrong Ways To Build A Six-Pack

If you're looking to get those six-pack abs ready by this summer, then don't wait til spring to get started. Use these cold and stormy winter days to get your abdominals in shape for those hot summer pool parties or cooling off at the beach.

You may think it's too difficult to get six-pack abs by summer or at any time during the year simply because you've heard too many lies, myths, and rumors that have discouraged you from even trying.

Before embracing the right way to get those six-pack abs, we must first expose those myths and rumors that have prevented you from getting started.
See if any of these myths have prevented you from setting and reaching your goal of attaining a six-pack mid-section.


How To Get A Six-Pack - The Wrong Way!
By Vince DelMonte

If you could sculpt one body part to perfection for next summer, what would it be? Let me guess - six pack abs! I don't know anybody who does not want to shrink there waistline, lose body fat, eliminate low back pain and develop a jaw dropping set of rock-hard six-pack. Too bad that your brain has been poisoned with contaiminated information.

Before you can start learing how to get six-pack abs and discover the truth about what it really takes to build a beach-worthy abdominal section, you must first expose the lies, myths and rumors. Before we talk about how to get six-pack abs, the right way, we must re-program your hard drive and empty the trash can of garbage you have been fed.

Because of all this hyped up and misguided information - even among so-called 'fitness experts' - you should be skeptical of discerning about all abdominal training equipment and programs. Let's first eliminate the top four ways not to get a six-pack:

1) Learning how to get a six-pack does not require expensive workout equipment promoted through obnoxious infomercials. You can't flick on the TV anymore without seeing two new abdominal exercise machines being promoted at once. There are so many of them, that if you get suckered into these 'ab workout' gimmicks, you will be broke quicker than Ben Johnson sprints the 100m dash! And get this: Of the $520 million dollars a year spent on exercise equipment, abdominal machines get a $208 million dollar piece of the pie!

2) Learning how to get a six-pack does not require thousands or even hundreds of crunches a day. Crunches are decent but totally overused and associated with more being better. Crunches is a very general exercise and general exercises get general results. Excessive floor crunches shorten the abdominal wall, pull your head forward and emphasize poor posture. They also involve a very low level of stimulation which negelets adequate muscle fiber recruitment.

3) Learning how to get a six-pack does not involve starvation diets. Starvation diets starve the muscle when instead, you should be feeding the muscle. Guess what happens when you starve your body? Your metabolism shuts down out of survival and causes your body to store fat. Your body must get energy from somewhere so guess what gets sacrificed? That's right, your precious muscle which is in fact responsible for a maintaining a high metabolism. Starve your muscle - great logic!

4) Learning how to get a six-pack does not require fat burning pills. What did the last weight loss pill you bought do for you? The same thing the next one is going to do - nothing! Except give you a thinner wallet but not a thinner waist line. The entire concept of taking pills to 'burn fat' is built on a sandy foundation and misleading because diet pills only treat the symptons and not the root cause. Without focusing on the root problems of a flabby mid-section, like nutrition, lifestyle and proper training, you will just end up where you started - farther away from having a six-pack for summer instead of closer.

If just landed on earth from Mars today, and were able to avoid these four completely wrong ways to build a six-pack, than you will have an advantage over the rest of the world and be one enormous step closer to taking your shirt off with pride!



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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

3 More Reasons To Give Your Muscles Permission To Grow

Here's part 2 of Vince DelMonte's six "little known" muscle building tips. These next 3 little secrets may sound simple but they could be the reason you are not adding muscle to your frame like you had wish to. If you've been trying to gain muscle for years now and still haven't seen the desired results, it may be time to take a closer look at these muscle building tips and see if just by making 1 or 2 changes can bring better and quicker results.

Make the choices that can make a difference in 2008!

Six “Little-Known” Muscle Building Tips Part 2
By Vince DelMonte.

So you think you have heard everything there is to know about muscle building? If you have read everything, tried everything and heard everything about muscle building but still resemble the silouette of a Calvin Klien model instead of a buff fitness model than I promise these next three 'little-known' muscle building tips will accelerate your muscle gains immediately!

4. Never Train More Than 2 Days Consecqutively

But the bodybuilding magazines say to split up my program into 5 seperate days... Yes, I am more than familiar. I call these 5 day splits 'drug programs.' They treat your body simply as a 'muscular system' and neglect the other systems such as your central nervous system, hormonal system and immune system. Each of these systems have a unique part in muscle growth. Not to mention that these 'drug programs' only work if coupled with a few thousand dollars a month on drugs.

Just because you trained your chest on Monday does not mean your immune system, or hormonal system or central nervous system has FULLY recovered. What happens when you return to the gym NOT FULLY recovered? Will you be able to lift more weight?

If you are not able to lift more weight than guess what happens to your level of fitness? It certainly will not go up because you will be depleting your energy reserves further into a deep, dark hole called 'over-training.' If you can not lift more weight or 'out-do' yourself from your previous workout than how do you expect to create any NEW muscle? It is literally impossible. Taking a full rest day every two days will minimize the chance of overtraining and ensure your energy reserves are replenished.

5. Go Home If You Are Not Stronger Than Last Workout

Multiple choice question:

Q. You train your chest on Monday and you averaged 4 sets of 8 with 225 pounds on bench press. This workout would be considered a personal best. Your following chest workout, let's say five days later, you come to the gym with great anticipation to out-do your last workout. To your disappointment you discover that you can barely do 4 sets of 8 with 185 pounds this week. What happened?

A. Your body had not fully compensated from the previous workout and required a longer recovery period.

B. Who cares! You toughed it out and made the most of the workout.

C . Complain to the gym owner that his weight plates are messed up and you want a refund on your gym membership.

If you picked A than say hurray and pat yourself on the back. The rational decision would be to admit the recovery error, assess the factors that could of resulted from not fully recovering (did you take all your supplements, did you sleep enought, did you follow your nutrition plan etc) and plan for success next time. This is the 'trial and error' process.

The emotional and irrational trainee would take option B and slug it out. Consider what is actually happening when you take this approach to your workouts:

1. You will be using weights within your threshold so your muscles will simply laugh back at you because there is no new unaccumstomed stress on your muscles. Remember, your muscles only grow if you give them a reason to.

2. You will be training in the hole and prolong the period of time that it takes to come out of the hole and supercompensate.

3. You will have no new muscle to work with because you have not fully recovered or grown bigger so it will be literally impossible to lift more weight or more reps.

4. You will be using your precious energy reserves, that could be going towards building muscle, instead to fueling an useless workout.

5. You will lose motivation and grow frusturated and confused because of your lack of progress.

This is a very tough and mature training decision one must face. After commencing a workout, if you discover after a few sets that you are on tract for a crappy workout than I would suggest to drop the workout and go home. Plan to come back the next day. If your goals are to simply train to train, than you will probably not follow this rule. However, if your goal is to get huge muscles and pack inches of new muscle onto your frame than this is a critical training decision.

To ensure your trip to the gym does not go in complete vain – have a flexibility session to make use of the time and then try and pick up the cute receptionist phone number on your way out!

6. Find a mentor

What does this have to do with muscle building? Everything – finding a mentor can make all the difference in how much muscle you build! If you plan on becoming successful in the gym than surround yourself with someone who has already walked the path. Would you agree that the quickets way to achieve success is to find somone who has gone before you and done what you want to do – and model them.

So why do millions of fitness enthusiasts wander aimlessly following generic advice in text books, magazines or websites? Although these methods of learning can provide a theoretical perspective, they are absent in accountablity, a formal system, time and financial comittment and assessment of performance.

A wise mentor will guide you step-by-step of the way with a formal system that includes a higher level of comittment and accountablity on your part. You will be required to fulfill tasks, change habits, meet deadlines and perform at a higher level than you would without a mentor.

The premise of having a mentor is that he has been there and done that. He has walked in your shoes and will give you the appropriate advice in a timely fashion. If you do not perform and follow the advice than you are wasting the mentor's time and he will 'fire' you! If you do perform and follow his advice than you will be successful and build the muscle you deserve in less time!

Serioulsly consider hiring a fitness coach, a personal trainer or anybody who has done what you wish to do and be prepared to elate the same results!

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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Think You Know Everything About Muscle Building?

This is Part 1 of Vince DelMonte's 2 Part series on six "little known" muscle building tips. Knowing this little secrets can make the difference in putting on more muscle in less time with noticeable results.

Pay special attention to tip #3, for though it is just as important to plan & execute your workouts, the majority of your muscle gain will come outside the gym. Planning & scheduling your time outside the gym will include proper rest and nutrition.

Take Action Now!-- Plan, Schedule, & Execute......stay tuned for Part 2.

6 “Little-Known” Muscle Building Tips Part 1
By Vince DelMonte

So you think you know everything about building muscle? If you have read everything, tried everything and heard everything about muscle building but still resemble the silouette of a Calvin Klien model instead of a buff fitness model than I promise these three 'little-known' muscle building tips will accelerate your muscle gains immediately!

1. Body Weight Training

This was once a popular muscle building technique but is very commonly ignored. Why? Perhaps because most body weight training is simply hard and can put a dent in your precious ego! As far as I am concerned, if you can not work with your own body weight than you have no freaken business using external loading such as barbells and dumbbells.

It’s incredible how many attempt to use heavy weights with a microscopic range of motion but can’t do a set of push ups, a squat to the floor or even one chin up. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a place for external loading with heavy weights but not until you have the ability to master the following bench marks:

Males should aim for 1 set of 80 push ups, 1 set of 20 chin ups, 1 set of 20 1-leg squats, 1 set of 40 dips and 1 set of 20 pull ups.

Females should aim for 1 set of 40 push ups, 1 set of 5-10 chin ups, 1 set of 10 1-leg squats, 1 set of 10-15 dips and 1 set of 3-5 pull ups.

These standards will ensure a solid foundation of general fitness and muscular endurance and lead to building muscle mass more easily in the following stages of your weight training program.

2. Flip Your Program Upside Down Every 3 Weeks

This is an extremely powerful tip to building muscle mass, not to mention one of the easiest tricks to ensure your body side-steps plateaus forever. Consider that you have been training your chest, shoulders and triceps every Monday. In you next phase, three weeks later, you should do the complete opposite. You will train your triceps & shoulders then chest on Friday. This will prevent plateaus because each muscle group will have an opportunity to train completely fresh.

Let's say you are training your back, biceps, forearms and abs on Friday. Then you will train your abs, forearms, biceps, and back on Monday (in the opposite sequence). You will literally switch everything upside down. Again, this will ensure that these muscles receive an opportunity to train first in the week when your body is the most fresh.

You will curse my name when you blow the heck out of the smaller muscles first and then train the larger muscle groups last. Yes, I know this months issue of Bodybuilders Digest said to never train the smaller muscle groups before your larger muscle groups. I have heard it before so stop analyzing, trust me and give it a try. You be the judge and don't be surprised if you see new levels of muscle mass and strength after this one technique.

3. Spend More Time At The Grocery Store

If you are serious about building muscle, accept the fact that you will need to spend more time than you do right now in the grocery store. Have you ever opened the fridge for something to eat and all you found was Aunt Wilma's Thanksgiving turkey leftovers with mold on it? Ever gone into the cub boards and discover only a few leftover bags of potato chips from last weeks Super Bowl party?

To ensure a optimal environment for building muscle and fat loss you must ensure your cub boards and fridge are constantly stocked. This will mean more frequent trips to the grocery store. Chuck the crap that is in your kitchen right now and replace it with good stuff and keep on replacing it. Don't ever let that supply of good food run low.

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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

How To Build Bigger Biceps

Here's is a great article to start off the new year with muscle bulging biceps. Most hardgainers have the wrong attitude when it comes to training biceps correctly. Different variations of curls will blast your biceps to a whole new level, but must also be done correctly without over training and proper recovery time.

Read these 5 common problems when it comes to building big biceps, plus how to train your biceps from different angles for maximum mass and strength.

Train hard, but smart!

How To Build Big Biceps
By Vince DelMonte

The “Guns.” The “Pythons.” “Thunder” and “Lighting.” The “Rockweillers.” There is no other muscle group that has earned more nicknames than when describing a bulging and huge set of biceps! Bulging biceps - every guy wants them. Count me in this group.

The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 9 out of 10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same determination to add even ¼ inch to their biceps. Training biceps has become almost an 'obsessive addiction' in the gym. I have seen guys do bicep curls in between sets just so they can 'see' a little bit of a pump in their arms. I have seen guys spend an entire hour bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the mirror. I have seen guys take weights on vacation so that they can do some bicep curls at their hotel before they go into the club! I have seen guys spend longer amounts of times shopping for t-shirts than girls shopping for a blouse with the hope that one of these shirts will make his arms look 'good.'

Someone disagree with me that bicep training has become an unhealthy ‘obsessive addiction.' for many. In the “Skinny Arms” defense, the allure of peaked, mountainous biceps will never go away. Why should it? The 'guns' are of a man's most prized possession and one of many women's most desired body parts on a man (of course)!

My question is if 9 out 10 guys are obsessed with seeing their biceps grow and dedicate so much of their workout volume to isolating their biceps and using every technique from forced reps, drop sets, and 21's which are 'promised' to be the most effective methods confirmed by pro bodybuilders, why do they still have little to show for their efforts?

Let's examine five of the most common problems with bicep training before I offer a step-by-step program to take your bicep peak to new heights.

Problem #1 with bicep training – More is not always better

If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don't you just do 10 sets? Even better, why don't you just train them all day? It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less is often more.” Especially if you are not gifted with “muscle-friendly” genes.

Your goal of each weight training workout should be to simply 'out do' your last workout. Once you achieve this with an extra pound or a few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise. Not to Nazi-torture the muscle for another hour.

I have found this a hard concept for many skinny guys to grasp because they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps 'look' big during the workout and not what they look like when they leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.

Problem #2 with bicep training – Being more obsessed with how they look while you train rather than when you are not training!

Problem #2 ties in with problem #1. The truth is that the longer you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the gym. This attention and perception that you are doing something beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal with no true muscle growth.

Problem #3 with bicep training – Not focusing on increasing your overall strength

Some of the biggest guys I know rarely even train their arms. What they do though is put a strong emphasis around increasing their chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on increasing the weights on your rows, pull ups and chin-ups, rest assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow proportionally.

However, if you are always blasting and 'smoking' your biceps, they will always be fatigued when you train your back muscles and, as you should know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. This is another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.

Problem #4 with bicep training – Using the same bicep exercises every time

Every pro bodybuilder will put their money on two of the simplest exercises for building huge biceps – barbell curls and dumbbell curls. According to the pros, these two exercises have built more huge guns than any other exercise in the world. I definitely agree that these 'simple' exercises are a safe foundation to build a program around, but let's also remember that pro bodybuilders using steroids are going to have a strong response to practically any exercise they do.

I have no problem using these two exercises under one condition – you are getting stronger from week to week. As long as you are increasing the weights and reps relative to perfect form, then your arms should continue growing. Aim to build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds for a few “slow speed” sets and your dumbbell curls up to 50 pounds for a few “slow-speed” sets that involve zero rocking and swaying.

Once you build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds, you will be ready to try these two different angles on the bar. You will have to drop your weights a bit, but stick with these two variations until you build back up to 110 pounds:

Bicep Exercise 1: “Stress” the outer portion of the bi's by placing your elbows outwards and using a super-close grip.

Bicep Exercise 2: “Stress” the inner portion of the bi's by taking a super-wide grip on the bar and digging your elbows into your side (and don't let them move.)

Bicep Exercise 3: To “stress” the brachialis and brachioradialis stick to good old fashioned hammer curls and reverse curls. Don't underestimate these two exercises in the slightest.

Problem #5 on biceps – Not enough tension on the muscle

I think many weight trainees do not fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue. Instead, you see a lot of swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to train. The biceps have a very strong response to “constant tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to breathe. Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a slower 3-0-3 or 4-0-4 tempo to get the job done.

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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Build Huge Muscles In 3 Simple Steps

Get Big Muscles In 3 Simple Steps
By Vince DelMonte

Do you know what it really takes to build big muscles? Do you think it's as simple as buying a gym membership, training each body part once per week, slamming back some protein shakes and trying to eat as much chicken and tuna possible? Viola, you are big enough to enter a bodybuilding contest. Can you imagine it was that easy to build big muscles? Unfortunately, your monthly gym membership, regular weight training workouts and casual eating habits, isn't going to cut it. Here are three simple steps to getting big muscles fast :

Squat and Deadlift

Squatting and Deadlifting are known as two of the Big Three exercises that are responsible for power and mass muscle building. Consider these two animal exercises the kings of the jungle! Without them, you do not have a chance of survival. These two exercises alone, work out about 75% of your entire musculature, including your traps, shoulders, arms, back, glutes, hamstrings, calves and core muscles.

Not to mention the degree of intensity, squats and dead lifts force your body to release greater volumes of growth hormone, which results in bigger muscles all over your body. This spillover effect results in strength gains in all you other lifts which translates into a more muscular you! Squatting and dead lifting are especially critical for hard gainers because of the hormonal spikes affecting the entire body.

Stick to Compound Exercises

What is going to isolate more muscle fibers? A bench press or cable cross over? A military press or lateral raise? A chin up or bicep curl? A dip or tricep kickback? If you ever hope to get big muscles than compound lifts are not optional, they are mandatory. Stick to squats, leg presses, deadlifts, bench preses, barbell rows, pull ups, chin ups, over head presses, and dips.

If all you do is concentrate on building your puny muscles like arms and calves, then you will end up with exactly what you focus on – puny muscles!

Keep Your Rest Periods Honest

When was the last time you were in the gym and you watched the average guy time his recovery with a stop watch? Stop watches are not just for endurance athletes but should be used by every person who is serious about building big muscles.

Generally, the closer you lift to your one rep max, the longer the rest period and the higher the number of reps, the shorter the rest period. This is a crucial variable, which is often overlooked, yet will determine whether you create the correct training response.

For example, if you are training for maximal strength which requires at least 3-5 minutes rest between sets and you are only taking 2 minutes, you are not giving your nervous system an honest workout. If you are training for muscle size which requires shorter 30-90 second style recoveries but are gazing at the cute girl on the elliptical letting your rest periods carry over these ranges, you are not giving your metabolic system an honest workout.

Lastly, how do you know if you are truly stronger if you do not monitor your rest period? For example, let's say last week you bench pressed 135 pounds for four sets of ten. This week you bench pressed 145 pounds for four sets of ten. Assuming the rest period was identical for both workouts, this is a tremendous improvement and a measurable sign of improvement! However, what if you took an extra minute or two between each set on the recent workout? This means that you did not actually become stronger. You just had a longer rest period!

Conclusion

You now know that building big muscles is not easy as showing up at the gym and throwing back a few protein shakes. Apply these three simple steps in your next program and I promise that you will start building brand new muscle all over your body!

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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince DelMonte specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.

Muscle Building Food Recipes: You Can Have Your Cheesecake and Eat It To!

9 Easy-To-Make Muscle Building Growth Recipes
By Vince DelMonte

Think putting yourself on a muscle building diet has to be a painful process? Whether your goal is fat loss or muscle building, getting proper nutrition is at least 80% of the game. If you don't have that figured out, you are going to be a long time away from seeing results.

The good news is that your tastebuds don't have to suffer if you don't want them to. There are plenty of ways to get in your proper nutrition while keeping things interesting. If you think gaining muscle means suffering through can of tuna after can of tuna or pounding back a protein shake as fast as humanly possible, you need to think again.

Give one of these recipes a try and you'll be surprised just how easy it is to eat right, achieve your goals and actually ENJOY your food at the same time.


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Protein Fudge Nuggets

These are great to take to the gym as a post-workout treat or just for a snack to eat between meals. When you are trying to gain weight many of you really need to packing in the calories so you need calorie dense foods. These chocolate treats have it all.

8 scoops chocolate protein powder

1 cup oatmeal (can be ground depending on the consistency you'd like)

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

3 tbsp honey

½ cup milk

3 tbsp crushed peanuts

First mix together the protein powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, honey and milk. Form into small balls and then roll in the crushed peanuts to finish. Note that these can easily be frozen in plastic bags and consumed on a later date.

Nutritional Info (1/10 of the recipe)

234 calories

6.7 grams fat

18 grams carbohydrates

25 grams protein


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Pumpkin Pancakes

When you're craving a good home-made pancake breakfast, give these a try. They are filled with slow digesting carbohydrates that will keep your blood sugar steady throughout the morning.

¼ cup oats

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

5 egg whites

1 tbsp ground flax

½ tbsp cinnamon

Splenda to taste

First heat a frying pan until hot and then reduce to medium temperature. After mixing together all the ingredients drop by spoonful onto the plan, flipping when bubbles start to form.

Makes about 5 - 4" pancakes.

Nutritional Info (per recipe)

217 calories

23 grams protein

26 grams carbohydrates

4 grams fat


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Protein Jell-O

When you're craving something sweet but are on a very low carb diet, there often is not a lot of options. This recipe is the perfect dessert that will give you plenty of protein and not much else. Great for those on a very strict diet.

1 package sugar-free Jell-O (any flavour)

1 scoop Syntrax Nectar protein powder (any flavour - to match Jell-O)

Mix 1 cup boiling water with the Jell-O powder then stir in one scoop of the protein powder until dissolved. Once that's finished, mix in one cup of cold water and allow to set. Serve with low fat Cool Whip if desired.


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Blueberry Cookies

Everyone needs a good cookie now and then but not everyone needs the damage to their diet. Luckily with these not only will you be getting a great dose of protein, you will be getting plenty of antioxidants from the blueberries.

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

4 egg whites

½ cup oats

1 cup blueberries

First combine all three ingredients so they are blended well. Then mix in blueberries and drop by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degree Celsius for approximately thirteen minutes. Makes 10 cookies.

Nutritional Info (per cookie)

54 calories

6.5 grams protein

0.7 grams fat

5.5 grams carbs


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Protein Waffles

These are a very convenient way to get your protein and carbs in. They make for the perfect transportable post-workout meal if you would rather do something other than a shake. To make a complete meal out of them, spread some peanut butter between two waffles.

1.5 scoops of vanilla protein powder (note that other flavours can be used if desired)

1/3 cups of cooked oats (cooked in the microwave with slightly more water than called for)

1 egg white

1/8 tsp (or a few drops) of maple extract

1/8 tsp of baking powder

2 Tbsp sugar free maple syrup (optional)

Combine all the ingredients into a sticky batter and then pour into a waffle iron. Cook as usual, until golden brown. Drizzle with sugar free maple syrup if desired.

Nutritional Info (per recipe)

300 calories

41 grams protein

5 grams fat

22.7 grams carbs


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Mock Cinnamon Buns

While this probably won't taste exactly like a Cinnabon, it might just do the trick to quell the craving for something sweet and cinnamony.

6 egg whites

1-2 packets artificial Sweetener

½ tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon (can use more if desired)

Fat free vanilla coffee creamer

First separate egg whites from yolks and place whites in a bowl. Next add in one packet of sweetener along with vanilla extract. Whisk this together well. Place in the microwave for about 3 minutes and thirty seconds, stirring half-way through. Once finished, let sit for one to two minutes and then chop with a fork. Sprinkle on cinnamon and more sweetener until evenly distributed over eggs. Finally, drizzle with some fat free vanilla coffee creamer.

Nutritional Info (without creamer)

95 calories

21 grams protein

1 gram carb

0.7 gram fat


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Muscle Building - Low Carb Cheesecake

This is the perfect way to replace an otherwise diet-damaging dessert with something that is more nutrition friendly.

2 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup vanilla powder

1/4 cup Splenda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tbsp sugar free jam



First preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Next, beat together the cottage cheese, eggs, sour cream, protein powder, vanilla extract and Splenda until smooth. Pour this into a sprayed pie pan and then swirl the sugar free jam through with a knife. Place the cake on the top rack of the oven with another pan filled with water on the bottom. Bake this for 30-40 minutes and then allow to cool after cooking. Makes 8 servings

Nutritional Info (per serving)

110 calories

4 grams fat

4.5 grams carbs

14 grams protein




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High Protein Bread

For those of you who have trouble getting in all your protein requirements, it helps if you can sneak it into other foods that are normally lower in protein content. The following is a recipe for protein bread, which works great for those who are also dieting and trying to reduce their carb count. If you are not dieting but rather trying to gain muscle, up the calorie content of the bread by spreading a thick layer of natural peanut butter on top. You'll have a high calorie snack that won't lead to an increase in insulin levels, which can promote fat storage in certain situations.

1 tsp yeast

1 cup vital wheat gluten

¼ cup protein powder (any flavour however if you are planning on using spreads, vanilla or unflavored will likely work best)

1/3 cup wheat bran

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp flaxmeal

2 packets of sweetener

1 tbsp olive oil

1 egg

½ cup water

Combine yeast, wheat gluten, protein powder, wheat bran, salt, flaxmeal and sweetener in a bowl until well blended. In a separate bowl stir together the olive oil, egg and water. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Transfer to a greased bread loaf pan and bake at 375 degree Celsius for 20 minutes or until brown. Makes 12 slices.

Nutritional Info (per slice):

80 calories

2 grams fat

11 grams protein

13.5 grams carbs




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Protein Crepes

Looking for something different for dessert? Why not try a high-protein crepe. Fill these with your favourite fruit and top with whip cream, peanut butter or cottage cheese, or alternatively use them as part of a main course as a wrap for tuna salad, chicken breasts and veggies or whatever favourite creation you come up with.

1 cup egg whites

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (if using these for dessert, you may want to use strawberry or chocolate flavoured powder instead)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Begin by whipping together the egg whites and protein powder. Then stir in vanilla extract. Next heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and then once heated, pour the batter into the skillet so there is just enough to thinly cover the bottom. It is a good idea to remove the pan from the heat while doing this so the batter will spread evenly.

Allow to cook over medium heat until small bubbles begin to form on the top. Then flip it over and cook once again until finished.

So next time you're looking for some good muscle building recipes, packed with protein to give your body the amino acids it needs, give one of these a try.

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About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at VinceDelMonteFitness.com

Vince specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training in less time than ever before.