Conclusions

Well, there you have it; a simple but effective diet and exercise program that is guaranteed to get you huge now (well, give or take 12 weeks). Like anything worthwhile in life, it takes dedication and commitment, but it is well worth the time and efforts. You can spend the next 12 weeks making the positive changes to your mindset, your eating habits and your exercise routine and develop huge, hard, strong muscles while your dramatically improve your confidence and self-esteem OR you can keep doing what you are doing now and end up in worse shape 12 weeks from now (if you aren’t improving you are deteriorating).

Doesn’t require a whole lot of thought to make the right decision now, does it? In life you are either getting better or wasting away, there is no standing still. Each day that passes by is one you will never get back again. So make the decision and get started on the path of moving forward.

Imagine yourself 12 weeks from now with bulging biceps, killer triceps, strapping chest and those six pack abs that make the women drool (come on, you’ve seen those Diet Pepsi commercials!) That really can be you…it is you, if you will make the commitment to yourself and take the first step. Working out smarter and not harder, makes it easy. Just give up a half an hour of TV four days a week. Let’s face it, those old Seinfeld reruns never did a thing to improve your self-esteem, get you more dates or improve your health.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step” so mark your workouts on your calendar and pick up some fat-free cottage cheese from the grocery store today. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. A healthy, strong, sexy body is worth more than any earthly possession you could ever had and should be treated better than you would treat your car whether it is a classic or the latest sports car.

You wouldn’t put cheap oil in it and leave it sitting in the garage, so don’t treat your body that way either. Feed yourself well and give yourself the proper exercise and sleep you need to be the strongest, healthiest and sexiest man you can possibly be. Not only is the sexy body attractive to women, the person you become on the inside is even more attractive as you learn to value yourself and treat yourself well, you will surely learn to value others and treat them well, too.

Why your Rest Days are Vital

Remember that it is the repairing process after the muscles have been “damaged” by lifting weights that actually creates new muscle tissue, so the muscles are actually built during your rest days. It takes at least one day and sometimes two or three days for a muscle to fully repair itself and build new muscle tissue. If you have pain and soreness after your workout you should wait until the pain is gone to work that muscle again, because this will indicate that the muscle is completely recovered.

Working out before a muscle is fully recovered is counterproductive because it would mean breaking down the muscle again and any gains that would have been made during recovery are completely wasted. This is why some people work out all the time and do not make the same gains in size and strength as someone who works out less often. This kind of goes back to the “workout smarter, not harder” mantra we’ve been working on.

By resting a muscle until it is fully recovered, you will ensure that the workout nets you the greatest gain in muscle tissue possible and maximize your results. One workout done properly and followed by adequate nutrition and rest is worth 10 workouts done incorrectly without proper rest.

Another very important reason that a hardgainer needs his rest is that his metabolism is so high. Working out too often or too long increases the metabolism and burns more calories. Reducing the duration and frequency of workouts means burning less calories and since the less calories you burn, the more weight you can gain that means more weight gain in less time.

Workout 4

Calves
Standing Calf Raises:
Stand with feet together and weights in hands down at your sides (palms in). Raise up until you are standing on your toes and lower down (3 seconds).

Seated Calf Raises:
Sitting on the edge of a bench or chair, hold weights so that they are resting on your knees and lift and lower the lower legs up and down to the toes and back.

Glutes
Bench Step-ups:
Dumbbells may be held down at your sides or up on your shoulders, whichever is steadier and more comfortable for you. Stand facing the bench or tall aerobic step and place one foot squarely on the bench. Lift up so that both feet are on the bench and return to the start position. Do the reps for each leg. This is tough, but it will give you huge, solid glutes in a hurry!

Leg Lifts:
Get on your hands and knees on the floor. Keep your head facing forward, straighten your left leg and lift from the floor to just slightly above hip level. May be done with ankle weights. Repeat for both sides.

Abs
Crunches:
These are the regular garden variety crunches. Lay on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hands behind your head (but not clasped). Lift your upper body towards the ceiling, feeling your abs contract and exhaling on the way up. Focusing on this move makes it far more effective. Be sure to pull the abs in as you lift up and relax on the way down.

Bent Knee Crunches:
In this version you will lift the knees over the hips and crunch forward reaching your elbows to the knees. Keep in mind the same breathing and contracting of the ab muscles as the garden variety.


Workout 4
Calves
Standing Calf Raises: (12 Reps, 60 weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)
Seated Calf Raises: (12 Reps, 60 weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)

Glutes
Bench Step-ups: (12 Reps, 60 weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)
Leg Lifts: (12 Reps, 60 weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)

Abs
Crunches: (12 Reps, -),(8,-),(6,-),(10,-)
Bent Knee Crunches: (12 Reps, -),(8,-),(6,-),(10,-)

Workout 3

Triceps
French Press:
Standing with arms overhead both holding one dumbbell as with the pullovers. Lower the dumbbell straight down behind your back and return to the raised position.

Bench Dips:
You should be standing with your back towards a sturdy bench or chair. You will bend down and place your hands on the edge of the chair or bench to support yourself. Position your feet out in front of you so that your weight is resting on your arms. Keeping the elbows tucked in at your sides, lower your body until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Your hips will move up and down in a straight line when properly doing this move. Positioning your feet further out or closer in will vary the resistance, so play with this to get each set to the appropriate level. As with the other moves, 3 seconds down and 1 second up.

Biceps
Dumbbell Curls:
Standing with a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at your sides and palms facing forward. Lift both dumbbells up to the chest and lower back down slowly.

Hammer Curls:
The difference with this move is that the palms are facing inward, other than that it is done like the dumbbell curl.

Forearms
Dumbbell Wrist Curls:
Sit on bench or edge of chair with feet flat on floor slightly more than shoulder’s distance apart. With a dumbbell in each hand, place forearms on upper thighs with the palms facing up and the back of the wrists over the knees. Lower the dumbbells as low as possible and then curl up as far as you can.This exercise is repeated with palms down.


Workout 3
Triceps
French Press: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)
Bench Dips: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)

Biceps
Dumbbell Curls: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)
Hammer Curls: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)

Forearms
Dumbbell Wrist Curls
(palms up): (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)
Dumbbell Wrist Curls
(palms down): (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM),(8,80),(6,90),(10,60)

Workout 1

Chest:
Bench Press:
Lying on your back on a weight lifting bench holding a dumbbell in each hand that is the correct percentage of your 1RM (1 Rep. Maximum). If you do not have access to a bench, this exercise can be done on the floor with a 2 x 4 that is about 12 inches long placed under your shoulder blades. Palms should be facing your feet and elbows out at your sides with the weights held by your shoulders. Lift straight up until your elbows are in a straight line with your arms. The lift should be done straight up over the chest and shoulders and not your face or belly. Lift up for one second and then count three seconds down to the start position.

Follow the chart below for the reps and sets.

Dumbbell Flyes:
Done either lying on bench or with a 2 x 4 as described above: One dumbbell in each hand with the palms facing each other. Begin with arms extended above your chest and the weights almost touching. Lower the arms out towards your sides, slightly bending the elbows until the arms are horizontal with the body. Be sure to move slowly downward (3 seconds) and then lift back to the start position (1 second).

Shoulders:
Seated Dumbbell Press:
Sit on the end of a bench or an armless chair with your feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level with the palms facing forward and elbows out to the sides. Press the dumbbells inward and upward so that they almost meet at the top above your head. Return to the start position (3 seconds)

Lateral Raises:
Stand upright with your feet about shoulder’s width apart and weights in each hand down at your sides, palms facing inward. Keeping your arms straight, lift the weights out to the sides. Be sure to slowly lower to the start position and keep in mind your weights will likely be a little lighter for this exercise.

Back:
One-arm Dumbbell Rows:
Place one knee slightly forward and bending over slightly place the same hand on that knee. Hold the appropriate weight in the opposite hand with the palm facing in and the arm down towards the floor. Lift upward, focusing on pulling your elbow up and past the back as far as you can. This move should be done as close to the body as possible.

Dumbbell Pullovers:
Lie across a flat bench or use the 2 x 4. Hold one dumbbell in both hands with arms extended over your face. Without raising your hips or legs, lower the dumbbell slowly until fully extended over your head. Be sure to take 3 seconds on the downward motion and one to return to the start position.


Workout 1
Chest
Bench Press: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM), (8 80), (6, 90), (10,60)
Dumbbell Flyes: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM), (8 80), (6, 90), (10,60)

Shoulders
Seated Dumbbell Press: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM), (8 80), (6, 90), (10,60)
Lateral Raises: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM), (8 80), (6, 90), (10,60)

Back
One-arm Dumbbell Rows: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM), (8 80), (6, 90), (10,60)
Dumbbell Pullovers: (12 Reps, 60 Weight % of 1RM), (8 80), (6, 90), (10,60)

Working Out too much Sabotages your Efforts

One of the reasons why working out too much sabotages your weight gain efforts is that it increases the likelihood of getting frustrated and wanting to quit. When a workout plan takes up too much of your time, it is easy to make excuses for not doing it one day and then the next and the next thing you know, you aren’t working out at all. The fitness plan you use must fit into your life to be effective. By making the workouts quick and efficient, you are much more likely to stick with the program and achieve your goal of getting huge.

Another reason why working out too much increases frustration and leads to drop out is that it is just too exhausting. You want to work a muscle to the point of fatigue, but you should be able to recover quickly. Overdoing it makes it tough to even handle mundane everyday tasks and makes recovery time much too long.

When the workout becomes a dreaded part of your life instead of something enjoyable, it becomes really tough to stick with it. Working out properly will leave you feeling empowered and energized. While you may experience some muscle soreness in the form of delayed onset muscle soreness aka DOMS, this is not debilitating and actually increases your confidence because it is a reminder of the progress you are making.

The last two reasons that working out too much sabotages your muscle/weight gain efforts will be described in more detail in later article on “Why your Rest Days are Vital”, but briefly they are that working out too much short circuits the muscle repair process and minimizes muscle growth and working out too much increases the metabolism and burns more calories which slows down weight gain.
So to summarize the four reasons that working out too much sabotages your weight/muscle gain efforts are:

Increased frustration level
Decreased energy (exhaustion)
Inadequate rest for muscle recovery
Increased metabolism and calorie burn

It makes sense to workout smarter, not harder when it increases your chances of sticking with the program and actually makes your workouts more effective, don’t you think? This program will help you accomplish your goals without overdoing it and make you far more likely to maintain these great habits and your huge muscles for life!

Work Smarter not Harder

Working smarter and not harder is a great motto for any task in life when you think about it, but it makes particularly good sense when it comes to your workout efforts. So many people work out for hours and hours each day and their results do not justify their efforts. Throughout history people have invented things to save them time and effort while accomplishing the same amount of work. It wouldn’t make sense to move a pile of pebbles from one place to another by carrying them one handful at a time when you could much more easily shovel the whole pile into a wheel barrow and more the whole pile at one time.

Likewise, it doesn’t make any sense at all to do countless sets and reps of an exercise to fatigue a muscle when you can do fewer, more intense reps and get the same or better results. Weight lifting is all about reaching the point of exhaustion for a particular muscle. Of course using a moderate weight and lifting it over and over again will eventually get you to the point of exhaustion, but why take that long doing something that could be accomplished much more quickly. Unless, of course, your only goal in life is to spend as much time as possible in the gym, then by all means do as many sets and reps as you possibly can!

However, if you are like most people you would like to make your workouts a part of your life and not the purpose of your entire existence, so working out smarter instead of harder is the best plan for you. The way this is going to be accomplished is by doing 4 intense sets for each exercise with varying weights and reps (12, 8, 6, 10) instead of doing 3 to 5 sets of 12 to 16 reps like a lot of plans would have you do. The key here is using enough weight to make those reps count.

Your first set is going to get the muscle warmed up and should be using a weight that is about 60% of your 1 rep maximum (that is the most weight you can lift for just 1 rep). Next, you will do 8 reps with a weight that is 80% of your 1rm, this should be very challenging. At this point you will do 6 reps with a weight that is around 90% of your one rep maximum. This set should be very difficult to complete and should require tapping into your inner strength to finish the last rep. You will wait just 60 seconds between sets and the last set will be done with the weight that is 60% of your maximum again, this time for just 10 reps, but these will be the toughest reps yet!

You will do just two different exercises for each muscle using the smarter not harder technique described here and believe me, your muscles will feel the difference right away. Your workout will take about 35 minutes each day and you will thoroughly exhaust each muscle throughout the week. You will be amazed at the results you get in such a short amount of time and you will laugh (inside, of course) at those guys who spend 2 hours or more at the gym each day and never change the way they look.