The No-Supplement Strategy To Gain Lean Muscle
When people normally hear the term muscle gainer they think of a protein powder or some sort of supplement. Well supplements can make life a little easier, but aren’t necessary when it comes to building muscle. People were gaining muscle long before a single supplement hit the market. A good muscle gainer combo is proper training and diet…and the diet doesn’t need crazy amounts of protein either.
Tip #1 – How To Create A Good “Muscle Gainer” Routine
If you want to gain muscle, it’s my opinion that you should develop a workout plan that includes 6-15 reps alternated with 2-5 reps. The reason for this is that high reps build the fluid within the muscle cells and low reps build the actual muscle tissue of the muscle cells. Your muscles will grow the fastest when the cellular fluid is increased, however the actual density and overall strength of those same muscles comes from actual muscle tissue increases.
Your Workout Shouldn’t Combine Both High and Low Rep Training
Our bodies are smart and they really like to adapt to a set pattern, For example, if you mix both low and high reps in your workout, your body will adjust to the rep range. Have you ever heard of the saying “A Jack of All Trades and Master of None”? It is important to remember this while training. For a truly effective muscle gainer workout, you should spend time lifting in the higher rep range to increase cell volume, and also some time lifting in the low rep range to build muscle.
Tip #3 – Alternate Method: Try Just Lifting 5 Repetitions Per Set
Very few guys in the gym follow the proven method of lifting for 5 reps for dense muscle mass. This approach is known to have great results, and can help you to gradually and steadily build the size, density and strength of your muscles. The disadvantage is that your muscle growth won’t happen as fast as it would if you were lifting 6-15 reps. The upside is that the muscle you do add will be dense and defined.
Here is How a 5×5 Muscle Gainer Set is Structured
If you’re doing the 5×5 reps, you shouldn’t use high reps as a warm up. Make sure to choose a weight that you can lift easily 10 times and only lift it 5. For the second set, pick something you could lift 8 times and do it 5 times. For sets 3-5, use a weight that is challenging for 5 reps, but don’t lift to failure. If you avoid failure you send positive feedback to your nervous system and will get stronger in the long run.
Keep Your Muscle Gainer Diet Simple
For every pound of body weight that you have, you need to consume approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of a gram of protein each day. This is 100-130 grams of protein for a 200 pound man. Calories are another matter, and you should consume approximately 12 calories per pound of weight. When you follow these simple diet and workout recommendations, you’ll soon discover that muscle gainer supplements are not necessary.
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