Choosing a Muscle Building Program

There is more than one way to skin a cat, as the old saying goes and it certainly applies to building muscle. Regimens with vastly differing parameters can result in considerable muscular gains as long as the program satisfies a few critical criteria. If you are searching for a new routine to help you pack on a few pounds of muscle, the following questions will help you find what you are looking for.

Does the program use the principle of progressive overload?

Progressive overload occurs when the muscles are exposed to more stimuli over time to induce muscle damage significant enough to facilitate new growth. If you want to make appreciable gains, your workouts must push you out of your comfort zone, and put sufficient stress on the muscles. Without this, the body will see no need to build new tissue to handle the increased workload it is faced with.

A well designed regimen will include some type of progression from week to week to make this happen, so this is something to look for when evaluating potential programs to follow. Only minimal growth can be achieved without this.

Does the plan include sound nutritional parameters to follow?

The work you do in the gym lays the foundation for growth, but the raw materials needed to complete the job are provided through your diet. Adequate protein must be consumed to provide the body with the amino acids used to rebuild damaged tissue. Dietary fats are used in the production of sex hormones that play a vital role in the body building process. While carbohydrates are not essential to the process, they do provide the body with the energy it needs to complete the challenging workouts that will promote growth.

Using a school analogy, going to the gym is like attending class, and your diet can be thought of as the homework and studying you do at home. Both elements are crucial to success, and any reputable training system will place due emphasis on both aspects.

Does the system include smart supplement recommendations?

Let me start by saying that supplements only account for a small percentage of actual results, and are often overemphasized. That being said, supplements like protein powder, creatine, and fish oil will help the body throughout the processes involved in synthesizing new tissue, and are therefore important additions to any good program.

While you should be a bit leery of any plan that seems like it was just created to pitch a bunch of supplements, you want to follow a routine that recognizes the benefits of these staples and allows you to reap them.

Are the results being promised realistic?

If you see ridiculous claims on the sales page like “You will gain 20 pounds in 8 weeks”, keep moving. Gains like this can only be achieved with anabolic steroids, which we I do not recommend. The body can only naturally build about 2 pounds of muscle per month, so avoid programs that promise results that are too good to be true.

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