So You Want To Get Big…

So you want to get big? I mean who doesn’t? Frankly I am sick of the new image of a “man” in society. Skinny jeans, boys medium t-shirts, the list goes on. It drives me nuts. Listen, whether you want to fill out your t-shirt or get hooooge you need to acknowledge a few principles.

1. Get Strong First.

If you’re not strong, you’re not going to get very big. How do you promote hypertrophy? You keep your muscles under tension for a long period of time. Bottom line is the longer you can move heavier weights the bigger you’re going to grow. If you can move 200lbs for 10 repetitions now, and you can move 300lbs for 10 repetitions a year from now, you are going to be a bigger person.

Stop buying into the idea that certain exercises, rep schemes and flashy programs are going to get you bigger. They aren’t going to get you ANYWHERE until you can move some appreciable weight. Getting strong takes time, dedication and hard work. Getting strong will get you where you want to be, so I suggest you get started.

2. Master The Basics.

What separates an expert from an amateur? Experts are masters of the basics. Focus your time on improving and perfecting your squat, deadlift and overhead press. Get brutally strong at each movement and become a technician in regards to their execution. Doing so will teach you how to move your body, move weight, and move move up a t-shirt size.

3. Eat.

You’re never going to beat the first law of thermodynamics. If you want to create new muscle it’s going to take energy. In this case it’s going to take calories, your bodies energy currency. If enough calories are not present to carry out the functions of the body associated with muscle growth and repair it isn’t going to happen. Eat up.

4. Get Lean.

Wait, what!? Didn’t you just tell me to eat more? If you start trying to get bigger at 20% body fat your going to put on a lot of crappy body weight. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. If you want to make appreciable gains I suggest you get somewhere between 8 – 12% body fat before you start. Your body at 10% body fat doesn’t function the same as your body at 20% body fat. If you get to a nice lean state before you introduce the influx in calories and training volume you will put on a greater percentage of lean body weight to body fat. If you eat enough to put on serious muscle you are going to add some body fat. If you start from a lower body fat percentage you are going to get better results, and be happier with them.

5. Get Focused.

This is a principle for everything fitness and life related. You are going to be more productive when you are more focused. If you’re trying to get strong, get strong. If you’re trying to get lean, get lean. Stop multi-tasking. Competing demands give you a bunch of mediocre results. Mediocracy sucks.