Building Muscle – Muscle Gain | Everyday Muscle.com

As any bodybuilder or fitness enthusiast is aware of, you have to first get your mind in alignment with your goals.  There is a lot to be said regarding mindset, attitude, emotions, etc…when it comes to putting on muscle mass, losing fat, or just getting “in shape”.  Trust me, it is never as simple as…lift x weight, eat y calories, and collect the product (results).  The human body is designed to run on “modes”.

Survival is a mode.  Embellishment is a mode.  Recuperation is a mode.  Learning how to align your mind with your goals is paramount to the success you will have down the line.  Realizing that during an all-out anabolic mode, i.e. androgens in excess, calories in excess, and a healing response activated from resistance training, you can realistically see progress on a DAILY basis.  Conversely, during a survival mode, you can feel your muscle strength unleash, energy levels go up, you can feel that your body has shifted its resources from your gut (digestion) to your muscles.  You will notice less of a pump, but more of a “hard” look.  More athletic performance is realized as well.

You see, as human beings we have a very diverse metabolism, due to our very diverse eating habits.  Not only that, but the “mode” we are in is influenced by the type of food we eat, and when we eat it.  Nature would have us in survival mode long enough to ensure a kill on the hunt.  The ensuing “Gorge” which is the anabolic mode you enter will end as the amount of food you consume tailors off.  However, when your food is available for you readily, requiring no survival mode to attain it, you will certainly drift into a state of embellishment.  Your body has lost the need for excess calories because they simply aren’t necessary.  You will find your work performance may be affected, sex drive, etc…

This is why you should always train strenuously, and have a “fast day” once per week.  If you aren’t making progress, you’re standing still.  Find a way to get in your desired “mode” of operation.

Fast – when feeling lethargic and overfed

Feed- when being rewarded from an intense training session

Gorge – when training vigorously and consistently

Remember, the human body is designed to be rewarded with food after a kill, or a harvest.  A hard day of work should pay off with a couple big, fat anabolic meals.  Never give your body a reason to not progress.  Challenge it on all fronts.  Live out all modes.

-Eric

Every bodybuilder and fitness enthusiast loves bulking season. Right now it’s starting to get a bit colder outside, and for many athletes thatmeans EAT TIME!  As long as you are exercising consistently and rigorously, there should theoretically be little fat gain.  However, there are a few things about the human body that make this a bit more complicated.  First of all, an athlete is an athlete because he or she has reached a peak level of conditioning.  That is to say, they have high-performance assets they have both developed with training and were given by birth.  Therefore we can assume that an athlete in peak condition should exude optimum effects by all foods.  So no matter what amount of food is obtained, the body will attempt to utilize it to a high degree of efficiency.  That is, until the body is experiencing nutrient super-compensation…

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Occlusion training, or kaatsu training as is more commonly referenced, is the act of limiting or cutting-off bloodflow to a working muscle during resistance training.  It is a highly effective strategy, especially for those who are unable to lift near their one-rep-max.

Skeletal muscles have the distinct advantage of being able to regenerate themselves and heal perfectly after being injured.  Skeletal muscles also have the ability to induce hypertrophy, or muscle cell size increase.  The reasons for increases in muscle cell size can be from several reasons, including:

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An extremely popular and important question which many people often wonder, is what the most optimal time of day to train is.  There simply is not a cut-and-dry answer to this question!  First and foremost you must evaluate your goals.

Your potential goals may be to:

• Maximize Muscle Gain
• Maximize Fat Loss
• Perform Optimally (Strength, Athletic Performance, Endurance, etc…)
• Consistency
• Motivation
• Benefits

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In order to get the most growth and benefit from your training, you need to maximize muscle utilization.  Not all the muscles in your body are the same, however.  In fact, every skeletal muscle in your body is different than the next for a number of factors.  Bone length, muscle proximity, leverage, attachment points, stability, muscle length, and composition all are huge determining factors for the nature of a given muscle.

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