12 Surefire Muscle Building Secrets

By Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, ACE

Muscle makes up the largest part of human body weight. All together, the body contains about 620 muscles that create motion. Almost anyone can improve his or her body with a little know-how. But, if you really want to do it right, you have to push yourself -- or even a well-designed program won’t work.

So... what’s the best way to build muscle?

No single program works for everyone all the time. There are millions of books, experts and web sites out there, but no one has the fail-safe recipe for building muscle that works 100 percent of the time. The best programs are a mix of styles and philosophies, and anyone who insists that there’s only one true path to packing on muscle -- whether it’s super sets or super slow -- is just plain wrong.

Any time you try a new program, you’ll make gains for the first month -- maybe two. Then, it’s time to try a new technique. Below are 12 muscle-building techniques that can be incorporated into your routine. You can try one strategy each month for the next year to continue steady muscle growth.

Breakdowns -- Perform a set of 8-12 reps to momentary muscular failure. Then immediately drop the weight 10–20 percent and perform as many reps as possible -- usually 6-10. Drop the weight one last time and perform as many reps as you can -- usually 4-6. Each time you drop the weight, you will perform less repetitions. Remember that there is no rest between the breakdowns.

One and One Half Range of Motion -- One and one half range of motion is just that -- a full range of motion followed by a half range of motion.

Here’s an example using a lunge. Start in a standing position with feet staggered to the front and back. Begin by lowering down until the front knee reaches a 90 degree angle, come half way back up, go down again to the 90 degree angle and return to the starting position. That counts as one rep. The purpose is to engage in the hardest part of the range of motion for a longer period of time and get the mind and body used to a new movement.

Pyramids -- Pyramids consist of multiple sets of the same exercise. The weight is increased for each set, with the number of reps decreasing with each set. As an example, choose a resistance that allows you to do between 8-12 reps. Rest for 60-120 seconds, then choose a weight that allows only 6–10 reps. Rest again and go still heavier for 4–8 reps.

Bi and Tri Sets -- Bi sets consist of performing two consecutive sets of different exercises for the same muscle group without resting. Using shoulders as an example, try lateral raises followed by shoulder presses. You can also use the same technique with three exercises for the same muscle group. This is known as a tri set. An example of a tri set would be lateral raise, shoulder press and front raise.

Super Sets -- Super sets work two opposing muscle groups using different exercises. When a super set is complete, you can rest before moving on to the next. They ensure a balanced workout, since you're working opposing muscle groups. Example: Back and chest; biceps and triceps; and quads and hamstrings. This facilitates a speedy recovery, since one muscle group can recover while the other is being worked.

Super Slow -- Super slow exercises are performed using very slow but smooth movements taking 4–6 seconds to lift and 6–10 seconds to lower. No momentum is used, so the muscles are doing all the work. You will use about 10 percent less weight with super slow training than you would with a typical two and four count. Example: biceps curl -- curl up for six seconds and lower for 10 seconds. Repeat each repetition without resting until you reach failure.

Circuit Training -- Circuit training means performing exercises moving from one station to the next with minimal rest between stations. There are a variety of ways a circuit can be set up, and the reps and sets can be varied to make the circuit effective. One example would be to perform an upper body exercise followed by a lower body exercise. The upper body is in recovery, while the lower body is working and vice versa. These are not aerobic circuits. The resistance and intensity is kept high.

21s -- The range of motion for 21s is split into three parts. Seven repetitions are performed at the top part of the motion, seven reps at the bottom part and finally seven reps throughout the full range of motion. Example: biceps curl -- first curl at the top of the range from the mid range toward the shoulder for seven reps, then the bottom of the range from the hip level to the mid range for seven reps, and then the full range of motion from the hip level toward the shoulders for the final seven reps. Like one and a half range of motion, 21s teach your muscles an unfamiliar pattern.

Forced Rep -- This advanced training technique requires a partner. After you have completed as many repetitions as you can on your own, a partner will help you lift a few more repetitions by assisting you through the sticking point of the repetition. You then lower the weight with control. Forced reps take longer to recover from versus quitting when you could no longer lift a resistance.

Pre-exhaust -- This isolates the main muscle group you are training before you incorporate the compound exercises, which use several muscle groups. Example: perform leg extensions before squats.

Split Routine -- Once you've been doing full-body routines for a minimum of six weeks, consider splitting your workouts into upper and lower muscle groups. This will give you an opportunity to spend more time per session on individual body parts versus a total body routine.

Heavy and Light -- Alternating heavy weeks with light weeks has helped many increase their strength and size. Instead of going up in training volume each week, go a little lighter one week and then, on the following week you will find that you can increase your reps or resistance even more than when doing consecutive heavy lifting. The fact is that you cannot always train hard, and the active rest can lead to more muscle and strength gains the following week.

A few important pointers:

Never increase any variable by more than 10 percent a week. That includes weight, sets and total volume of exercise.
Form comes first. No matter what exercise you’re doing, perfect technique is the key to safety and efficiency.
On occasion, have a session with a personal trainer to fine tune your training and give you new ideas.
If you're currently using machines, switch to free weights and then incorporate both.
Don't overtrain. Overtraining stimulates the release of catabolic hormones, which break down muscle.
Use a spotter on free weight exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press. If you're new, it's not a bad idea to have one for all free weights until you gain some experience.
Larger muscle groups take longer to recover than smaller ones.

To increase muscle size, keep the intensity up, never sacrifice your form and change your routines often. If you're a member of the eFitness program, the workout variability is built in for you. Each week, you're given new exercises to help you steer clear of a plateau and gain massive muscle.

The second part of building muscle mass is nourishing your body with wholesome and nutritious food choices in the proper nutrient amounts. See Raphael Calzadilla’s article on Nutrition Support for Monumental Muscle Gains for the second half of the formula.

Your ability to build muscle varies considerably and depends upon the body type, sex, age and current training status. Mesomorphic men tend to pack on muscle the quickest -- but don’t envy them. All good things are worth working for!