Top 6 Strength and Mass Building Exercises

HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE MASS FAST:



- Focus on progressive overload

- Consume enough calories to support muscle growth

- Quality rest

- Consume all three macro-nutrients (Proteins, Carbs, Fats)

- Perform compound exercises



More tips on how to gain muscle mass fast you can read in other articles:

The Bodybuilding Guide to Build Muscle Mass Fast


Old-School Bodybuilding Tips by Joe Weider - Build Muscle Mass Fast

Best exercises to become bigger and stronger are compound movements that involve more than one muscle group at the same time. With compound exercises, you can build muscle mass fast, lose fat and increase your strength faster than using isolation exercises. 

Check out the list of compound exercises that are best for building muscle:

1. Squat

It is the best muscle building exercise because:

  -  The entire musculature is activated

 - Performing squat highly boost muscle building hormones

  

Even the squat is very dangerous exercise, especially if it is done with bad form and too much weight, there is nothing like putting a heavy weight on your back and going down as low as you can, then coming back up and doing it again and again while you are naturally boosting testosterone levels and engage many muscle groups. Even those that you didn't hear of before. 

The squat is definitely the best muscle builder ever. 

2. Bench Press

This is one of the most famous gym exercises and it is famous for building a big chest, but Bench Press is also working Deltoids, Triceps, and Traps. Bench Press is an ultimate exercise for building upper body muscles, there is no better exercise for upper body strength and size. Practice Bench Press form and lift heavy and you will build an awesome torso.

The best way to build muscle with Bench Press is by using a barbell. The reason for that is that you can lift more weight than if you use dumbbells. 


Incline Bench Press - better effect on upper chest

Decline Bench Press - best lower chest exercise

3. Bent-over Barbell Row


One of the best exercises for the thickly muscled back. Like all multi-joints movements, barbell row is also difficult exercise for performing but it still way better for building muscles than alternatives like seated rows and lat pulldowns. You should include this exercise in every back workouts.


Bent-over rows work every muscle from traps to lower lats and are also very good for developing biceps. 




4. Military Press


The most effective exercise to build big and round shoulders. Military Presses are also good for developing upper back, neck, and back of arms. 




5. Lunges


The best exercise for your legs after squats. By performing lunges you can target butt and hamstrings and further develop your lower body by combining them with squats.




6. Lat Pulldowns


Doing Lat Pulldowns will help you to develop your back muscles and biceps. By performing this exercise often you can make your physique have a much more balanced appearance. 



Best Bodyweight Exercises for Muscle Building are Pull Ups/Chin Ups, Dips, and Push Ups (make sure that you put a weighted belt if you can do more than 12 reps with your bodyweight only). 


Recommended rep range for muscle hypertrophy is from 8 to 12 reps for one set. 


To build muscle mass fast I recommend doing these exercises as first in every workout (bench press on chest day, bent-over rows on back day etc.) and combine them with a few isolation exercises. Just make sure that you are mixing your workout, your muscles should not get used to the same workout every time, confuse your muscles to ensure more muscle growth.

The 10 Rules of Building Muscle Mass

Are you confused about what workout routine and diet plan to follow to build muscle mass? After reading these 10 golden rules of muscle building you will learn some basic facts about training and diet for muscle growth.

1. CONSUME MORE CALORIES THAN YOU BURN

First of all, don't forget this most important rule - eat more calories than you burn every day. That means that you need to be in caloric surplus every single day, especially on training days when your muscles need more protein and healthy calories to grow.

How To Eat To Gain Muscle Mass

2. GO HARD, LIFT HEAVY

If your goal is to build muscle then you will need to lift heavy and focus on progressive overload which is very important for strength and muscle gain. By lifting heavy and in moderate rep range you will gain strength and muscle simultaneously and that approach is the most effective. 

3. IDEAL REP RANGE

I recommend you lifting in a 6-12 rep range. In big lifts like squats, bench press, and deadlifts go with 6-8 and those exercises are the most effective for muscle building because they hit more than one muscle group at the same time.

4. COMPOUND EXERCISES

Major lifts like Bench Press, Military Press, Squat, Dead Lift and Bent-Over Row are the most effective muscle-building exercises. You can build muscle mass with only these exercises together with compound bodyweight exercises like Pull Ups and Dips. You may totally avoid isolation exercises like dumbbell curls and triceps extensions and still make gains in your triceps and biceps. But, if you want to add some isolation work in your workout then save it for part of training after you give your best on big lifts that I mentioned.

For example, if you have a back and biceps training day, start your workout with exercises like deadlift, bent-over row or pull up and then go on with exercises like dumbbell rows, hammer curls, etc.

Top 10 Exercises To Build Muscle Mass

5. CONSUME ALL THREE MACRONUTRIENTS

Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are all very important nutrients for building muscle mass. They all have their role in muscle building so neither one should be excluded in your diet plan. You must know that carbs and fats are not your enemies and that you can't build muscle mass without those two nutrients. Research shows that diets that are higher in fat (monosaturated and saturated, stay away from trans fats) have a good effect on male hormone testosterone which has a big role in muscle growth.

6. GET PLENTY OF SLEEP


You already heard that average person needs 8 hours of sleep daily for optimal health and that rule also applies for lifters that want to build muscle mass. Your sleep time is when your muscles recover and grow. 


Your sleep time is when your growth hormones and testosterone levels are boosted and your insulin sensitivity is also enhanced. If you don't give your body time to heal and grow stronger your training and diet could be worthless.




7. CONFUSE YOUR MUSCLES


The reason that progressive overload works so well for muscle growth is that it confuses your muscles. At the time when your muscles are used to a certain number of reps and a particular weight, you need to add more weight and reps to build more muscle mass.



Also, you shouldn't let your body getting used to the same workout routine for too long. Change your exercises choice, reps and sets ranges that you use or even muscle groups that you train every day. Confusing your muscles is very useful in building muscle mass. If you don't believe me, ask Arnie or other bodybuilding legends. 



Hint: Add dropsets and supersets in your workout routine to boost your muscle growth.




8. FULL-BODY ROUTINE


By following a full-body routine three or four days per week you are going to hit every muscle group on every training day. That is the best way to enhance your muscle growth for natural lifters. Lifters who are consuming anabolic steroids can build muscle mass with long, high-intensity, split routines but for natural lifters, especially beginners, the best way to build muscle mass fast is to do short, high-frequency, full-body workouts three or four times per week.



You can find many articles about full-body routines on this site:


3 Best Full-Body Workouts to Build Muscle Mass Fast







9. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER EVERY DAY


It is very important to stay hydrated throughout the day and especially during the training session. The reason for that is simple, your training performance begins to suffer when your body is dehydrated. Also, water helps to move food through your system so you don't feel bloated.




10. MUSCLE-BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS


For building muscle mass there is nothing more important than your diet, but supplements can be very helpful to speed up the process and make calories counting less stressful. Of course, you shouldn't waste your money on unnecessary supplements. I recommend you to buy Whey Protein as one of the best supplements on the market and after buying one you may also buy Creatine Monohydrate which is the best selling supplement these days. 


More about Whey Protein and Creatine you can read in another article:


Best Muscle-Building Supplements to Build Muscle Mass Fast

Back Workout for Mass - 5 Exercises for Building Bigger Lats

If you are looking for the workout to add size and thickness to your back then you are in the right place. This article is about building the body part that is mostly neglected - back. That is because many lifters are interested only in muscles that they can see in the mirror like chest and arms, but they are not aware that they are making a big mistake.




Training upper back muscles including rear shoulders is very important for either proportional and good looking physique and also to have stronger and healthier muscle joints. Focusing only on your front muscles like chest and front deltoids can make your posture look bad and you can also end up with an injury. Also, a strong athlete physique demands developed back muscles same as chest and arms.



Now, check out these photos and think about it. Do you find having big and thick lats attractive? I am sure you do.

I don't judge anybody, I also neglected my back muscles at the beginning but I hope that I will convince anyone to focus more on training all body parts equally. Legs too, don't avoid leg day or you will end up looking like a rooster.

Okay, back to lats. The latissimus dorsi often referred as just lats, is the biggest muscle in the upper body. The most effective way to build big lats is to get stronger by performing compound movements like pull ups and rows and progressively add more weight as you get stronger. Progressive overload is the best way for natural people to build muscle. 



Pull ups are a bodyweight exercise that is probably the best option for building bigger lats alongside with bent-over rows. Contrary to popular belief, wide-grip pull ups are not that good for bigger lats because of the shorter range of motion. The pull up with a shoulder wide grip is the best pull up option and most effective for lats development. 



Did you ever see anyone that can do up to 20 bodyweight pull ups in one set and that doesn't have thick and wide lats? Yeah, me neither. Pull ups are mainly a lat exercise but they also hit biceps, especially the underhand variation called chin up.



What's with the rows?


Bent-over and T-bar rows are great mass-building back exercises. Together with Deadlifts and Pull Ups, Rows are enough to fully develop your back. As for grip width, when it comes to bent-over rows stick with the shoulder-width grip which is the most effective for full activation and stretch of the lats. 



The supinated grip (reverse grip barbell row) is shown as great for building biceps and interestingly has the better effect on lats. 

So we covered rows and pull-ups, let's see some other exercises that are great for building big lats:

Perform Reverse-Grip Lat Pull Downs to fully contract and stretch your lats. Stick with the shoulder-width grip and keep your chest high while performing the exercise. 

Seated Cable Rows are also great for building lats. To put more stress on your lats and lower the activation of biceps keep your chest high during all of your back movements. 

Add Close-grip Lat Pull Downs and you have 5 exercises that you should include in your workout for bigger lats.

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass Fast

HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE MASS FAST:



- Focus on progressive overload

- Consume enough calories to support muscle growth

- Quality rest

- Consume all three macro-nutrients (Proteins, Carbs, Fats)

- Perform compound exercises



More tips on how to gain muscle mass fast you can read in other articles:

The Bodybuilding Guide to Build Muscle Mass Fast


Old-School Bodybuilding Tips by Joe Weider - Build Muscle Mass Fast

Best exercises to become bigger and stronger are compound movements that involve more than one muscle group at the same time. With compound exercises, you can build muscle mass fast, lose fat and increase your strength faster than using isolation exercises. 

Check out the list of compound exercises that are best for building muscle:

1. Squat

It is the best muscle building exercise because:

  -  The entire musculature is activated

 - Performing squat highly boost muscle building hormones

  

Even the squat is very dangerous exercise, especially if it is done with bad form and too much weight, there is nothing like putting a heavy weight on your back and going down as low as you can, then coming back up and doing it again and again while you are naturally boosting testosterone levels and engage many muscle groups. Even those that you didn't hear of before. 

The squat is definitely the best muscle builder ever. 

2. Bench Press

This is one of the most famous gym exercises and it is famous for building a big chest, but Bench Press is also working Deltoids, Triceps, and Traps. Bench Press is an ultimate exercise for building upper body muscles, there is no better exercise for upper body strength and size. Practice Bench Press form and lift heavy and you will build an awesome torso.

The best way to build muscle with Bench Press is by using a barbell. The reason for that is that you can lift more weight than if you use dumbbells. 


Incline Bench Press - better effect on upper chest

Decline Bench Press - best lower chest exercise




3. Bent-over Barbell Row


One of the best exercises for the thickly muscled back. Like all multi-joints movements, barbell row is also difficult exercise for performing but it still way better for building muscles than alternatives like seated rows and lat pulldowns. You should include this exercise in every back workouts.


Bent-over rows work every muscle from traps to lower lats and are also very good for developing biceps. 




4. Military Press


The most effective exercise to build big and round shoulders. Military Presses are also good for developing upper back, neck, and back of arms. 




5. Lunges


The best exercise for your legs after squats. By performing lunges you can target butt and hamstrings and further develop your lower body by combining them with squats.




6. Lat Pulldowns


Doing Lat Pulldowns will help you to develop your back muscles and biceps. By performing this exercise often you can make your physique have a much more balanced appearance. 



Best Bodyweight Exercises for Muscle Building are Pull Ups/Chin Ups, Dips, and Push Ups (make sure that you put a weighted belt if you can do more than 12 reps with your bodyweight only). 


Recommended rep range for muscle hypertrophy is from 8 to 12 reps for one set. 


To build muscle mass fast I recommend doing these exercises as first in every workout (bench press on chest day, bent-over rows on back day etc.) and combine them with a few isolation exercises. Just make sure that you are mixing your workout, your muscles should not get used to the same workout every time, confuse your muscles to ensure more muscle growth.

Mark Wahlberg's Workout for Big Arms

HOW TO BUILD BIG ARMS LIKE MARK WAHLBERG

Exercises from Mark Wahlberg's Workout Plan

Yes those are two big guys Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne The Rock Johnson and their photos from movie "Pain and Gain". I guess that all bodybuilding fans knows about these two guys and their amazing physique. And also, this is the first time that I noticed that Mark's Triceps and Biceps looks bigger that The Rock's, and I watched the movie more than three times probably. 

Also, one of the differences between these two big-sized guys is that I guess that only steroid user is The Rock, I am not sure but I read about that a lot of times on the internet before, though I never heard that Mark Wahlberg used anabolic steroids. So, what exercises this naturally big guy used in his Workout Routine to build those big guns? That is really simple, he used exercises that many bodybuilders with a great physique did and whose big arms are famous in the whole world.

The number of Sets and Reps? He used 10 reps in 1st set then he would add more weight and did 8 reps in 2nd set and in his last, 3rd set, he put more weight on dumbbells or barbell and did 6 reps. That was his favorite routine for big arms. 

Exercises:

Biceps Curl

Overhead Triceps Extension

Incline Bench Biceps Curls

Triceps Dips

Pull-Ups

Bench Press with Close Grip

Hammer Curls

Seated Preacher Curls

I don't know about you but I tried this Mark Wahlberg's routine and I will perform it many times again. He is an amazing actor and he is famous for his great physique and I will post more about his training routines and diet plans.

Comment about this Workout.