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

Joe Weider and Arnold Schwarzenegger

If you are a Bodybuilding fan you probably heard of Joe Weider. If you didn't, then you shouldn't consider yourself a Bodybuilding or Fitness fan. Joe Weider is literally "The Father of Bodybuilding" and on the most famous fitness icons. He made Arnold Schwarzenegger famous by creating Mr. Olympia contest which is still very famous around the world. More about Joe Weider you can read in my post:

Joe Weider - The Founder of Mr. Olympia

Joe Weider built his physique at the time when steroids didn't exist and supplements and fancy machine exercises were not popular. He was a real old school bodybuilder and his training tips were a great guide for many legends of bodybuilding.

The Weider Principles:

Larger muscle groups first, smaller muscle groups after

Start your workout by training larger muscle groups first, then train smaller ones. Larger muscle groups require more energy and it is better to do them while you are freshest. For example, if you are following a training routine with Chest and Triceps day, start your workout by training chest first then work on your triceps. 

Don't make excuses!

I know that there are many busy people everywhere, but should make some time for yourself, for your own body. Joe Weider said that if you want to build a great physique you have to make exercising a priority. There are no excuses in life and there are no excuses in bodybuilding.

Stretching tips

There are many reasons for stretching like increased flexibility, increased blood flow into muscles and relief of the stress caused by tight muscles. Stretching cold muscles can lead your muscle joints to injury, so warm up first before stretching. 

It is better to feel good than to look good

It is true that Joe Weider was dedicated to encouraging people to achieve their physical ideal, but he was always saying that there is no need to risk your health to achieve better physique. As Joe Weider himself said, there is no point to having a primed physique if you don't have the health to enjoy it.  

Whatever you are looking for, you won't find it in a pill 

You can't achieve your fitness goals with any pill or with all supplements in the world. You have to work hard and take care of your nutrition. Supplements are only the addition to your diet plan.

Joe Weider's Exercising Tips for Muscle Building

Number of Sets - You don't have to always stick only with three to four sets, sometimes try doing 1 set of each exercise and perform at least 12 exercises for one muscle group.

Number of Reps - 8 - 12 reps is the best rep range for muscle growth, but sometimes try to shock your muscles by doing 100 reps for example. You need to shock your muscles sometimes in order to make them grow. Doing everything same on every workout won't get you far.

Exercise Choice - Alternate exercises in every workout, this one of the best solutions for muscle confusion. 

Rest Period - Don't make long pauses between sets, and sometimes avoid them at all by doing drop sets and supersets.

Rep Speed -  Try doing reps slower and make small pauses at contractions to increase the time under tension that will stimulate your muscle growth. 

Joe Weider's main advice is not to stick with one routine, but to shock your muscles every time by changing rep range, the number of sets or rep speed. Confuse your muscles, they won't grow if you don't make them grow. Monotonous workout routine won't help you to build your muscles. 

How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast - Tips for Beginners and Skinny People

Many skinny guys, mostly hard-gainers, are looking for an answer to a question how to build muscle mass. It is hard for many guys to add muscle mass on their skinny body, mostly because of genetics or probably because they don't follow right diet and training plans. 

Okay, so you've been in a gym couple of times and you saw many big guys and you are starting to lose hope for gaining muscle mass. Or, you maybe never stepped into a gym and you want to learn some tips for gaining muscle mass for skinny guys like you before you start lifting. If you are one of these guys then continue to read these tips for gaining muscle mass for skinny guys.

1. DIET 

The most important thing is that you eat a right amount of healthy foods. If you are a hard-gainer you will have to eat a lot, eat every three hours. Your diet plan should consist of three big meals and at least three snacks. Those snacks won't small as you might think, it is just named snacks because it should be a fast meal that is smaller than those three big meals. 

To gain lean muscle mass you have to be in caloric surplus, which means that you need to consume more calories than you spend. And it has to be like that every day. Warning, that doesn't mean that you have to eat junk foods and a lot of sugars, you are looking to add more muscle mass, not body fat. 

TIP: Eat a lot of protein foods to build muscle, but consume twice more carbs for more muscle gains. Many guys make mistake by focusing only on proteins. Proteins are the most important nutrient for building muscle, but carbs and fats are very important too. Your meals need to contain all three macronutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

Check out what foods you should eat to gain muscle mass:

Best Healthy Foods for Muscle Mass Gain

Also, at least one of your meals should be your post-workout protein shake. Give homemade mass gainers a try, they are healthy and high in protein, carbs and fats calories. They will make your muscle mass building easier and faster:

Homemade Protein Shake for Muscle Mass

2. TRAINING

Together with your diet plan, you will also need a good training routine to follow to build lean muscle mass. If you never lifted a weight, I advise you to start working out at home for some time before you start going to gym. Bodyweight exercises are great for beginners to gain some muscle gains and strength before starting to lift heavy weights in the gym. 

Try one of the Bodyweight Workout Programs:

Bodyweight Workout Programs

I also recommend to all beginners to first find a workout to increase their strength and follow that routine for at least one month and after that start making gains with hypertrophy (muscle growth) workout routines. One of the most popular workout programs among bodybuilders is Reg Park's 5x5 Workout that is great for beginning lifters to make some muscle mass and strength gains.

Reg Park's 5x5 Workout Program for Muscle Mass and Strength

Now, if you followed these two training tips you are ready to aim for muscle hypertrophy. Ideal rep range for muscle growth is 8 - 12, and the number of sets doesn't need to be higher than 4. I recommend Full-Body Workout Routines to gain more muscle mass than with Split Routines. Exercises used in full-body workouts are compound movements that are best for building muscle mass and with full-body workouts, you will target all muscle groups which results in more stimulation for muscle growth.

Best Full-Body Workout Routines for Muscle Mass Gain

Focus more on compound exercises and don't waste your time with isolation and machine exercises. You won't go so far with them. Best muscle-building exercises are heavy compound movements like Squats and Bench Press. 

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass

5 Best Muscle-Building Exercises

3. Supplementation

The supplements are at the 3rd place after diet and training. You can't build muscle mass by consuming supplements every day but without consuming a right amount of nutrients. But, supplements can be a great addition to your diet plan and support your muscle growth. Don't waste your money on every supplement that is advertised. Most of them are unnecessary and won't help you to build muscle mass.

Top 5 Supplements for Muscle Mass Gain

Other factors

Some of other factors that are important for building muscle mass are quality rest and testosterone production. They are also very related, without quality rest you can't produce enough testosterone levels for building muscle mass. Rest is very important, you are gaining muscles while they recover. So, don't train every day. Training every day is only good for steroid users, they can build muscles all day long. Give yourself a quality rest after a workout and at least one day rest between training days. It is recommended to sleep at least 8 hours every night to let your muscles recover and grow.

Also, boosting your testosterone levels will help your muscles to grow, so check out these tips for naturally boosting testosterone levels:

How to Boost Testosterone Levels to Maximize Muscle Growth

If you try following this guide I promise you that you will see your muscle gains for at least two months. Be very persistent, and don't lose motivation. You want to make a change that will positively affect your life so don't ever give up and there will come a reward after a hard work. Good luck!