How to Start Muscle Weight Training

Step 1

Get a Head Start on Your New Year's Resolution This Year! You know you like working hard. You like putting in long hours at your job, or at school, and you love the rewarding feeling that all of that gives you. The same is true with your physique. Just like school is an investment in your future, lifting weights is an investment in your body.

Step 2

Sammi Robinson hated being a skinny guy. It made him feel weak and powerless. Once he knew how to go about reinventing his life, that was all the guidance he needed. In just a matter of weeks, he was packing on pound after pound of solid, powerful muscle. If you look at him now, he's a whole new man. Signing up with the Campus Men can take men like Sammi and give them a whole new social life like never before.

Step 3

Just like him, you can be seen for the changes you've made for yourself by signing up to become a Campus Man. It's the best way to get attention from the ladies, and even be eligible to have your very own fan club!

Step 4

If you've decided that this is a path you would be interested in taking, then there's good news for you. There's a huge amount to learn about how your muscles and metabolism works before you begin. Fortunately, even if you're a novice weight lifter, the experts are out there to help guide you down the straight and narrow. Choosing a weight lifting plan that's right for your body type and life style is the first step.

Step 5

Can you think of a faster way to learn a sport than from professional athletes? Bodybuilding is no different, and there is no faster way to get involved than to learn from the masters. Here are some very popular, very affordable resources that have enough information in them to keep you occupied for years to come.

Step 6

Books on Muscle Weight-Training Optimal Muscle Training (Book with DVD) $12.85 There's muscle training, and then there's effective muscle training. This combo package illustrates every movement required for a full body exercise in a way that makes it nearly impossible for you to get your form wrong when you go to do the routine yourself. You'll see leaps and bounds in the amount of weight you're able to push, since this will teach you how to get your own muscles to work with one another, instead of just against the weight.

Step 7

Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength $10.17 Fully illustrated, and easy to comprehend. This is a road map to how your muscles do the things they do, and what makes them tick. It may surprise you to know which muscles are getting worked whenever you do certain exercises at the gym. Understanding this material will help you perfect your form, and make your whole experience just that much better.

Step 8

DVD for Muscle Weight-Training Jay Cutler:Ripped to Shreds $35.99 Jay Cutler's monstrously muscled body has turned him into a living legend, and he's created this DVD to help you achieve the same level of strength and power. It's heavily action oriented, and gives you enough of Cutler's insight that this might be one of the only resources you really need.

Step 9

Some Muscle Weight Training Techniques You Will Learn in These Recommended Books or DVDs The above selections will teach you a lot just by themselves. Especially if you're a novice in the fitness world, a good, basic workout plan is a great way to get started. After a while, though, you'll feel like many of the exercises don't offer as much of a challenge as they did at first. If continued gains is your goal, you'll need some more advanced tricks to stay on top.

Step 10

Pyramiding is a more advanced way of structuring your active sets, and would be a great way to really blow up your quads when you're working on your leg extensions. Instead of doing the typical 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps with the same weight, or something similar, try Pyramids. Start light in the first set, and add a bit of weight each time until your third set. After that, you'll already be tired, but you've got to work back down to your starting weight in your final working sets. Even though you're lifting less weight, the exhaustion from your heavy set will force you to put in a lot of effort to finish out the exercise.

Step 11

Supersets put a lot of emphasis on building up the endurance of your heart and lungs, along with your muscular strength and size. Basically, you will want to choose two different exercises that utilize opposing muscle groups. For example, chest and back, or quads and hamstrings. When you finish an exercise on one muscle group, immediately start a set on the other. When that 1st set on the opposing group is finished, do your 2nd set on your first group. Go back and forth until you've either done three sets of each exercise, or you're completely exhausted.

Step 12

Drop sets are yet another way of milking everything you can out of a set. As you probably have figured out by now, you are going to be putting a lot of emphasis on working your muscles to total fatigue, no matter what exercise you're doing. That's exactly what forces growth to occur. Drop sets help you accomplish this by allowing you to drop some pounds off your current lifting weight, and then continuing to do reps with it.

Step 13

Learning Muscle Group Names to Be Efficient in Your Muscle Weight Training When being introduced to new exercise names and different muscle groups, you can save a lot of time and confusion by learning the basics of anatomy. Just the basics. This will help you in ways you may not consider. Some guys take forever to know the different names of muscles and make mistakes such as performing exercises intended for the wrong muscle group. Choose one of the two products below - a poster or a book/manual. These can be of great help for a beginner!

Step 14

Although there are cheaper posters available, we highly recommended spending a little more for the Fitnus Male Exercise/Muscle Guide $21.99. This laminated poster shows you a lot more than the names of the muscle groups. It also lists the most popular exercises for each muscle group. This can be of great help for a beginner trying to memorize all of the numerous exercises and how which muscle group they help. There is another bonus to having this poster on your wall. Girls will see it and take an interest in your transformation. If girls walk into your apartment or dorm, they will definitely ask about this poster! What a great chance to get to take your shirt off to show them your gains!

Step 15

If you want something you can carry with you, or you are the type of guy who wants more details, order Strength Training Anatomy $14.93. Strength Training Anatomy offers detailed illustrations about your muscles! This book is not a lot of lengthly text. This manual is very easy it is to follow. This book also depicts exactly how you should be doing exercises to properly work each muscle - this avoid "cheating on form" (also called "bad form") - which is common in beginners.

Step 16

Weight Training Supplements The lifting of weights is a great step in the right direction, but it's only half the battle. If you're going to get your muscles to new levels of form and definition, you'll need the right diet. Too much sugar, for example, or a lack of protein are examples of bad dieting. For when your diet falls short, there are safe and legal ways to supplement your performance, and your body's ability to regenerate itself after all of the damage you inflict on it in the gym.

Step 17

Creatine: The Power Supplement $18.75 Creatine supplements have become a huge phenomenon in the bodybuilding world, and a lot of people claim to have gotten easier gains while using it. Unfortunately, not all supplements are created equal. This book will tell you everything you need to know about what it is, how it works, and whether it's the perfect water bottle companion for you.

Step 18

Some Must-Have Gear Our Recommended Books or DVDs Will Tell You To Buy For Muscle Weight-Training Once you cross that first threshold, and break into the wonderful world of self improvement, it's hard to walk away. You will start to love the feeling of exhaustion that exercising gives you, and the natural endorphin rush you'll get on the way out of the gym will make you feel on top of the world. If you're planning on doing this long term, here are a few basic supplies you might need.

Step 19

Men's Health Training Log $10.17 Strength training is immensely difficult, and takes a lot of discipline to maintain consistency in. It's this consistency that helps build strong bodies, so It's important to keep a journal of your efforts, and the results that you're getting from them. What better way to maximize the time you're investing in yourself?

Step 20

Weightlifting gloves - we recommend Harbinger Pro FlexClosure Wash & Dry Gloves - A good pair of lifting gloves can really save your hands from building up unsightly callouses! It's important to pick a good, durable pair like the Harbringer Pro FlexClosure, because they hold up very well over time. The stitching in many other gloves can loosen from use.

Step 21

Lifting straps - You use these for many pulling exercises. Buy the Schiek Sports Schiek Lifting Strap Long $19.95. Another important element of safety, especially when you're dealing with free weights. There is no faster way to ruin your weekend than to drop a dumb bell on your foot. Quality lifting straps such as these ensure that the iron stays attached to you, even if you can't hold onto it for a moment.

Step 22

Weight belt - Buy the Valeo VRL 6-Inch Padded Leather Belt for only $15.50. Weight belts are essential if you want to save your lower back from injury during heavy squatting or dead lifts. If your form is less than perfect, it's possible to sustain a lot of damage that could have you out of the gym for weeks. Considering the low cost and safety that's offered, this is a great deal and leather holds up much better than Velcro versions. Our recommended books or DVDs will explain what this equipment is for and how to use them.