Why Many Natural Bodybuilding Programs Don’t Work
Those who seek to build maximum muscle mass and wish to avoid supplements and steroids often seek out a natural bodybuilding program through the Internet or magazines, implementing the advice they find consistently, to utter disappointment. The reasons behind such lackluster progress can be broad, but what follow are some of the common errors found in many bodybuilding workout and diet plans.
Firstly, workout frequency is often less than adequate for maximum muscle growth. Because so many programs stress how important avoiding overtraining is to the natural bodybuilder, they promote once per week muscle group training, which is insufficient to induce maximum progress. While it’s true that frequent direct stress upon each body part can cause overtraining, this is only an issue if sets and reps are not properly cycled, and when they are, targeting each area every 3-5 days provides for the best possible improvement in muscle mass.
Secondly, often natural bodybuilding programs recommend a large amount of different exercises, selecting some that are not designed to promote maximum muscle growth in lieu of those that provide greater overload to the body, just for the sake of adding variety. A large number of exercises is not necessary, as there are specific weight training exercises that stress muscles better than others, and these are what a muscle mass routine should be based upon.
Thirdly, reps and sets are often either not cycled, or structured in a way that leads to overtraining or undertraining (both are extremely detrimental to muscle building). Personal trainers are notorious for focusing on the dangers of overtraining, but more often than not, bodybuilders are actually entering the opposite undertrained state due to poorly designed set, rep and workout frequency cycles.
Lastly, half of the success equation for muscle building, which is an effective diet plan, is either overlooked or based on flawed principles. Natural bodybuilding diet plans often contain too little carbohydrates, incorrect meal division and calorie selection, etc. There are just as many variables in diet as weight training, and those who achieve disappointing muscle growth must ensure that both their eating and weight training routine is consistent with what maximizes muscle building. A perfect diet without the correct weight lifting plan is worthless, and the opposite is also true.
Those who seek to achieve the best possible muscle growth without using supplements or steroids should consider the MuscleNOW natural bodybuilding program, which teaches all of the correct diet and weight training workout methods to follow for consistent results.
Can I Build Muscle Naturally At Home?
I receive many emails from those interested in my MuscleNOW bodybuilding program who wonder whether they can build muscle naturally at home, or if they will be forced to join a gym to achieve desired results. Because many bodybuilders opt to train at gyms, there is a commonly held belief that joining one is a prerequisite for muscle gains, but this isn’t only untrue, but, in my own personal case, I have achieved far more benefit from weight training at home (over 60 lbs of muscle gained, naturally) than would have ever been possible had I opted for a gym membership.
Firstly, I detest waiting for or sharing machines, as when I lift weights, my mind is focused on one objective, which is to generate the greatest possible intensity for each of my weight lifting sets. Someone asking to share a machine with me, or needing to wait in line for weight lifting equipment to become available would be a great distraction for me, reducing my ability to put forth maximum workout effort. This alone was an important enough reason for me to purchase equipment for my home, so that I can dictate my own pace each set and devote maximum mental focus to my workouts.
Secondly, when I’m focused on building muscle, there is no time for conversation, and gyms are notorious for generating idle chatter that either unnecessarily prolongs a weight training session, or actually pulls a bodybuilder’s mind away from his workouts to the point that he is no longer able to produce the necessary intensity to build muscle mass naturally. By training in my basement, I have been able to avoid conversation and focus my mind and body on challenging muscles to reach their maximum growth potential. When it’s time to train, nothing else should prove to be a distraction if maximum muscle growth is the goal.
Lastly, when totalling the cost of an average gym membership, in several years, purchasing weight training equipment for the home will pay for itself, and then begin saving significant funds compared to carrying a monthly gym fee. In fact, I can recommend weight training equipment that has a lifetime in-home guarantee where any issues will be addressed by the manufacturer, and is of a quality comparable to what you will find at most gyms. This allows you to save large amounts of money long term if you plan on continuing to pursue bodybuilding, which in and of itself makes purchasing weight training equipment for the home a wise decision.
Of course, there are those who do not have the space for exercise equipment, travel often, or who actually prefer performing their weight lifting workouts in a public environment, and for such individuals, the gym becomes a viable option.
If anybody is interested in constructing a customized home gym setup that takes into consideration your space limitations and budget, please contact me, and I will be glad to help!
Gym Or Home: Best Place To Gain Muscle Mass?
Many who wish to gain muscle mass feel that joining a gym is a prerequisite, and so, following a rather calorie friendly December, millions crowd the lobbies of local gyms, signing up for a 3+ year membership, believing that they’ve just taken the first step towards gaining muscle mass and transforming their body. But if we analyze the number of people who actually continue attending the gym following their initial contractual commitment, we find that the excited patrons who were fueled with desire for added muscle mass suddenly fail to walk through the gym’s front door as February approaches.
Most assume that sloth is the natural enemy that prevents most from pursuing a pattern of weight lifting consistency, and never analyze whether the gym environment itself may be offering an insurmountable obstacle towards building muscle mass for many, eventually causing most to quit and never achieve their muscle building goals.
But why? How could the gym actually reduce motivation to train, when in fact the environment should be more conducive towards building muscle mass than any other (it certainly is filled with plenty of exercise equipment!)? The answer will be found within the first few weight training workouts, and clearly becomes one of the main reasons why most lose their fondness for gym attendance before they produce any noticeable muscle mass improvements.
Imagine you are prepared for an intense workout, and you encounter one or more friends who decide to lift weights at the same time as you. What will likely happen next? Will the group experience the best weight training workout of the year, or will the next hour focus upon discussing plans for the weekend? Let’s say you visit the gym and happen not to find any acquaintances, but as you scan the territory, immediately sense that every machine you are planning to use is occupied, with a 10+ minute wait for each. Do you think this will contribute towards a productive muscle building workout session, or encourage a trip to the local fast food drive thru to try and munch the mounting frustration away?
Oh, and let’s not forget the many additional convenient excuses to skip the gym for a day, such as weather (two feet of snow might make navigating the highway difficult), car breakdown (a flat tire always interferes with melting a spare tire), and traffic (wouldn’t want to be late for dinner!). Some may say that these inconveniences are occasional, and cannot occur on a regular basis, but once momentum is ruined, and a weight training workout is missed, the mind becomes far more accepting of another skipped session, and this attitude will eventually lead to a new habit, one which is much more enjoyable – couch warming, without the distraction of a daily gym visit. If you wish to gain muscle mass, avoiding such a scenario is of paramount importance.
So, what is the alternative? I not only perform my weight training at home, but gained over 60 lbs of muscle mass in the process, proving that physical transformation does not require waiting in line for machines or paying expensive gym dues. In fact, I gained all of my muscle mass at home, in my basement, with basic weight training equipment, and I was able to produce far more consistency with my weight training workout regimen than most who must contend with the inconvenient gym environment, specifically because being at home allowed me to control my surroundings, instead of allowing roadblocks to interfere with my scheduled gym visits.
This is not to say that gaining muscle mass is impossible through public gym training, as many with such memberships produce excellent muscle gains, but for those who have the option to purchase some basic weight lifting equipment and exercise at home, I believe doing so is far more convenient, offers no distractions, and is significantly less expensive over a several year period than joining a local gym. Gaining muscle mass relies in great part upon mental focus, a factor which suffers greatly when subjected to an unpredictable set of circumstances, and this is why I have always opted for performing weight training workouts at home, and by doing so, have gained more muscle mass than most believe is possible naturally.
You may currently frown upon weight training at home, but may no longer feel this way if you experience the numerous frustrations inherent in trying to consistently attend a gym, so do yourself a favor; if you join a local fitness facility, make sure not to sign a long term deal until you have attended for at least three months and have proven to yourself that numerous potential distractions and obstacles will not interfere with remaining faithful to your weight training workout routine.
I built over 60 lbs of muscle mass by implementing an effective weight training workout plan at home, and have guided men and women around the world towards achieving natural muscle gains (as you will see by the hundreds of muscle building testimonials here at MuscleNOW.com). Now, I will show you how to gain muscle mass without bodybuilding supplements, regardless of whether you choose to exercise in a gym or at home.