About Lifting TO GAIN MUSCLE

Do you want EXPLOSIVE MUSCLE GAINS in the next few weeks? If so, what benefit do you wish to get? Don’t you think it will be easier having life the regular guy who doesn’t train? I guess stagnant life is much easier than a life spent in constant and consistent bouts of lifting heavy sh¡t – I mean who needs the hassle right?

If you on the other hand want massive gains without putting up too much work then I’m sorry to disappoint but there is no easy way to gain muscle. Even if you inject a dose of steroids into your system that is enough to kill the entire Chinese race; you will still have to put on the hard, balls to the wall work and you still won’t stand a chance against the genetic individual who trains hard and trains smart (even if he’s clean AND YOU’RE NOT).

Anyways with that being said; I am not against the use of steroids (it’s just like having a face-lift or a butt enlargement); however, if you are one of the few who simply crave the feeling of lifting iron when you haven’t in a long time; who has turned bodybuilding into a personal passion, and who considers the sport as an art and his body as a sculpture which is a result of thousand times of refinement and hard work chiseled into every inch of the stone then have a seat.

I go by the name Iron Thumb, that is my pen name and what my clients call me. Why? You know those green thumb fellows? The people who would just sprinkle seeds in any type of soil (even in rock-ridden grounds) and then weeks later you will see a greenhouse where he threw the seeds! Seriously I know a guy like that – and yes – he’s a guy but more about him later (or on another site altogether!).

Anyways, I am DEFINITELY not a “green thumb”! Heck you could even call me plant exterminator! I remember one time when I tried my very, very best planting some Mogu pine tree seeds, but all I got after six weeks is a pot full of stray grass.

I couldn’t grow no “greens” even if my life depends on it!

But when it comes to growing “muscles”, not mussels: I seem to have that “Midas” effect. All those who I have influenced in anyway went on to have a better(if not great) body. What I want to do here is do that more often I want to influence more people and therefore more people in the world will enjoy a healthier and bigger mean-ass body via the net and via this website. Wouldn’t that make the world a better place to live in? And all thanks to the touch of the “Iron Thumb”!

And what I have here for you today is the wisdom of smart training for bodybuilders. I have also worked with Gold’s for some time and have trained in quite a number of Gyms and I have noticed that most people who lift don’t know what they are doing.

Often times they spend time without much improvement while I on the other hand have a different and goal-oriented training in which some find unusual but I am warning you: to follow my advice on training is a brutal undertaking but lets leave that for another post. In this post we will discuss the basics of how muscles work and how they grow.

actin myosin filaments

If you look closely in the structure of muscle fibers you will see two fibers side by side : the actin and myosin filaments

Humans are able to move because of muscle contraction; and muscles contract because your actin and myosin filaments slide with one another decreasing the size of the strand. Now, that simple movement and sliding costs nutrients and minerals to accomplish, therefore if you want to work out limping and emaciated, FORGET IT! You will get NO results and your starving myosin and actin filaments won’t care that your “fitness” guru says otherwise!

Now that you know how the muscle contracts I want you to imagine that every time you execute a move in the gym and that knowledge by the way is most useful when you try to design your own workout program if ever you don’t have access to the gym.

You visualize the muscle you want to train for example the biceps – you analyze in what movement will the bicep reduce its length, that is what causes a movement so you concluded “bicep curls”. That visualization will help you become more conscious and aware of which muscles you actually use and the manner in which you use them in a workout making you develop a better mind-muscle connection and you become less dependent on expensive and “BREAKTHROUGH” training programs sold to you by snake oil merchants who call themselves experts – because NOW you simply view your body as machine.

Next you must learn the fact that your muscles don’t grow during the workout itself but during the recovery process afterwards. Your target body part may increase its size but that is technically just a “pump” or fluids rushing onto the afflicted body part and yes your body considers a workout as an affliction, a stress (good stress nonetheless) – therefore it triggers a stress response similar to that of swelling of a lump.

The pump however lasts only for a few minutes, usually not exceeding an hour after workout. You must be aware that your muscle will not grow by administering a pump but by administering damage to the small muscle fibers or “micro tears” (then recovering afterwards) and what exactly is the most effective way to administer this? Other than taking a scalpel and cutting yourself (which will not result in hypertrophy but will rather result in scar tissue formation) but the most effective way to do this is by accentuating the downward phase of the movement or the “negative” “eccentric” part. In simpler terms it is the lowering of the weight and you must definitely, consciously identify that in every movement you do and take extra time lowering the bar. 1 second up and 2-3 seconds down is a great way to do this. Expect more pain after workout but it will be worth it.

And one more important thing that you must remember is to not train without a post workout meal because to do otherwise will be counter productive. Like what we have talked about earlier that growth comes with recovery as your body replaces the damaged fibers therefore making it larger as this process is repeated over and over.

It is also important to note that your muscle cells are more permeable to nutrients after a workout since your body would be in a post-traumatic state – it is the perfect chance to gulp down quality nutrients that will help you in your goal; this is your post-workout window of opportunity and this is only open for a “limited time only” like an hour after a hard training session. Therefore you must take in high-quality fast digesting protein(like whey) and carbohydrates (white bread, boiled potatoes, simple sugar – note: these otherwise “junk” macros are only useful after a hard exercise!) – these will go directly to your affected muscle. Its quite amazing to think about how the foods that you eat will definitely become a part of your body; so be careful since that means what you eat is what you are!

Note: during my college days I used to workout for conditioning myself for my shotput competitions(which I did for nursing scholarship). And being broke as sh*t, I rely on 5 hard boiled eggs post training and yes, it resulted in fast muscle growth. Eggs are not as dangerous as what your SWPL crowd would say. The cholesterol in eggs will of course be used to help you gain muscle: repairing muscle damage and result in muscle growth. Oh and about eggs don’t worry I will definitely post about that this week.

I ALREADY DID (write a post about eggs) – READ IT HERE: https://aboutlifting.com/science-says-you-must-eat-cholesterol/

BY THE WAY THIS IS MY FIRST POST, below is a little introduction of what the heck this website is all about (if you haven’t yet realized):

In this website you will learn about Fitness and Bodybuilding although we don’t in anyway imply that having a large and fit body will complete you and will directly cause happiness and fulfillment by itself – we do advocate the part of bodybuilding to people with whom bodybuilding is simply their passion.This site will also teach you easier ways to achieve a healthy body weight or reduce weight. But always remember that the goal of exercise is health, first and foremost. change in the body is only secondary. Change in bodily form (slimming or becoming massive) doesn’t happen overnight but improvement of circulation and well being occurs the instant your heart rate elevates during a workout, only be concerned that you are now taking a big step and you are now starting a healthy lifestyle.
AND GAINING POUNDS OF LEAN MEAT!