What can I do with this qualification? Graduates of the National Qualification in Exercise, Health Studies and Personal Training are fully qualified fitness instructors and personal trainers and can work in the health fitness industry at home and abroad or in a self employed capacity as a personal trainer.

Successful completion allows graduates to obtain professional indemnity insurance cover to faciliate exercise prescription to members of the public.

Programme Overview

The National Qualification in Exercise, Health Studies and Personal Training will offer successful graduates the opportunity to prescribe safe and effective exercise to the general public in either group fitness situations or on an individual one-to-one personal training basis.

This qualification, which is delivered by the National College of Exercise and Health Studies (NCEHS), offers individuals the opportunity to learn the skills required to teach safe and effective exercise to the general public. Exercise prescription offered by NCEHS Health Fitness Instructors includes resistance training classes using the wide variety of weight training machines available in health clubs and fitness centres. Graduates also deliver group exercise to music classes, either in health clubs and fitness centres in an employed capacity, or in community centres, parish halls etc. as self employed individuals. They also have the opportunity to deliver one-to-one personal training as this excellent programme also includes the National Qualification in Personal Training.

As a result of the superb quality of instructional skills and internationally accepted qualifications, NCEHS Health Fitness Instructors can obtain a highly specified Professional Indemnity Insurance policy which is available exclusively to our graduates.

NCEHS graduates will find themselves immediately employable and in strong demand within the health fitness profession. Opportunities also exist for NCEHS qualified Health Fitness Instructors to work on board luxury cruise liners through our professional relationship with Steiner, the company responsible for staff placement in this area.

Entry Requirements

The National Qualification in Exercise, Health Studies and Personal Training is open to anybody with a strong interest in exercise and health fitness and the desire to pass their enthusiasm on to the general public as part of their day-to-day working routine as either a full time or part time health fitness instructor.

The course content includes anatomy and physiology, exercise to music, resistance training, diet and sports nutrition, first aid, injury prevention and other areas of interest. The content is delivered to facilitate adult learners of mixed ability.

Synoptic Syllabus

The National Qualification in Exercise, Health Studies and Personal Training covers all relevant areas including:

# Functional Anatomy & Kinesiology, Basic Exercise Physiology # Concepts and Components of Fitness # Exercise Principals & Energy Systems # Lesson Planning & Class Structure # Muscular Actions & Exercise Analysis # Resistance & Flexibility Training # Exercise to Music, Choreography & Music Appreciation # NCEHS Key Elements to successful Instruction and Personal Training # Safety and Contra – Indicated exercise # Personal Training & Instructional Teaching Skills # Diet & Sports Nutrition # Injury Prevention in exercise # Introduction to Sports Massage # Business Aspects # Code of Ethics

Tutors

All National College of Exercise and Health Studies tutors are expert in their chosen field with some having represented Ireland at international level in health fitness competition.

All senior tutors have many years of experience working in the health fitness profession and, having obtained a H. Dip. in Education have learned the skills required to deliver complex information to learners of mixed ability.

All tutors have dedicated areas of speciality to enhance the learning experience for NCEHS students.

CPD

NCEHS graduates have a responsibility to ensure that the exercise prescription which they offer the public is current, safe and effective. In order to achieve this goal graduates must participate in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which ensures that they are always operating within ‘best practice’ standards.

1 Weight Loss Reality

This reality regarding your weight loss won’t change in your lifetime! If it does, we’re in trouble. These days, we need information we can trust and you can take the next reality we’re about to discuss and lock it away deep within the vault because it’s not going to change any time soon:

The most important part of your weight loss and fitness plan should be your food.

Let’s paint a picture for you. Often, you’ll see 2 athletes that play the same position in a given sport and both are able to perform at the same high level. Both are about the same size and ability however, there’s one thing that separates the two.

One athlete has a nicely defined physique while the other, though they may have the same size frame in general, is more undefined and has a softer outer shell and is carrying a bit more fat.

The reason for this difference is almost always food. One athlete is carrying a bit extra because of slightly poorer food choices while the other is making slightly better food choices. Thus, the athlete making the better food choices isn’t carrying any extra weight, they’re only carrying the lean tissue they need. This shows off their frame more so than the athlete who’s not making the optimal food choices. Here’s another great way to understand the incredibly positive impact food can make on your physique.

You probably already know it’s a good idea to eat 5-6 medium sized healthy meals a day for optimal health and weight maintenance. That being said, let’s just assume we’re going to aim for 5 meals a day (3 main meal and 2 snacks in between).

With that in mind, that means you have 35 chances to trim, tighten and shed unwanted fat and add lean long muscles to your thighs, arms, and glutes! Even if you workout 7 days a week that doesn’t even come close to how many chances you get with your food to improve your fitness.

Now of course I don’t mean to say that physical activity isn’t important, I simply wish to illuminate the awesome power hidden in your food intake and I want you to enjoy the rapid changes it can bring about.

Think about it, you never hear anyone say “I exercised like mad but I still ate junk food”…it just doesn’t work! If you want to exercise a lot, you’re still going to have to eat fairly well or you’re not going to have energy and you’re not going to feel very well while you’re exercising if you eat poorly. So, it all comes back to your food.

Take a look at where your food’s at and start tracking how many total, good and bad meals you have in a given week. Each subsequent week, you can try to beat your score form the previous week.

Many people end up abandoning perfectly good fitness programs and weight-loss regimens before they even lace up their sneakers.

Why? Because in a world filled with fast food, instant messaging, and a five-second disease-tracking device, anything without a quick payoff goes against the grain of the typical American instant gratification ethic. While it would be nice to actually drop inches in just a few days like what most miracle ads proclaim, managing weight and losing weight through physical fitness is a slow and steady process that takes time and commitment.

Setting weight management goals for yourself can be a good motivator. Gradual weight loss, for those people who wish to shed off some extra pounds, is usually the safest.

That is why health and fitness experts had come up with the idea of lifetime fitness in order to teach people set realistic goals. These lifetime fitness programs generates dietary regimens that cut your normal calorie consumption for your weight by 500 to 1,000 per day, so will burning the same amount with exercise. In turn, this will definitely encourage healthier weight loss.

Lifetime fitness teaches you how to maintain a physically fit body at the same time enjoy and live a happy, contented life. It gives you the chance to strike a balance between the two (exercise and diet), and make exercise, be it team sports, cycling, or walking, something you will truly enjoy.

That is why lifetime fitness embodies the concept that making a long-term healthy lifestyle change is essential to keeping the pounds off once they are gone.

To know more of the advantages and benefits that lifetime fitness can bring, here are some facts that you need to know:

1. Lifetime fitness programs offers you the most comprehensive and wide-ranging fitness and health encounter with quality services, in which the customers will feel gratified.

These fitness programs provide you the right method in maintaining health, build up and encourage your competence, and take care of your family’s physical fitness as well.

2. Because the goal of lifetime fitness is to provide you with long-term achievements as far as physical fitness is concerned, these programs utilizes numerous fitness equipments that will tone and manage your health and the different parts of your body.

There are fitness equipments that will give your cardiovascular system a lift. You can also opt for some sports facilities that will provide you with an alternative way of being physically fit.

3. Lifetime fitness programs and centers also provides nutritional products such as food supplements that will aid in the formation of good blood cells and tissues thereby making your body at its pink of health.

Lifetime fitness centers and programs also provide you with up-to-date fitness magazines that do not only give substantial information about fitness and health but inspirational stories as well. These articles will give you an insight on how to make you life balance and how to live a life that is healthy and fit.

Indeed, staying fit and healthy can be a long and winding road and there are instances wherein you may find your enthusiasm fading occasionally. Nevertheless, with the comprehensive programs provided by lifetime fitness plans, you can start heading back to the right track of a healthier you.

The race to fitness is on and a lot of people are getting into the band wagon. Some people do it to achieve a sexy body, some people just do it because they are embarrassed with the body they have now, while others do it simply to remain fit and heatlthy. As such, many fitness programs are out in the internet, in gyms, spas and fitness centers all over. Some are too expensive to afford that one may even lose weight just by trying to work out the money needed to pursue these fitness programs.

One may not have to go to the gym or the spa or any fitness center and spend much just to slim down to obtain that longed for sexy body. There are many books available in the bookstore which offer weight loss programs which are convenient and for free, of course the books are not though. These weight loss programs, or diet plans are gaining immense popularity with so much publicity, testimonials and reviews that one may be confused which exactly to follow. So before choosing which weight loss plan to follow, try reading these summaries about the most popular diet programs out today.

Atkins’ New Diet Revolution by Dr. Atkins. This weight loss program encourages high protein diet and a trim down on the carbs. One can feast on vegetables and meat but should fast on bread and pasta. One is also not restricted against fat intake so it is okay to pour in the salad dressing and freely spread on the butter. However, after the diet, one may find himself lacking on fiber and calcium yet high in fat. Intake of grains and fruits are also limited.

Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet by Drs. Heller. This diet plan advocates low carbohyrate eating. Approves on eating meats, vegetables and fruits, dairy and grain products. however, warns against taking in too much carb. “Reward” meal can be too high on fats and saturated fats.

Choose to Lose by Dr. Goor. Restrains fat intake. One is given a “fat” budget and he is given the liberty on how to spend it. It does not pressure the individual to watch his carbohydrate intake. Eating meat and poultry as well as low-fat dairy and seafoods is okay. A go signal is also given on eating vegetables, fruits, cereals, bread and pasta. This weight loss plan is fairly healthy, good amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as saturated fats. Watch triglyceride levels though; if high, trim down the carbohydrates and tuck in more of the unsaturated fats.

The DASH Diet. Advocates moderate amounts of fat and protein intake and high on carbs. Primarily designed to lower blood pressure, the diet plan follows the pyramid food guide and encourages high intake of whole wheat grains as well as fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy. Some dieters think it advocates too much eating to procure significant weight loss.

Eat More, Weigh Less by Dr. Ornish. Primarily vegetarian fare and strictly low-fat. Gives the go signal on the “glow” foods but warns to watch it on non-fat dairy and egg whites. This diet is poor in calcium and retricts consumption of healthy foods like seafoods and lean poultry.

Eat Right for Your Type. Interesting because it is based on the person’s blood type. recommends plenty of mest for people with the blood type O. Diet plans for some blood types are nutritionally imbalanced and too low in calories. And for the record, there is even no proof that blood type affects dietary needs.

The Pritkin Principle. Focused on trimming the calorie density in eating by suggesting watery foods that make one feel full. Eating vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, pasta, soups, salads and low-fat dairy is okay. Although limits protein sources to lean meat, pseafood and poultry. Although it is healthy by providing low amounts of saturated fats and rich amounts of vegetables and fruits, it is also low on calcium and limits lean protein sources.

Volumetrics. For low-density calorie eating. Recommends the same foodstuff as Pritkin but restricts fatty or dry foods like popcorn, pretzels and crackers. This plan is reasonably healthy given the high amounts of fruits and vegetables as well as being low in calorie density and saturated fats.

The Zone. Moderately low on the carbs yet moderately high on the proteins. Encourages low-fat protein foods like fish and chicken plus veggies, fruits and grains. It is also healthy but lacking in grains and calcium.

Weight Watchers. High carbohydrates, moderate on fats and proteins. A very healthy diet plan and very flexible too. it allows the dieter to plan his own meal rather than give him a set to follow.

Health and Fitness are the new mantra that has swiped India in the recent times, leading to the mushrooming of gyms and fitness centers in every part of a city. This has in fact led to the fitness equipments and gym scales manufacturing industries to seriously, consider the prospects of this business. Gym scales are one of the most essential weighing scales, which measure body weight and in many cases sum up as body fat monitor too.

Gym scales are high precision equipments, which require the maximum level of accuracy, durability and quality. Used mostly in gyms or at home, gym scales are required to have simple and easy readability, besides ensuring correct reading

As innovation rules the industry to create sophisticated equipments, gym scales have come a long way since it was necessary to enter your age, sex and height, every time you want to check your weight. Now, the modern gym scales like the latest from Tanita, gives you accurate readings every time you step on the scale in a single span. Moreover, gym scales nowadays are taking care about the precision, which is capable of indicating differences of up to tenths of pounds.

Some gym scales come with large displays, which can show up to two lines of info – weight and body fat. Gym scales also come in variations as body fat monitor, which is said to be accurate if it displays 1% accuracy. One of the latest model in gym scales (body fat monitor) that has is considered to provide accurate results is Tanita BF679, as it comes with special features for health monitoring.

Moreover, manufacturers of gym scales are now offering different variations in design and look which may vary from stylish chrome and glass to utility gym scales with body fat monitors that can store two sets of pre-programmed personal data of weight and body fat management, for fast and easy operation.

Gym scales can be easily procured from online industrial and business supplies stores, which offer a wide variety of models at the best competitive rates. Moreover, customers can avail value added services like doorstep delivery on request.

Fitness centers are in pretty high demand these days, and Bally Fitness Centers are among some of the higher end facilities.

Since many of us do not have the space or the money for a home fitness set up, we join a gym. There are so many to choose from and I’m sure there is a Bally Fitness location near you. It just depends on what’s available in your area. Most of the fitness facilities, like Bally Total Fitness, or Bally Fitness, offer weight machines, free weights, stair steppers, treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, group classes, and personal training, among other things.

You can also buy bottled water, work out clothing, accessories, purchase tanning minutes, and sit in the sauna or hot tub. Of course many people only go just to socialize or to check out everyone else, but some really are there to get a good work out. I belong to the latter group. I don’t care what I look like, if my shorts match my shirt, or if my hair is messy. I’m all sweaty anyway and I’m not there to get a date!

In spite of having all these amenities, many facilities, even Bally Fitness, are not open at convenient hours, they don’t have enough equipment, they are too small and crowded, they don’t clean their fitness equipment or keep it in good repair, and bacteria abounds in the saunas and showers. This is not typical of all health clubs, but it is very realistic.

On occasion I have brought my own hand sanitizer to use immediately after using a piece of equipment because the bottle of disinfectant provided was empty or so diluted that there was nothing but water in it anyway. I have gone to aerobic classes and the instructor came late or not at all, and then if she did show up, was rude to the class because she looked like an idiot. This is the way it was at the Bally Fitness location near my home. If this is the way it is, I’ll just to stick to walking around the neighborhood and my Buns of Steel tapes.

Currently, there is a group of people, primarily in California, filing action against Bally Fitness for false misrepresentation of their services, not honoring their contract, and generally poor business practices. Many of these people were in the military and called to active duty. They were told if they supplied the appropriate paperwork they would be freed from their Bally Fitness contract with no further obligation. This was obviously not correct, and these people came back from overseas to find that they their accounts had been sold to collection agencies and there were judgments against them. How’s that for customer service? Wow. Better make sure you read all the fine print and ask about all the different situations you think may never come up, just in case.

Important Tips

This post is about how to develop increased musculature thru weight lifting that will go beyond your expectations especially if your efforts have not met your expectations in spite of ambitious training. Ask your self this question next time you go to the gym, how many people around you have trained rigorously for years are injured or have had few gains to show for their effort.

What You Need To Know First

Before I share any special secrets on how to greatly enhance your physical strength and muscularity. The most important issue before embarking on any weight lifting adventure remains that you must understand the importance of biomechanics also referred to as form in order to become injury resistant.

Know Your Bones – Learn Proper Bio-Mechanics To Avoid Injury.

Bio mechanics or form remain critical in weight training in relationship to the infrastructure of the body to include muscles, joints, bones, and tendons and their proper function under repetitive and high intensity stress. Or how various parts of the body work together during all phases of movement towards avoiding being hurt and getting strong.

This is the smartest, best approach to offset the chance injuries. Sadly almost all new people attempt to understand how to work out by searching, for any body in their surroundings who appear to know what their doing. This is a big mistake!

Do They Really Know?

Many gym veterans who look the part lift compromised with assorted injuries because they don’t understand the finer points of biomechanics due to the unfortunate fact that nowhere did they ever learn the dynamics of movment to protect their joints. Working without properly applied form is like jogging with ones running shoes knotted together week after week doggedly falling banged and bruised until the suffering exceeds the will to continue. In other words paying club dues to effectively ruin all joints only to end up unnecessarily injured and upon getting older ending up a knot of arthritis.

Some Consideration About Fitness Clubs Vs Home Equipment.

A club with sound equipment remains superior to no club at all and is recommended over home gyms. When considering joining a new club look around and make sure that the machines and equipment are functional, meaning properly bolted, screwed and secured, not necessarily new and that the management is conscientious. A poor club is one with incompetent staff, insufficient machinery, filthy, weights not racked and not enough weights to go around especially if you need to be there during populated rush hour schedules.

Check It Out

One day I check out this club and I notice that their leg press machine weight tops out at 400lbs. Any one who trains high intensity knows this as a warm up or even mid range weight.

Statistically many hard lifting body builders press beyond in 400 lbs. The point; the management does not know enough about their own industry. Its just a money making machine, and their clients are inadvertently abused either through ignorance or apathy.

Get What You Need

The quality of a health club defines the scope of your workouts. Health clubs tend to be better in more cosmopolitan areas due to the competition for your business.

Sales People

Beware of high pressure sales managers manipulating you in to protracted contractual agreements until you get to know how much you like a perspective club, the people there, if their programs are desirable and if your considering a trainer, having the time and latitude to observe who you will be best for you.

Home Equipment

I have never liked home gyms In my professional opinion the best of home gyms remain inferior to industry gym equipment.

Why?

Home equipment is flimsier, less stable and provides less resistance. Of course any thing is better then nothing. If you are serious and want to get in great shape join a club and don’t look back.

Ok Already

If you want a modest pump and are unable to make it to the gym, home equipment will suffice, but please purchase the best. Anything else is a complete waste of money.

Next

In my next post I will discuss how to evaluate trainers when you need them and training high intensity towards an enhanced muscularity.

Are you interested in losing weight? If you are, you may be in the process of developing a weight loss plan for yourself. For many individuals, a weight loss plan is a guide that they can follow and one that may help to give them motivation. If this is your first time developing a weight loss plan for yourself, it is important that you place a focus on exercise, as exercise is important component of weight loss.

Although it is nice to hear that exercise is an important part of a weight loss plan, you may be wondering exactly why that is. For your body to lose weight, you must see a reduction in your calorie intake. The amount of calories that you need to reduce, in order to lose weight, will all depend on your current weight and your hopeful weight loss goal. Unfortunately, this is where many individuals automatically assume that they can’t eat three meals a day and many actually just stop eating. This is not only dangerous to your health, but it can be deadly.

Instead of reducing your calorie intake by solely limiting the amount of foods that you eat, you can use exercise to your advantage. By exercising, you burn off calories. These are calories in which your body can use to help you lose weight. If you have a specific weight loss goal, like one that involves losing at least twenty pounds, you may want to focus on fun exercises or workouts, but also ones that burn the most calories. Adding exercise to your weight loss plan is a natural and a healthy way to lose weight.

Since it is important to incorporate to exercise into your weight loss plan, you may be wondering how you can go about doing so. In all honestly, there are an unlimited number of ways that you can go about using exercise to help you lose weight. For starters, you can buy a collection, even just a small collection, of exercise equipment. Exercise equipment can include items such as exercise balls, weights, a treadmill, a stair climber, and so forth. Even if you have limited financial resources, you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces that are within your budget.

Although you should be able to find a number of exercise equipment pieces, including instructional workout DVDs, for affordable prices, you may be looking to limit your weight loss plan investments. If that is the case, you may want to take the time to examine your local gyms or fitness clubs. While some fitness clubs and gyms have relatively high membership fees, you can also find a number of them with affordable membership rates. It is also important to mention that many fitness clubs and gyms are open accommodating hours, often making it easy to exercise before work, after work, or even during a lunch break of yours.

Despite the fact that exercise is often associated with exercise equipment, like a treadmill, that is not all that exercise is about. Exercise can also involve something simple like going for a walk or taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. If you would prefer to exercise, for free, in your spare time, you may want to consider finding an exercise buddy. This is a person who can workout with you, even if it just involves walking around your local shopping mall. Not only can you make a new friend or strengthen your relationship with one of your current friends, having an exercise buddy or an exercise partners often means that you are more likely to stick with your weight loss plan and achieve your weight loss goals.

As outlined above, it is extremely important that you incorporate exercise into your weight loss plan, especially if you are serious about losing weight and wish to do so in a healthy matter. With multiple ways to go about incorporating exercise into your weight loss plan, there really isn’t any excuse for not doing so.

Is it possible to do so much cardio to lose belly fat that you reach a point of diminishing returns?

Unfortunately, yes it is possible. fitness clubs for any period of time, you’ve withnessed both men and women alike doing hours upon hours of cardio for weeks and even months on end in their quest to burn fat and get 6 pack abs. The point at which the benefits begin decreasing with each additional minute of cardio is a thin line and many variables determine whether you’re making progress or actually expending additional energy with little or no return.

If you feel like you’ve hit a wall in the fat loss department, don’t ramp up your cardio efforts until you’re sure these 5 variables are in check:

1. Sleeping Patterns – Are you getting enough sleep? To ensure your cortisol levels don’t jump sky high and kill your efforts in the gym, make sure you’re getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep at night.

2. Watch Your Alcohol Consumption – It’s true, you can lose fat and still drink alcohol, but it can wreak havoc on your mental state. Alcohol consumption causes dehydration, so you may retain more water than normal the following days after a night of drinking. It usually takes 2-3 days for the effects to subside. So if you’re drinking frequently, try cutting back a bit. If you don’t want to give it up all together, integrate it into your overall nutrition program to minimize its effects

3. Frequency of Weight Training – When you’re attempting to achieve 6 pack abs, weight training is all but essential. Before you adjust your cardio, make sure you’re training with weights at least 3 days per week. If you’re only training 1-2 days per week, you may only need to increase the frequency 1-2 days to kick your fat loss into a higher gear.

4.Check Your Nutrition at the Door – Many people think eating less equals weighing less and looking better. It’s only partly true. Chances are that you will have to eat less to lose weight, but if your goal is a flat sexy belly, then dramatically decreasing your food consumption while simultaneously increasing your energy expenditure is a recipe for disaster.

5. Drink More Water – Water isn’t a fat loss supplement, but if you’re not getting enough, it can “hide” your weight loss progress. Drinking plenty of water will regulate the amount of water your body retains in its muscles, organs, and fat cells. The more water you drink the more it will be flushed out of your system preventing a “smoke screen” leaving you to believe you’re not losing weight.

If building muscle mass is a goal of yours, this is your lucky day because I am about to simplify the process down to 3 easy to follow steps. The challenge of building muscle mass in this day and age is there is so much bogus information floating around out there that it is difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction. You start to follow one piece of advice and when that doesn’t work you move on to the next, and the vicious cycle begins. As I pointed out earlier, building muscle mass can actually be broken down into 3 simple to follow steps, so let’s get to them.

1. Dedication and Proper Mindset

The first step in building muscle mass is having dedication and the proper mindset to start with. Without this, you’re destined for failure. Your probably asking yourself this question right now, “Sure, that’s easier said than done”. Guess what, you’re exactly right. However, there are many ways you can help get yourself into the proper mindset to succeed in your muscle building endeavors.

The first thing you must do is set goals for yourself, but make these goals specific. Don’t just write, “I want to build muscle mass,” but instead write, “I want to build 8 pounds of muscle mass in 1 month.” Do you see how much more specific that is? You will feel much more compelled to work towards that specific goal than for the more general one. Once you have written your goals, post them in a place where you will see them everyday, and be forced to read through them. This will keep you focused on a daily basis.

The day-to-day process of building muscle mass can become mundane, so it’s important to have a strategy to raise your intensity level before entering the gym. Visualization is a great tool to use to raise your focus and intensity. Throughout your day or before you workout, visualize yourself having success in the gym. That may be you see yourself finally getting that 7 th rep of 235# on the bench press on your last set or reach a new max on the squat. Whatever you visualize, be very specific. Visualize every detail about the situation. The more detailed you can be in your visualizations the more success you will have with this technique. Pro athletes in every sport utilize this technique to reach their goals, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t be using it either.

Building muscle mass can be achieved while training by yourself, but it is much easier to maintain your focus and dedication if you have a training partner that is counting on you being at every workout. The trick is picking a good partner because if you pick a bad one this can have negative effects on your muscle building quest, as well. The most important thing you must look for in a partner is that they have the same dedication and desire towards building muscle mass, as you do.

These techniques should help you maintain your motivation towards building muscle mass. Now that you have step 1 mastered, let’s move on to step 2.

2. Proper Weight Lifting Program

The second step in building muscle mass is to follow a proper weight lifting program. If you do a search on any of the popular internet search engines, you can easily find a dozen or more weight lifting programs that all claim to pack pounds of muscle on your frame. Some of these programs may work, but many do not because they forget to focus on one simple principle. In order to build muscle mass, you must build strength. Think about it; have you ever seen a 225# bodybuilder maxing out on the bench at 150 pounds? I didn’t think so. As your strength improves, your muscles adapt by growing bigger.

The best way to increase your strength and therefore build muscle mass is to ensure the core of your weight lifting program consists of compound lifts such as the bench press, squat, dead lift, chin-ups, dips, etc. These lifts will allow you to lift the maximum amount of weight which will in turn recruit the most muscle fibers resulting in greater improvements in strength and muscle mass.

To achieve the greatest improvement in strength and therefore muscle mass, you should do all your lifts for 2-3 sets of 5-7 reps. This rep range has been shown to maximize strength and muscle mass gains. For your main muscle groups such as your legs, chest, and back, you should do about 3-4 exercises for a total of 6-8 sets for each muscle group. For your abs, triceps, shoulders, and biceps, you should do an additional 2 exercises for a total of 3-4 sets for each muscle group. The reason we do less exercises for the latter is that they have already received some work during the compound movements we did. A good workout split would be to train three days per week with day 1 being Legs/Abs, day 2 being chest/shoulders/triceps, and day 3 being back/biceps/forearms. This should be all the training you need to reach your goal of building muscle mass.

Now that you know how to develop a proper weight lifting program for building muscle mass, it is time to move on to the last and final step.

3. Proper Muscle Building Nutrition

The third and final step in building muscle mass is ensuring you eat correctly to maximize your muscle building potential. Without proper nutrition, you will never reach your full potential. You must feed your muscle with enough nutrients for them to grow.

In order to build muscle mass, you have to create a calorie surplus of between 300-500 calories above your maintenance level. This simply means you must eat more calories than you burn, so there is enough energy left over for building muscle mass. The simplest method for calculating your caloric requirements is the basic multiplier. For this method, you simply multiply your bodyweight by 17-20 to give you the amount of calories you will need to consume to create a calorie surplus within your body. This will work fairly well for the majority of people with average body types. There are other methods, but they are beyond the scope of this article.

The timing of your meals is also very important because you are going to need to eat every 2-3 hours your awake for a total of 5-7 meals per day. Each meal should consist of approximately 40% lean protein, 40% complex carbohydrate, and 20% fat. Your muscles require protein to grow, so eating every 2-3 hours ensures that there is always a good supply of protein to fuel muscle growth and keep you in an anabolic (muscle building) state. If you don’t supply your body with all of its protein requirements, it starts breaking down your muscle tissue to get this protein, which is exactly what you don’t want to happen.

I hope you can see that nutrition is a vitally important component of building muscle mass.

Well, there you have it. These 3 steps of dedication, proper weight lifting program, and proper muscle building nutrition are all that is required to start building muscle mass. Now all you have to do is hit the gym and put what you’ve learned here about building muscle mass to use. Good luck!