You have to crawl before you can walk. I think the same rule applies to one who is in the beginning stages of bodybuilding. What I mean by that is you should start off building muscle by using dumbbells. If you plan on getting big you have to realize that your strength has to be built up first. If you don’t build your strength up, you’re not going to get very far in gains.

You can simply start off your training by using a 10 to 15 pound dumbbell and curl it for about 8 to 10 repetitions. After your muscles adjust start to increase the repetitions using the same dumbbells for about 12 to 15 repetitions. The increased amount of repetitions will increase the muscle fibers because of the resistance placed on them. This is where building your strength comes into play. The stress placed on the muscles from compound movements will build more strength. As your strength builds, you can increase the amount of weight that you’re using. The correct amount of repetitions along with using more weight will lead to the muscle fibers increasing to build mass.

Building strength and mass will rely on training hard and that’s only part of the equation to getting big. The other part is nutrition. I can’t make it any clearer than this, training hard + good nutrition = massive gains. As far as nutrition is involved in this equation, you have to consume more calories than you burn. If you’re only used to eating 2 to 3 times a day, you better make a serious adjustment to you’re eating habits if you ever expect to get big. You’ll have to eat at least 5 to 6 times a day to replenish the amount of calories you burned from training. Taking creatine along with a good multivitamin fits in well to this equation. Don’t forget to drink a good amount of water when taking creatine. A good amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats should be involved in your meal plan. Flax or olive oil are a good healthy choice for fats.

Whey protein and casein should be consumed daily (even on non-workout days). You can consume a whey protein shake prior to your workout and consume a protein shake with casein after your workout is done. The reason I mentioned casein is because it’s a slow digesting protein. Put a banana in both protein shakes for the potassium level. Potassium is an important mineral that regulates muscular function and is helpful in preventing sore muscles. I highly recommend potassium especially after a hardcore workout. Being obligated to a nutrition plan that involves eating 5 to 6 times a day may be hard for some individuals to do because of their jobs and other commitments. The best thing to do to overcome this dilemma is to manage your time by making out a nutrition schedule.

Remember to train hard but train smart by not overdoing it. 1 to 2 hours of training (some will agree less than 2 hours) should be more than enough time. Get plenty of rest at bedtime (at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep) to allow your muscles to recover and grow. When it comes to giving this advice and information on this type of training and nutrition, what works for some individuals might not work for others, but you won’t know until you give it a try. I feel confident that anyone who desires to get big will see massive gains if they follow the information that I’ve provided.