What do you feel is the best?

[brody13]

Hey guys, just curious to what everyone feels is the best exercise program for gaining muscles that appear larger (bigger lean muscles). If this was your only goal, what would you do as far as workout split, reps, sets, rest between, etc. be specific. Note that this is your only goal not strength or deffenetion, also consider this for yourself as to what you would do.

[DJDIGGLER]

Re: What do you feel is the best?

Me personally I think by looking at your pics am shooting for the same type of goal. Getting bigger while staying ripped.

What I have found that works for me is going heavy on some sets and then ending those sets with light weight high reps. Back exercises are the only ones I don't go light ever for. Here's an example of my layout:

Chest:

Flat bench - Heavy- 8, 8, 8 - Light - failure, failure
Incline- Same
Decline- Same

Back - Standing bent over rows
Bent over rows-
Shrugs- I go only heavy
Upright Rows- Also heavy only (only pulling the weight to just under the nipple line)

The idea behind this is in order to gain size you need to move bigger weights, and also in order to be cut you need high reps. So if you finish your exercises with high reps you are also maintaining your cut look.

The most important part of this though that most overlook is form. Everytime I lift with other people they laugh at the weight I do. Until I make them use it in a slow and controlled manner. Like I always say the slower the better. an example of that is:

I make sure the negative descent takes about 3 second, I hold it for a quick second at the bottom, then I go up 2-3 seconds, then at the top I squeeze the muscles like I am flexing them for about 3 seconds. That's rep one.

Maybe you might know all of this already, and if you do sorry for sounding redundant. I just figured I'd give you the layout of a fellow hardgainer.

Btw, I've gone from 130lbs to 200lbs in a matter of a few years. Of all the different routines this has been the one that people notice the biggest change with.

[supasaiyan99]

Re: What do you feel is the best?

Max-OT worked great for me. Check it out here: http://www.ast-ss.com/max-ot/max-ot_intro.asp

[kite]

Re: What do you feel is the best?

AAS and food

[youngN]

Re: What do you feel is the best?

DC or MAX-OT...other than that ur jus gonna have to do some own experimentation with rep and set schemes...Dont overtrain and be patient with your gains. Also eat alot of good high protein, complex carb foods (you know that allready tho)

[T-Man007]

Re: What do you feel is the best?

Ok, I'm confused bro. You said you want "(bigger lean muslces) but then you said not for strength or definition. Well, you can't get bigger if you don't get stronger. It's how you do it. You can't keep lifting the same weight each week and expect to the body to lay down more tissue. You have to increase strength. Also, you can't get lean muscles without shooting for definition, they are the same thing. Basically, you are wanting to achieve something without doing what it takes to get there, if I am reading this right. So, I don't know what to comment because what I'm going to tell you to get bigger lean muscles is going to require youfocus on getting stronger and lean up. Additionally, it's one or the other. Very few people (Mikey) can actually gain mass while staying lean or even getting leaner. Most people have to bulk up and then lean down or visa versa, but it hard to do simultaneously because of the nutrition required to accomplish each goal. The nutrition needed to get bigger muscles is the higher calories high protein high carbs and use of mid to low rep schemes. The nutrition needed to get leaner muscles is lower calories, high protein and lower carbs and use or mid to high rep schemes with more defining moves and cardio.

[brody13]

Re: What do you feel is the best?

Me personally I think by looking at your pics am shooting for the same type of goal. Getting bigger while staying ripped.

What I have found that works for me is going heavy on some sets and then ending those sets with light weight high reps. Back exercises are the only ones I don't go light ever for. Here's an example of my layout:

Chest:

Flat bench - Heavy- 8, 8, 8 - Light - failure, failure
Incline- Same
Decline- Same

Back - Standing bent over rows
Bent over rows-
Shrugs- I go only heavy
Upright Rows- Also heavy only (only pulling the weight to just under the nipple line)

The idea behind this is in order to gain size you need to move bigger weights, and also in order to be cut you need high reps. So if you finish your exercises with high reps you are also maintaining your cut look.

The most important part of this though that most overlook is form. Everytime I lift with other people they laugh at the weight I do. Until I make them use it in a slow and controlled manner. Like I always say the slower the better. an example of that is:

I make sure the negative descent takes about 3 second, I hold it for a quick second at the bottom, then I go up 2-3 seconds, then at the top I squeeze the muscles like I am flexing them for about 3 seconds. That's rep one.

Maybe you might know all of this already, and if you do sorry for sounding redundant. I just figured I'd give you the layout of a fellow hardgainer.

Btw, I've gone from 130lbs to 200lbs in a matter of a few years. Of all the different routines this has been the one that people notice the biggest change with.

I like this, good info DJ.

- T-man, I understand that you must build strength with muscle, but I am just asking for if your goal is to build muscle, not directly strength. Also, I am still cutting, just feeling small and want to see if I can throw on a pound or two of lean muscle while im cutting.

[Gooseneck]

Re: What do you feel is the best?

Stick with compound movements and heavy core exercises. You'll put on the most mass this way. That's as specific as I'm gonna be.