How to Build More Muscle Mass
Force of habit is something rather difficult to break. It's human nature to prefer to do things that we've done before, rather than venture out and try new things. It's like when you go to the diner down the street from your house, you probably end up ordering the same soup and sandwich, or whatever it is that you order. I know that I usually find myself ordering the same food when I go to restaurants that I frequent...
The same thing applies when you walk into the gym. Regardless of what kind of weekly split you use, you probably find yourself doing the same routine week after week - chest on monday, back on tuesday, legs on wednesday, arms on thursday, and so on. When next week rolls around, you start the same routine over. On chest days, the first thing you approach is the flat bench for a few sets of flat bench press to start you day, and naturally drift through they gym without putting too much thought of what you will do next. Why do we do this? Because it' within our comfort zone, and it requires no thinking or decision making.
Okay, you probably get my point by now.
So the next time you go to the gym, think about what you're about to do, and think about the exercises you will perform. Try some of these exercises below to add variety, and break your normal routine to build more muscle mass.
Front Squats - How often do you see anyone do front squats? I bet rarely, and if you're not doing them, then you're missing out on one of the best exercises for quad development. The major difference between squats and front squats is that the barbell is resting on your front shoulders instead on your back. When performing front squats, there are two types of grips: 1) cross-armed grip, and 2) the Clean Grip. As the name suggests, you simply cross your arms to hold the barbell in place on your front shoulders for the cross arm grip. The Clean grip takes more effort and practice to adjust to; however, it is preferred over the cross arm grip.
With the barbell secured on your front shoulders, the rest of the exercise is just like the regular squat. Bend at your knees, and then push yourself back up. The front squat is not an easy exercises, which is one of the reasons why you don't see many people do it. It's crucial to do it with proper form, and you will likely not be able to use as much weights as you would with regular squats.
Weighted Dips - Using your body weight to do dips may not be enough to stimulate muscle growth. Use a weight attachment belt and add some heavy weights to your regular dips. Start off adding 10 o 25% of your body weight - you should aim to add enough weight that allows you to only do four to six reps.
Power Cleans - Powerlifting exercises are some of the best exercises to build muscle mass and strength, yet you rarely see anyone do them in the gym. They offer strength and muscle building benefits that other exercises do not. Power cleans involves multiple muscle groups including the hips, quads, glutes, arms, back, shoulders, etc.
Dead Lifts - Dead lifts is another exercise that works wonders to build more muscle and strength. Add them to your routine, if you're not already doing them. Instead of the regular lat pull downs or seated rows, dead lifts will work the rest of the your body along with your back.
Make a conscious effort to break your routine, and get outside of your comfort zone. For these exercises listed above, you may need to have a spotter, and make sure to perform them with proper form. It may be necessary to start off with lighter weights to get familiar with the exercises before increasing the weight load.
>> Learn the secrets of bodybuilding. Click here to discover how you can gain serious muscle and strength.
| 
