3 Things You Need to Get Right to Build Muscle

Although building muscle takes a lot of time and consistency, it's a relatively easy process, once you know what you're doing. I mean, it's as easy as anything is going to be. Do you have to work? Of course. Do you have to work hard? Definitely. But if you know what you're doing, you can build a lot of muscle in record time. Today, I want to share with you my 3 steps for putting on over 30 pounds of lean muscle mass in just 3 years. We're talking muscle here, folks. Not fat. There is a difference.

Before we begin, let's start with my take on supplements. Creatine, whey protein, and caffeine are some of the best supplements that you can take to help yourself build muscle. I like going with Body Fortress products. For my pre-workout, I've been using C4 Extreme with great results. If you're interested, you can checkout my review. 

Step #1. Diet Right.

Before you ever start training, you need to get your diet right. This is the single most important aspect to building muscle. If you get this wrong, you're going to be left spinning your wheels in the gym for nothing. If you want results, you need to eat right. But what exactly does that mean? For building muscle, that means that you need to get in enough calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Don't be confused by this, but you need to get your macros right. Macros is just another fancy way of saying that you need to get in the right amount of calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, If you're wondering, the macro nutrient split that I use is 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. This has worked well for me, and it's the split that I will always use.

Aside from macros, you need your micros as well. This means that you need to be getting in your vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients in order for your body to function. Take a good multivitamin, and always try to consume green, leafy, and other colorful fruits and vegetables at every meal.

Step #2. Train Smart. 

Once you have your diet right, you need to follow a solid muscle building program. I recommend following a program made by a guy who used to have your current build, but now has the build that you want. In any case, I'm going to assume that your goal is to build muscular size, and muscular strength.

In which case, you should be lifting weights 3 to 5 days a week, and minimizing the amount of cardio you do. For big muscle groups, I recommend performing 12 sets, and for smaller muscle groups, I recommend performing 9 sets.

Remember, focus on the lift. Be sure to lift in the 8 to 12 rep range for size, and 5 to 6 rep range for strength. Always focus on the negative part of the lift, as this will help you get the best results possible.

Step #3. Rest.

Never workout a sore muscle, and always take every 3rd day off at least. This is what I've been doing the past 6 months, and I've gotten awesome results. Remember, you don't build muscle in the gym, you build muscle while you're resting, and consuming food.

Final Thoughts.

Building muscle isn't too complicated once you know what you're doing. But there are a lot of places that you can go wrong. If you diet right, train smart, rest, and as a bonus, use supplements, you can start seeing some amazing results here in the next 3 months. Remember, consistency is key to your success, both in the gym, and in the kitchen as well. By the way, for the image, I got it from Flick from A. Blight.

CB-1 Weight Gainer a Scam?

If you're anything like me, you have a difficult time building muscle, or gaining any weight at all. I am now actually up to 164 pounds, and will definitely share 3 biggest muscle building tips with you below. These are the 3 keys to building muscle. But before I share these tips with you, I've discovered something new. I'm not sure whether or not this is an effective supplement. But what I've discovered is this supplement called CB-1 Weight Gainer.

Be sure to click here to checkout this review of CB-1 Weight Gainer. It was the most honest review that I was able to find. And after you check that out, you can make your decision as to whether or not this is something that is worth purchasing. 

Today, I want to tell you everything I know about CB-1 Weight Gainer. Do I know whether or not you should purchase this stuff? Well, what I can tell you is that without proper diet and training, you're not going to go anywhere. So be sure you have your macros down, and be sure you're following a solid muscle building routine before you ever think about spending a dime on supplements.

Where CB-1 Weight Gainer Could Work.

From what I can tell, CB-1 Weight Gainer works by slowing down the metabolism and stimulating appetite. I'm not sure whether or not this is true,  but if it is, then the possibilities are endless. If you struggle to gain weight, you know how important it is to eat food. And if you're like me, then you have a super fast metabolism, which can make it really difficult to gain weight, even when you eat a lot of food. So by taking a pill that will allow you to not only eat more, but prevent calories from being burned off could definitely be beneficial. You see where this could be powerful, right? But there are some problems that I have with this method.

Where CB-1 Weight Gainer Could Fail.

For starters, this is not a build muscle fast solution. As I said above, if your diet and training are out of order, then you're not going to build muscle period. My main problem with CB-1 is whether or not it really works. Will it really slow down your metabolism? How is this even possible? Will CB-1 really make me more hungry? Will it allow me to eat more food? Will I put on a lot of fat because of my slowed down metabolism? These are are possible areas for concern, although their main website states that no negative side effects have been reported.

The 3 Keys to Building Muscle Mass. 

1. Proper Diet - Without proper diet, you're never going to gain weight. Be sure to get in enough calories in the form of proper carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

2. Proper Exercise - Some workout programs are garbage. Find a good program which includes the big, compound lifts. Find a program written by a former skinny guy for skinny guys who are looking to bulk up.

3. Proper Rest - Finally, be sure you're getting enough rest. Always allow for between 72 to 96 hours for a muscle group to recover before hitting that same muscle group again.

Conclusion.

I'm not sure as to whether or not you should get CB-1 Weight Gainer. That's honestly up to you. If you think it's worth the shot, and you've struggled to make gains in the past, go for it. Just don't expect to make any gains unless you also have your diet and training program in order.

NoXide Review: Does it Work?

A couple weeks back, I decided that I wanted to try out a new muscle building supplement. My only rules were (1) The supplement had to be cheap. (2) It had to have effective muscle building ingredients present in order for me to make a purchase. Because I'm a huge fan of Amazon, I decided to see what they had available, and that's when I came across, NoXide.

Before I get into my NoXide Review, be sure to click here to checkout this full review, daily journal entries, and videos to see whether or not NoXide is worth getting.

In this review, I want to talk to you about my experiences with NoXide, whether or not I think it is worth getting, and then, I'm also going to briefly discuss the benefits and the drawbacks of taking this supplement.

My Experiences with NoXide.

Before writing this review, I had taken NoXide for 3 days. I took it with C4 on day one, pre workout. On day 2, I took NoXide, and I didn't workout. Day 3, I took Noxide by itself, and hit the gym. Now, I know that I've only tried it for 3 days, so the review page over on Taylor Thompson Fitness will be updated.

But I'm here to tell you that in my experience, I didn't see or feel any noticeable benefits after taking NoXide. On day 1, I felt the caffeine in the C4 kick in. On day 2, I forgot that I took the pill completely. Finally, on day 3, I felt just as alert as I do at the gym on any given day.

I don't want to completely ride this off yet. As I said above, I'm going to continue using NoXide, and if anything drastic happens, I'll be sure to update this page. From what the bottle says, you're supposed to see an increase in muscle size, strength, endurance, power output, and load capacity. As always though, if you don't have your diet and training right --- which I do --- none of this is going to happen anyway.

NoXide on Amazon.


I decided to buy NoXide on Amazon, as I do with all of the muscle building supplements that I purchase. Amazon is a good place to read reviews, see what is worth buying, and in my experience, has some of the lowest prices available.

You will also see that I've mentioned C4 and 5-Hour Energy below. In my experience, these two supplements both give me a feeling of alertness, and get me amped up. However, C4 gave me much more of an amped feeling than 5-hour energy. Nonetheless, if you don't want to buy pre-workouts, a simple cup of coffee will get the job done for many.


Is NoXide Worth Getting?

From my experiences thus far, I'd have to say that my results are inconclusive. Just because I'm not "feeling" NoXide working, doesn't mean it's not working. This pill contains creatine, as well as amino acids which all help you lift more weight, and recover more quickly from your workout --- Depending on what you believe. I believe in creatine, but I don't know if I'm a believer in any of the other ingredients, which include:

• L-Arginine AKG
• L-Citruline AKG
• Creatine Ethyl-Ester Malate
• L-Tyrosine
• L-Taurine

I discussed those ingredients a little more in detaily on my website. But for me, the one that sticks out is the creatine. Unfortunately, the amount of creatine in each serving (2 pills) is not mentioned on the bottle. Under the "% of Daily Value," there is a cross listed. It would be nice to know how much creatine was actually in each serving.

NoXide: The Good and the Bad.


The Good Points.

The main benefit that I can see is that NoXide has creatine. Creatine is and has been consistently proven to help guys build muscle, increase strength, and recover more quickly from their workouts.

Aside from creatine, there are amino acids, each which do different things. I'm not an amino acid expert, but from what I saw, they help to dilate blood vessels, and further support the delivery of nutrients to muscles for proper recovery. There are other benefits from taking these amino acids as well, but from what I could tell, the studies done are in variety. Some studies state that amino acids help to build muscle, while others state that there is no evidence that this is the case.

The Bad Points.

After doing all of the research, the ingredients listed will either have positive effects, or no effect at all. The fact that I didn't experience any noticeable change is bad. Then again, the fact that NoXide doesn't contain caffeine, could be why I didn't "feel" anything. That's honestly what almost all pre workouts are: Caffeine.


Do You Even Need Supplements?

I know this is a little off topic, but before you decide to buy or not buy Noxide, understand that you don't need supplements to build muscle. A good diet and training plan is all that is needed to make gains. That said, Protein, Creatine, and Caffeine can definitely help you. But it's not a make or break situation.

Again, buy food, and have a good training plan down before anything else. Once you've seen results from good diet and training, only then would I recommend looking into supplements. Otherwise, I feel like you'd just be looking for that miracle potion; And trust me, that just doesn't exist.


Is NoXide Worth Getting?

I've said it a number of times, and as with every other supplement that I review, I'm going to say it again; No supplement will help you build muscle better than a good Diet and Training plan. Without those 2 things, you could take all of the supplements in the world, and not see gains.

If you have your diet and training routine in order, and if you're looking for a cheap supplement to give you a boost, which may or may not be physically noticeable, then feel free to give NoXide a try. It's only $10, so if you do benefit from it, that's great. If not, then you're only out $10.

If you've decided that the bad points outweigh the good points, but you still want to get a supplement, I would look into C4. I did experience some itchiness post workout, from the C4, but this stuff got me noticeably amped. Again, this is probably due to the caffeine.


What Do You Think?

Now that you have my opinion on NoXide, and know a little bit more about it, I want to ask you, "What do you think?" Do you think NoXide is worth purchasing? Have you tried this supplement? If so, what did you experience? Benefits? Drawbacks? Side effects? Leave all of your comments and questions below.

What is the Best Rep Range for Building Muscle Mass?

The other day, I was lifting weights as I normally do, and a guy came up to me said, "Hey. Why are you lifting light weights? Aren't you trying to build muscle?" Aside from the fact that this guy stopped me in the middle of my set, which was completely uncalled for, I told him that lifting heavy is for people who want to build strength, not size.



You probably already know what this guy did next; He blew me off completely, and walked away. I shouldn't have been surprised. This wasn't the first time this had happened. I've had a number of guys think I'm full of it.

Unlike those other guys, you came here for the truth. You want to know what the best rep range is for building muscle mass, and you want to know once and for all.

Do you want to know the truth?

More importantly, do you want to know how you can build up to 46% more strength in just 1 week, and build even more muscle size?

Today, I want to teach you the exact rep range recommended to you by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. I also want to teach you how to lift properly to build serious muscle size and strength. If this interests you, keep reading.

Recommended Rep Range.

If you've heard the common gym non-sense, then you have probably heard that you should lift between 6 to 8 repetitions to build muscle, and 10 to 12 repetitions to tone muscle.



Infographic Source: Taylor Thompson Fitness

The truth is, and this is the truth, as it is written in the National Strength and Conditioning personal training book, you should be lifting between 10 to 12 repetitions to build size, if you're a beginner. If you're an intermediate or advanced lifter, you should be lifting between 6 to 12 repetitions to build size.

Although 6 to 8 repetitions does fall into a size-building range, there is a second compontent to building muscular size that hasn't yet been talked about.

Time Under Tension for Muscular Size.

Time under tension refers to the amount of time it takes you to complete an entire set. If you're attempting to build muscular size, you should have a time under tension of 40 to 60 seconds. Don't just take my word for it. Continue reading.

By the way, you may also find this video useful, as it will teach you how to properly utilize time under tension to build the most muscle possible.



When Do You Build the Most Muscle?

A study at Eastern Carolina University has found that people in a test group found who focused on the eccentric part of the lift saw 46% more of a strength gain increase in 1 week, compared to those who didn't focus on the eccentric part of the lift.

In simple terms, if you have a time under tension of 40 to 60 seconds, meaning you're focusing on the eccentric (negative) part of the lift, you will build more muscle.

You Can Vary the Rep Range.

The final note I want to make here is that you can, and should vary the rep range. The most important thing is time under tension, and lifting with good form.

If you're going for muscular size, and you want to lift 5 reps, just remember that that complete 5-rep set should take you between 40 to 60 seconds to complete. Again, this is if you're trying to build muscular size.

Nevertheless, anything under 6 reps is generally seen as strength training.

To Summarize.

The truth is, you don't have to, and you shouldn't lift heavy to build muscular size. If your goal is to bulk up, then you should be lifting in the 8 to 12 rep range if you're a beginner, or the 6 to 12 rep range if you're an intermediate or advanced lifter.

More important, you should always focus on lifting with good form, and hitting a time under tension of between 40 and 60 seconds to build muscular size.

If anyone ever tells you otherwise, even if they're bigger than you, just remember that everything in today's article is backed by scientific evidence, and you just can't beat that. If you really want to get into it with guys that try to tell you otherwise, just show them this infographic.