Mass: training and nutrition for muscle growth

Muscle mass doesn’t come by accident: you need a heavy basic exercise, enough food and patience. One old but effective idea stuck with us from Flex magazine’s July feature: the body grows when training and nutrition move in the same direction.

Indrek Otsus

MASS PRODUCTION
Authors Team Flex

Why mass needs a simple system

Mass training doesn’t have to be flashy. The classic system has built champions from Schwarzenegger to Coleman precisely because the emphasis is on big lifts. Squats, deadlifts, presses and rows send your body a strong signal: it’s time to adapt.

A simple truth: when a beginner jumps straight into a complicated split, strength often gets scattered. In the first months it pays to learn technique, keep your repetitions under control and leave a small reserve in every working set. That way your body gets the training load it needs, but your nervous system doesn’t burn out.

Ten exercises that mass is built on

1. No. 1 Standing calf raises. For the calf muscles.
2. No. 2 Full squats with a barbell on your shoulders. Quadriceps and glutes. Also lower back and hamstrings.
3. No. 3 Lying leg curls (machine). Hamstring muscles.
4. No. 4 Barbell press on a 30° incline bench. Chest muscles, plus front delts and triceps.
5. No. 5 Barbell deadlift. Lower back. Also thighs, glutes, traps and upper back.
6. No. 6 Cable pulldowns with a narrow (underhand) grip. Lats. Also other upper and mid-back muscles, biceps and rear delts.
7. No. 7 Dumbbell shrugs. Trapezius.
8. No. 8 Seated barbell press (in front). Deltoids. Also traps and triceps.
9. No. 9 Narrow-grip cable pushdowns. Triceps.
10. No. 10 Standing barbell biceps curl. Biceps. Also front delts and lower back.

Mass for beginners: the first 2 months

This plan suits beginners for the first two months, or for getting back into training after a long break. You train your whole body in a single workout, 3 workouts a week, for example Mon, Wed, Fri.

• To warm up, do 10 min of aerobic work and stretching.
• For every exercise except abs, do a warm-up set with a light weight: 20 repetitions.
• Take every working set close to your limit, but not all the way to it.
• Rest between sets as needed at first; after 3-4 weeks, no more than 90 sec.

• Calves: standing calf raises 3 x 10
• Legs: barbell squats 3 x 10
• Chest: barbell press on a 30° incline bench 3 x 10
• Back: deadlift 3 x 10; cable pulldowns (narrow grip) 3 x 10
• Traps: dumbbell shrugs 3 x 10
• Shoulders: seated barbell press (in front) 3 x 10
• Triceps: cable pushdowns 3 x 10
• Biceps: standing barbell biceps curl 3 x 10
• Abs: crunches 3 x 15

Advanced mass: split and training load

From the 3-month mark you can split your body across 2 days. It’s worth sticking with this training for at least 1 year. You still train 3 days a week, for example Mon, Wed, Fri, and each muscle gets 3 workouts over 3 weeks. Choose a weight so that 8 repetitions is your limit; rest 90 sec between sets.

DAY 1

• Calves: standing calf raises 4 x 8
• Legs: barbell squats 6 x 8; machine leg press 3 x 8; hamstring machine (lying) 4 x 8
• Chest: barbell press on a 30° incline bench 4 x 8; flat bench flyes 3 x 8; dumbbell press on a 30° incline bench 3 x 8
• Triceps: cable pushdowns 4 x 8; lying French press 3 x 8

DAY 2

• Back: deadlift 4 x 8; barbell rows 3 x 8; cable pulldowns (narrow grip) 3 x 8
• Traps: dumbbell shrugs 4 x 8
• Shoulders: seated barbell press (in front) 4 x 8; standing lateral raises 3 x 8; bent-over lateral raises 3 x 8
• Biceps: standing barbell biceps curl 4 x 8; seated dumbbell biceps curl 3 x 8
• Abs: crunches 3 x 15; leg raises 3 x 15

The following plan is for those who have trained for at least 2 years without breaks. The body is split across 4 days, every muscle gets 1 workout a week, and the other 3 days of the week are for rest. Except for abs, take the last 2 sets of each exercise to failure. You can use assisted reps (forced reps), but only for up to 2 sets per muscle, across all exercises combined. Rest 90 sec between sets and 5 min between muscle groups.

MONDAY

• Traps: dumbbell shrugs 4 x 8 10; barbell upright rows 3 x 10 12
• Shoulders: seated barbell press (front) 4 x 6 8; standing lateral raises 3 x 10 12; bent-over lateral raises 3 x 10 12
• Abs: crunches 3 x 15; leg raises 3 x 15

TUESDAY

• Back: deadlift 4 x 6 8; close-grip cable pulldowns 4 x 6 8; barbell row 3 x 8 10; cable row 3 x 10 12
• Biceps: standing barbell biceps curl 4 x 6 8; seated dumbbell biceps curl 3 x 8 -10; dumbbell concentration curl 2 x 10 12

THURSDAY

• Chest: 30° incline barbell press 4 x 6 8; barbell bench press 3 x 8 10; 30° incline fly 3 x 8 -10; cable crossover 3 x 10 12
• Triceps: cable pushdown 4 x 8; lying French press 3 x 8; standing one-arm French press 3 x 10 12

SATURDAY

• Legs: leg extension 3 x 12 15; barbell squat 5 x 6 8; machine leg press 4 x 8 10; lying hamstring curl 4 x 8; straight-leg deadlift 3 x 8 10
• Calves: standing calf raise 4 x 8; seated calf raise 3 x 8

Nutrition to make sure the mass really grows

Training breaks down, food builds up. If your food stays the same but your training gets harder, your weight may stall. It makes sense to increase amounts gradually, rather than piling twice as much onto your plate in a single week.

• Protein: 2g/kg.
• Carbohydrates: 6g/kg.
• Fat: about 20% of calories.
• Raise your calories by 1/3 (33%), but not all at once: add 200 300 kcal a week. For example, if you currently eat 3000 kcal, you should reach 4000 within a month.
• Eat seven times a day.
• Drink 3 liters of water, if you can.
• Eat 30g of dietary fiber a day; check the tables.

In addition to regular food, the original plan listed the following selection:

1. protein powders
2. a multivitamin
3. creatine (3g before and after training)
4. glutamine (5 10g, 2 x a day)

Sample menu. Amounts are individual; see the guidelines above. 7:00: oat flakes, 8 egg whites, 2 egg yolks, fruit, turkey meat, multivitamin. 10:00: protein/carbohydrate powder. 12:30: chicken breast, potato, raw vegetables. 15:00 (before training): protein/carbohydrate powder, 5 10 g glutamine, 3 5 g creatine. 17:30 (after training): protein/carbohydrate powder, apple juice, 5 10 g glutamine, 3 5 g creatine. 19:30: chicken, meat or fish, raw vegetables, dessert. 23:00: protein powder before going to bed.

Comment: you can broadly agree with the selection above, but I would add two valuable foods: milk (kefir, buttermilk) 0.5 1 liters, and bread!

FAQ

Does mass grow only with heavy weights?

Not only. Heavy weights help, but technique, sufficient volume and eating decide just as much. If 8 reps is the limit, the set has to be an honest one, not a half-hearted one.

When should you move on from the beginner plan?

Once the first 2 months are done and your exercise technique holds up, you can move on to a plan split across 2 days. There is no need to rush.

Is the 4-day split suitable for everyone?

No. It is meant for those who have trained for at least 2 years without breaks. Earlier than that, recovery may fall short and progress suffers.

Required supplements: https://turg.fitness.ee/et gym required; https://www.fitness.ee/jousaal/

Author: Team Flex authors

Source: WHO – physical activity.

Come and train! ArtGym