7 Rules for Creating the Most Effective Muscle Building Program

If you want to know the best way how to bulk up fast, avoid machines at all costs. Stick to free weights or use your own bodyweight as resistance. Such exercises provide ample motion that is needed for strengthening your joints and muscles. And make sure you lift the heaviest that you can.

Less is more for the skinny beginner. 12 to 16 sets are all you should perform per workout to really gain muscle. There are many advantages of low volume training over high volume training, like better recovery from workouts, no soreness after exercise, no overtraining, faster muscle growth during recovery time, etc.

Beginners and skinny guys are prescribed 3 to 5 sets per exercise. As you advance and start gaining some muscle and get used to the training program, 1 to 3 sets per exercise is enough.

Most muscle building programs promote the 8-12 rep range but it is a much generalized range that doesn't help skinny people grow any muscle at all. Use much heavier weights and get into the 5-8 rep range to stimulate muscle growth. Hypertrophy happens only with heavy stress that is not very repetitive.

High rep speed is recommended for the hard gainers. Slow concentric and eccentric will not help at all. Although the lowering of the weight (eccentric) must be controlled, it should be over in 2 seconds. Don't count and slow down the process.

Depending on the intensity of the exercise, take a rest of a minute to a minute and a half between sets. Advanced exercisers need much more rest - from 2 to 4 minutes. You will need more and more rest as you build more muscle and gain weight.

Not more than 30 to 45 minutes. Short and intense sessions do a world of good to muscle growth. Production of testosterone and other anabolic hormones is most when you work out in short bursts. Longer sessions will start a reverse process of catabolism.