How To Gain Size For Bodybuilders
This is a common goal for many men, and some women. In order to gain size and put on quality muscle, there are several key principles to follow:
· You must eat more CALORIES than your body is burning in order to provide extra nutrients for your muscles to feed on. Without taking in more calories than you burn, it is impossible for your muscles to grow in size. The same principle applies as it did in the weight loss plan, only reversed. You have to take in 3000 more calories than you burn in order to gain (1) pound of body weight.
· You must take in large amounts of PROTEIN daily. Protein is the nutrient most directly responsible for muscle growth and repair. For this reason it is absolutely essential to get an abundance of it into your body for you muscles to properly repair and grow.
· DO NOT OVER TRAIN! Allow each muscle group enough time to rest in between workouts. Remember, growth takes place outside of the gym during rest periods, not in the gym during workouts. If you don't allow your muscles adequate time to recover, the muscles will not have fully healed by the next workout. This makes them very susceptible to injuries and very unresponsive to growth. This is why every body part is worked only once a week in this program, any less time is counterproductive. And if your muscles should still be sore when it comes time to work them again, DO NOT work that muscle group. Give them more time until they are fully recovered before you train them again.
· Minimize cardiovascular exercise. Cardio is done to get the body to burn calories, calories that are preciously needed to add the weight and size you desire. Keep cardio to about once a week for a period of 30-40 minutes.
These are just some basic rules for bodybuilding to set the foundation; others will be included as the workout and diet are presented.

EXERCISE PLAN
Strength Training (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)
· The strength-training phase of the bodybuilding plan is one of the most important. It should be done Monday through Friday, training one individual body part a day. Each workout should last between 45-70 minutes. Try not to go over 70 minutes because you body will then begin burning too many calories which are needed to add size.
· With all exercises, use an amount of weight that allows you to get at least 6 reps and no more than 10 reps. You should perform (3) sets of each exercise with a 2-3 minute rest in between each set.
· CONCENTRATE ON GOOD FORM, NOT ON HOW MUCH YOU CAN LIFT!! This is probably the biggest mistake people make in the gym. They let their egos dictate how much they can lift instead of being realistic. Using more weight than you can handle causes you to use improper form which doesn't work the intended muscles and it also cause injuries very quickly. Use an amount of weight that allows you to perform the exercise with almost perfect form, and concentrate on that. This will yield the biggest gains and growth in your muscle. ALWAYS USE GOOD FORM!
· Do not jump in to this program too fast. Start out slow, and don't over do it the first few times you go through this routine. Your muscles will be plenty sore by going slow, trust me, there's no need to do too much too fast.
* ALWAYS perform two warm-up sets before going into your normal routine. Which ever exercise you plan on doing first simply take a VERY light weight and perform 18-20 reps of exercise for two sets. This will get the blood flowing in the muscle group you are working that day and get it warmed up and ready for primary routine.

*At the end of every strength training workout, perform (3) sets of abdominal crunches to failure OR (3) sets of leg lifts until failure*

Day 1 - Monday - Chest
*Perform any (3) of the following exercises according to the routine mentioned above.
· Flat Barbell Bench Press
· Incline Barbell Bench Press
· Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
· Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
· Flat Dumbbell Flys
· Incline Dumbbell Flys

Day 2 - Tuesday - Shoulders
*Perform (3) exercises from Group A and (1) exercise from Group B
Group A
· Military Presses
· Dumbbell Presses
· Side Raises
· Arnold Presses
· Front Raises
Group B
· Barbell Shrugs
· Dumbbell Shrugs
· Upright Rows

Day 3 - Wednesday - Legs
* Perform Squats every leg workout.
* Perform (2) of the following exercises:
· Leg Presses
· Leg Extensions
· Leg Curls
· Sissy Squats
· Straight-Leg Deadlifts

* Perform (1) of the following exercises
· Standing Calf Raises
· Seated Calf Raises
· Donkey Calf Raises
· Leg Press Calf Extensions

Day 4 - Thursday - Arms
* For arms, perform supersets of biceps and triceps. This means do one set of a biceps exercise and go straight into one set of a triceps exercise. Repeat this three times, and that is one complete superset.

*Perform (3) supersets for arms in the manner mentioned above.
Biceps
· Standing barbell curls
· Standing Alternate Dumbbell Curls
· Preacher Curls
· Concentration Curls
· Incline Bench Hammer Curls
· Reverse Curls
Triceps
· Triceps Pushdowns
· Nose Breakers / Skull Crushers
· Close Grip Bench Press
· Overhead French Presses
· Overhead Dumbbell Extensions
· Dumbbell Kickbacks

Day 5 - Friday - Back
*Perform (2) exercises from Group A and (2) exercises from Group B
Group A
· Deadlifts
· Seated Cable Rows
· Bent-over barbell rows
· Back Dumbbell Flyes
Group B
· Pull-ups / Chin-ups
· Lat Pulldowns
· One-Hand Dumbbell Rows
Day 6 & 7 - Saturday and Sunday - Rest

Cardiovascular Exercise
· PERFORM CARDIO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!!! When you perform cardio your body will start looking for calories and food to burn to keep up the high level of exercise it is enduring. The first place it will look is in your stomach. And if food is there, it will burn that food off first, and never tap into the energy it has stored as fat on your body. However, if your stomach is empty, it will go straight to existing fat and burn that for energy, and that is what you want while performing cardio. So the best time to perform cardio is first thing is the morning before you take in any food for the day. If you can't do that, just try and do cardio about 2-3 hours after the last meal you've eaten. Both ways will work.
· As I mentioned above, you want to keep cardio to a minimum while trying to add weight and size to your body. I recommend doing cardio only once a week for a period of time between 30-40 minutes. The day that you perform it on is completely up to you

DIET AND EATING PLAN
* Here are the general guidelines you should follow when constructing a bodybuilding specific diet/eating plan

1) EAT 6-8 MEDIUM SIZE MEALS EVERY DAY!!!
This is very important to do, look under the first rule of the diet plan for workout #1 to understand why. Also, eating this many times a day is about the only way to take in all the calories you are going to need to gain size.

2) Take in anywhere between 4,000 to 5,000 calories everyday. I know this sounds like a lot of calories, and it is. However, it is the only way to provide your body with excess calories to store and use for rebuilding your muscles. Your muscles will be very depleted after the workouts in this program and it will expend a lot of calories to get you through the workouts. You must replace them with excess if you expect you body to be able to go through the same routine the next day and also rebuild the muscles from the day before.

3) GET ENOUGH PROTEIN! As I stated earlier, protein is most directly responsible for rebuilding your muscles. Without it, your body has no material with which to rebuild your torn muscles. This results in very little muscle growth and size gain. Aim to take in anywhere from 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. This means a 200 lb. man should take in between 200 and 300 grams of protein everyday. Again, this seems like a lot, and it is, but it is all needed and the size gains you will see from it will convince you of its necessity.

4) Take in about 2 - 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of weight daily. So, a 200 lb. man should

5) Take in between 400 and 500 grams of carbs daily. This is enough to provide your body with the energy it needs without having an excess which would be stored as fat.

6) Take in 40-50 grams of protein immediately after your workout. This is the time when your muscles are the most depleted and it is essential to give your body protein immediately to begin the healing process. A protein shake is a good way to accomplish this. Also, eat a full meal within (1) hour of your workout. This will replenish all the nutrients you lost during your workout.

7) Eat clean, healthy food. Try not to consume empty calories that give you none of the protein or carbs that you need for your day. Things such as ice cream, fruits, and junk foods in general will fill up with empty calories while robbing your appetite to take in the proper nutrients you need to gain size. A snack once and a while is okay just don't make a habit out of it.

8) Eating slightly unhealthy is better than not eating. When trying to add size and gain muscle mass it is essential to get enough calories into your body everyday. So if you find yourself in a situation where it's either eat some fast food or don't eat at all, always opt to eat the fast food. Just choose wisely from the menu, and select something that is still high in protein regardless of its probably high fat content.