How to Gain 10 lbs Of Muscle Jason Maxwell, CPT
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 2
How to Gain 10 lbs of Muscle Copyright ©2014 by Jason Maxwell All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher (Jason Kenneth Maxwell). There are unique embedding codes in this pdf file that track any illegal downloads or distribution. Any illegal distribution results in fines starting at $250,000. ISBN‐13 (paperback): XXXXXXXXXXXXX ISBN‐10 (paperback): XXXXXXXXXX ISBN‐13 (electronic): XXXXXXXXXXXXX ISBN‐10 (electronic): XXXXXXXXXX Trademarked names may appear in this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark.
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 3
We All Need to Start Somewhere… Getting fit is a drug. If I was speaking to a stadium packed full of 1 million people and said, “Everyone who looks exactly the way they want to and is perfectly happy with their body, put up your hands”, you’d hear crickets. No one would raise their hand. That’s why I’m writing this report. Everyone has a goal. The problem is, most people head to the gym and do machines, cardio and sit-ups to try to build muscle and get a more defined body and show off their abs. On top of this, they go in without a plan and just do random exercises with the dumbbells. This is the slow way of doing it and it doesn’t work well…at all. The 3 methods in this report are simple tips that I use with my own clients to get quick, easy, and fast results. Before we dive in, we need to determine what the heck “muscle gain” really is. What the Heck is Muscle Gain? Muscle gain is the act of increasing the size of your muscles. There are two types of muscle growth: functional and non-functional. Functional means that you build strength and size. Non-functional means the muscles only get bigger, without the added strength. In order to gain as much muscle in as little time as possible, you need to focus on both functional and non-functional muscle gain. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. When it comes to looking awesome, you want to lower your body fat percentage (higher amounts of muscle and lower amounts of fat). If you gain muscle without gaining or losing fat, your body fat percentage will lower automatically. If you want a six-pack, then you should have a lower body fat percentage.
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 4
Method #1: It’s Easier to Build Muscle When You Have a Lower Body Fat Percentage Ideally, through trial and error with myself and my clients, we’ve found that the fastest muscular gains occur when your body fat percentage is between 8% and 14%. The reason behind this is because when you are leaner, your body is able to handle the food you eat better, and is more likely to store it as muscle as opposed to fat. The hormones in your body dictate this, and hormones work better when you are leaner (8%-14%). This doesn’t mean that you can’t build muscle if you are 20% body fat though. You still can, but it just isn’t optimal for the fastest muscular gains. In order to get down to 8%-14% bodyfat, you can take an approach that will lose fat and build muscle. In this approach, I recommend pairing an upper body lift with a lower body lift in a superset fashion. For example, try this: Exercise Sets Reps Rest 1A: Reverse Lunge 4 12 60 sec 1B: Barbell Bench 4 12 60 sec Press The combination of the upper and lower body lifts will really get your heart going. On top of this, the action of lifting weights will allow you to build muscle.
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 5
Method #1 Case Study My nutrition coaching client Brian wanted to put some lean muscle onto his frame. Our goal was to lean him out first, so he could put on muscle as fast as possible. We measured his body fat percentage by measuring different skinfolds with callipers (you’ve probably seen this on TV) and used a formula to calculate his body fat percentage (the amount of fat on his body). Here are his results:
As you can see, Brian lost 8.3% body fat in 3 weeks. Brian started out at 172 lbs. This means that he lost approximately 16 lbs. of fat in 3 weeks. Not too shabby. www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 6
Method #2 Build Muscle with Muscular Tension, Muscle Damage, and Metabolic Stress Recent studies have shown that the three keys to muscle growth are muscular tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress. Let’s break these bad boys down: Muscular Tension
This is when you squeeze and contract your muscles. The harder the contraction, the more you will stimulate muscle growth. On top of this, you want the contraction to last through a full range of motion. For example, let’s look at a biceps curl. When your arm is straight, you should fire your biceps muscle before even bending your arm. Then, you will start to bend your arm, maintaining the contraction in your biceps. When you cannot bend your arm any further, contract your biceps even harder. Now, start to straighten your arm again. Keep the biceps muscles contracted. This is harder than it seems. Master this with every exercise and you will start to see impressive gains in size and strength. Muscle Damage
Have you ever worked out and then been sore the next day? This is partially caused by muscle damage. Breaking down the muscle in the workout and causing muscle damage will cause your body to respond and repair the muscles bigger and stronger. Metabolic Stress
This is the burning feeling and the pump you get when working out. The burning feeling is caused by lactate in your muscles. The pump is caused by your muscles filling up with blood. Both of these will cause your muscles to grow. Combining the 3 Keeping tension in the muscles, try a dropset. We will use a standing overhead press as an example. Use a weight that you can lift for 8 reps. Let’s say you can lift 40lbs for 8 reps. Here is what you will do: www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 7
• • • • • •
Lift 40lbs for 8 reps. Drop the weight and pick up 35lbs. Lift 35lbs for 8 reps. Drop the weight and pick up 30lbs. Lift 30lbs for 8 reps. Finished
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 8
Method #2 Case Study I had my client Paul on a lifting program prioritizing muscular tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress. Within 3 months, he added 29lbs to his frame.
And here’s what he had to say:
“Before Jason’s workouts and nutrition, I fluctuated between 133 and 134 lbs. I’ve made significant progress and now weigh 162 lbs with much more muscle and have even lost fat. I’ve made significant strength gains. I started out with really light weights and now I’m able to lift over 200lbs in the deadlift. I’d highly recommend Jason’s workouts and nutrition programs.” – Paul T.
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 9
Method #3 Prioritize Ideal Proportions There are certain muscular proportions that make you instantly give the illusion that you’ve gained 20 lbs of muscle, when in fact, you may have only gained 3 lbs. This is a very powerful concept. For example, the ideal ratio of your waist to your shoulders should be 1:1.618. This is also known as the golden ratio or the Grecian ideal. When this ratio is satisfied, you will always look jacked. In recent studies, women and men were both asked to rate the attractiveness of men’s bodies, and sure enough, this golden ratio was proven to be the most attractive body type. Here are other ratios that you should strive for: Body Part
Ideal Measurement (all measurements are the circumference of the body part)
Arm (cold; flexed)
2.52 x Wrist Size
Calf
2.52 x Wrist Size
Neck
2.52 x Wrist Size
Waist
Measure While Lean (8%-12%)
Shoulder
1.618 x Waist (Golden Ratio)
Thigh
1.75 x Knee Size
Pelvis (Where you wear your pants)
Measure While Lean (8%-12%)
Chest
1.48 x Pelvis Size
Forearm
2.02 x Wrist Size
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 10
Method #3 Case Study My goal with Scott was to get him closer to his ideal proportions. We prioritized bringing up the size of his chest, shoulders, arms, and legs, while minimizing his waist. In only 30 days, Scott gained 8lbs of muscle and accidentally lost 9lbs of fat. Pay close attention to his 2nd After Photo. Look at how we developed the “Vtaper� on the back, making his upper body look a lot bigger.
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 11
How to Gain 5, 10, 15, or even 20 lbs of Lean Muscle and Solve All of Your Muscle Building Problems Forever I can tell that you’re a person who is serious about building muscle. Click here to learn how to build muscle and lose fat at the same time: http://www.jmaxfitness.com/books/the-hybrid-muscle-cycle/
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 12
About the Author My name is Jason Maxwell and I am a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) under the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and am a certified Functional Movement Screen practitioner. Fitness health, nutrition, and helping people to lose fat and gain muscle are my passions. It’s just way too much fun helping people to look better naked. My Story • Grew up in a small town with less than 3500 people. • Was a huge Toronto Maple Leafs fan as a kid… Actually, I still am… • Was fat until I hit puberty, then I kind of grew out of my tubbiness. • Was skinny‐fat all through high school (even though I played every sport). • I started lifting weights in my senior year of high school in order to get stronger for football. • After starting to lift weights, I was seeing some results, but I was still skinnyfat. • Went to Ryerson University in Toronto (for Aerospace Engineering) and got my nutrition and lifting dialled in. • Gained 20lbs of muscle my first semester and got leaner in the process. I wasn’t skinny‐fat anymore. • I became obsessed with everything to do with fitness and nutrition. • I started personal training, online coaching, and writing. To date, I’ve helped 100s of people transform their bodies. • This book was the result of me consistently screwing up with my own fitness and nutrition until I finally got it right.
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 13
Everyone always asks me, “Why don’t you be an astronaut instead of a fitness professional?”. Here’s what I’ve realized: throughout my degree, I’ve found myself studying and reading fitness, health, and nutrition literature at times when I should have been studying for aerodynamics, aircraft performance etc. Some people in my program go home and read about airplanes. I read about health. That is where my passion lies. The path of health and fitness that I’ve chosen will inevitably help people improve the quality of their life. Sure, aerospace engineering can inevitably help people, but not on the same degree and magnitude as health and fitness. There’s no way it can help someone live a longer, happier life. For more info on health, fitness, and nutrition, subscribe to my website: http://www.JMaxFitness.com/
www.JMaxFitness.com
Page 14