How can i gain strength and define muscle mass? Is it by doing low reps of 3 sets?
967369
The way to build strength fast is by doing short, quick reps but by going all the way down, which is the lastest information they claim to know. You also need to increase either the amount lifted or the number of reps you do once your fitness peaks in order to build all the way up to your amount set for. \nAlso eat more protein of course... you need proper rest between sets cause that's when all the muscle building takes palce... take 2 days off in between the same muscle workout\nthese are good reps you are doing btw. keep it up
732863
Listen to the Bigrman guy for the most part except for the reps.  Go for 8 - 10.  I have been a personal trainer for a while, trust me on this.  Bigrman**good exercises to recommend.  Your amount of reps is a little off.  3 or 4?  That will build the strength up in the legs, but it won't give muscle mass.  This is from one personal trainer to another.  You might have to look over you ACSM guideline book a little more, or take some more Kines. classes before recommending info.
841210
5 or 6 should be the minimum, this will build muscle mass.\n10 to 15 will create definition. Make sure that the last rep is virtually impossible, when you can do the full reps then increase the weight again.
138293
Muscle building = fewer reps + heavier weights\nToning = more reps + less poundage
192643
Higher reps at a lower weight will tone the muscle mass that you already have.  Lower reps with much higher weight will add bulk.\n\nIf you are happy with your upper body, definitely go with a weight that you can throw around at 10-14 reps per set, upping the weight around 10% every week to two weeks.\n\nLegs, 6-8 reps per set at high weight.  You should shoot for a good 10-15% advance every two weeks, depending on how much you lift.\n\nIf you are working in a good cardio 3 or 4 times a week, you want at least 2000-2500 calories each day.  Your muscles need those calories or you will slow down your bulk/toning and hit your "wall" much sooner.
1040742
Alright, the basic set up for lifting weights is basically 3 times a week, every other day (like monday, wednesday, friday, or tuesday, thursday, saturday). Now, to find how much you should lift all depends on what you want. The bodybuilder's thing is get the maximum weight that you can do for 8-10 reps with a total of 3 sets. This is most likely what you'll want to start out with, or some variation of it. Here is a URL for a site that you just have to select the proper options for and it will give you different all around work outs http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workoutdatabase.htm Enjoy!
814069
if you are 105lbs...you probably have a really fast metabolism and will need to get a lot of protein in your diet...i would suggest getting whey protein and taking this after going to the gym.  whey protein isnt any kind of steroid or creotine or any of that crap, its just protein...and its what you'd need to if you want to increase your muscle mass.  with that said get to the gym and do lifts focusing on those muscle groups, bench press is definitely one of the best for your chest and theres any number of exercises such as curls you can do for your biceps.  if you can get a friend to lift, i would definitely suggest free weights over machines, but if its just yourself then machines would probably be ok.  keep in mind that to increase muscle mass and make yourself stronger you want to do fewer reps with each set and rest between sets. if you have fine strength but just want to tone then do more reps with less rest between sets.  finally, dont just do chest and biceps. definitely work your triceps and shoulders if you want to have good arms...also dont forget about your back and legs. get a routine that incorporates most of that, and lift 1 or 2 muscle groups a day alternating routines.
454674
Concentrate on big basic lifts, bench press, squat, dead lift, shoulder press.  Do 3-4 sets on each lift with the weight set at a level where you can do no more than 10 reps on the first set, give yourself 4 mins in between sets.\n\nDon't forget to eat a good high protein diet.
1066958
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/idssports10.htm  Try one of these programs.  The first work-out plan should help gain mass.  However, instead of 10-12 reps, try doing twice the number of sets with around 6 reps per set.  Change the work-out after a couple of months.\n\nBasically, to gain mass, you have to go for less reps (like 6 reps per set) and lots of weight.  Make sure you do each rep correctly (if you do it incorrectly, even with a lot of weight, you will barely gain anything).  Also, you have to eat a lot of food (healthy, not junk).  Don't just eat protein, but if you want extra protein, I suggest eggs and lean meats like chicken.  Start going to the gym more.  Concentrate on specific muscle groups each day (e.g. triceps, chest, shoulders one day; biceps, back, abs the other day).  Don't forget to work on cardiovascular work through running.
267467
Important differences:\n1.Weight training to build a muscular body as in bodybuilding\n2.Weight training to build strength and tone and firm!\nFor 1. Bodybuilding would require less reps and more sets with more weight and longer rest periods. \nAnalyzing this we get: \n1 set would be 8 reps with as much weight AS MUCH WEIGHT AS YOU CAN HANDLE: meaning:\nyou lift,push,situp ... etc 8 times \nthen rest (VERY important) for 1-3 minutes\nThen another 8 times\nrest (that muscle) another 1-3 minutes\nThen another 8\nWhile you're resting that muscle you can go to another muscle and work on that.\nMuscle building usually follows the 15 second rule. Meaning while youre moving the muscle you should be doing for example biceps: 15 seconds up.. 15 seconds down (arm movements)\n\n2. For toning and general strength training you would do more reps and less sets with less weights and exercise the muscle "to fatigue"\nMeaning 1-2 sets with 10-15+ reps per set\nExample crunches:\n10-12 crunches (or more .. I do 20 per set)\nrest for 1 minute or 1.5 minutes\n10-12 crunches again\nrest\n10-12 crunches again\nrest\n10-12 crunches again\n\nWhy rest the muscles? This allows most of your power to regenerate while still keeping up the pace of the workout to burn calories and keep the training effect.\n\nIf strength gains are your priority than 2-5 minutes is best for full recovery of energy systems. If pure fitness and fat loss is your goal, a challenging workout consisting of rest periods in the 30-45 second range will serve you best.
432115
Gaining quality muscle mass encompasses a lot of different factors. Exercise, diet, genetics, ...etc determine the amount and how quickly you can gain muslce mass.\nI hate to disappoint you, but what you are asking is impossible.\nThe good news is you can begin today building a better body and adding quality muscle mass.\nCheck out my site for more info. Good luck!
137354
Its pretty much a myth about building fast muscles. You have to be religious about working out, starting tomorrow :) Push ups, pull ups, lunges and squats are the best for when you dont hae access to a weight room. My advice is eat healthy, 4 sets of 10 for each to start off every morning, (except for pull ups, only what you can handle) and work your number of reps up everyweek by 2. If your serious about packing on the muscle go to you local gym and find a trainer, his or her job is to figure out what you goals are and get your ass in shape.
1081224
What is it exactly you want to know?\n\nIf you are looking to put on muscle weight, then consider this:\n\nWithout doing much, you could start by reading Mens Health and Muscle & Fitness Magazines. Both are published by Joe Weider Inc. Both have great workout routines in them and advice on diet, fitness, health, supplementation.\n\nI would reccomend that you start by hitting the weight room, 4-5 times per week. Lifting with Compund exercies first, then isolation exercises. 4-5 sets of each, with 1-2 of them being warm up exercises. 9-12 rep range is good for muscle mass, and definition and stamina. Rest each body part 4-7 days. So if you do Chest on monday, dont do it till at least friday.\n\nWhen it comes to supplementation you will use the minimum:\n1 multi vitamin pill per day\ntribulus\nWhey protein or whey protein isolate. Depending on allergies, you may want to use a Soy protein. you should use 2-3 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight in your daily diet to gain muscle (you still need to lift weights though and stick with it. It takes a long long time. It took me 2 years to put on 35 pounds of muscle.) Take some in the morning when you wake up, mid day, and as part of your post workout drink.\nI would also reccomend taking L-Glutamine as part of your post workout routine.\nTake something with creatine. This stuff is well documented. I would reccomend BSN Nutrition NOxplode. IT has creatine, arginine, and others as well as nitric oxide. Take this for your pre workout routine, about 30-45 minutes before your workout. It takes awhile for your body to absorb the creatine.\n\nThat should be the core of your supplement routine. Do not rely on the protein powder to get you all of your protein in a day.\n\nRemember to do cardio at least 3 times a week 60-75% of your max heart rate (MHR) which is 220-your age. for about 30 min each session. If i do legs, I do cardio after. Sometimes I will split it, 15-20 min before, 15-20 min after. You have to burn the fat to show your hard work!!\n\nDo abs at least 3 times a week. focus more on form and crunching the muscle, than how many reps you do.\n\nTHis should help.\n\nIf you need more advice, feel free to email me, I would be glad to help you out.
631521
Here's one! I gave this answer to someone else a while back:\n\nGaining muscle mass is a combination of exercise, nutrition, and recovery. If any one of those is out of whack you won't experience the best possible gains. In some cases you won't see any.\n\nMy advice would be:\n\n1. Cut you workouts down to three full body workouts a week. Either Mon,Wed,Fri or Tues,Thurs,Sat. This schedule will allow your muscles to recover and grow. Remember to increase the weight on all your lifts by 10% every two weeks. Try this for about six months. \n\n2. Get a gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight or your lean body mass. Try to get it from lean sources. Eat about six small meals per day.\n\n3. Try creatine and HMB.\n\n4. Drink plenty of water. If you divide your bodyweight in pounds by two that is the number of ounces of water you need to drink in a day.\n\n5. Remember to stretch.\n\n6. Do at least a half hour of cardio three times a week. For some fun cardio take up a martial art like Karate or Tae Kwon Do.\n\n7. Take a good multivitamin.\n\n8. Find out what your body type is. Are you a mesomorph, endomorph, or ectomorph? Are you a combination of any of these. These bodytypes determine how you should workout. Look them up on www.bodybuilding.com for a full explanation.\n\n9. Get as much quality sleep as you can. Eight hours a night is good. You grow while you are sleeping.\n\nHere's a sample three day workout:\n\nWORK OUT PROGRAM \n3 X WEEK\n\n\nLEGS\nSquat 3x8\nStraight Leg Deadlift 3x10\nStanding Calf Raise 3x10-15\n\nCHEST\nBench Press 3x8-10\nFlyes 3x8-10\n\nBACK\nPulldown 3x10-15\nBent Over Rows 3x6-10\nDeadlifts 3x10-12\n\nSHOULDERS\n\nMilitary Press 3x8-10\nUpright Rows 3x10-15\n\nBICEPS\n\nStanding Barbell Curls 3x10-12\n\nTRICEPS \nLying Tricep Extensions 3x10-15\n\nSTOMACH\n\nCrunches 3x50\n\n\nMon., Wed., Fri. or Tues., Thurs., Sat.\n\nEvery two weeks increase the weight on each exercise by 10%. If you can’t don’t worry about it. Keep trying until you can.\n\nAfter a while you can move up into heavier workouts. Hope this helps!
1035097
Heavy weights does not necessarily mean you will get bigger and more bulky muscles.  If you are doing 10 pound dumbbells for 40 reps, that is by no means going to equal big bulky muscles.  The rule of thumb is for mass and strength, you should have sets with reps in the range of 8-12.  Anything below 8 reps is generally consider more for power and strength.  Anything above 12 reps is considered for endurance.  If you are trying to keep yourself from getting bulky than do weights that you can do for 10 or more reps.  There are so many factors that go into how your muscles develop and your diet and gentics are probably the ultimate factor on if you get bulky muscles.  My suggestion is for you to use weights that allow you to do 10 or more reps during your workout and maintain a very strict diet.  20 pounds roughly 3 months is not hard at all to obtain as long as you stay strict on your diet.
447770
you should use weights 3 times a week. it should start building instantly little by little. i think there is a website bodybuilding.com or something to that effect.
75203
There are two keys to defined and strong abdominal muscles.\n1) Low body fat allows for the musculature to make itself visible.  This can be achieved by a combination of weight lifting (which increases resting metabolism) and cardiovascular training such as running, elipitcal, etc.  Of course, consuming less calories is the other side of this equation as well.\n2) Increasing the size of the muscles themselves is also helpful as well as independently healthy---abs are a key "core strength" area that support your entire body in all its movements.  For this I like to do a combination of things:\na) crunches where you lift your head and upper body up while also raising your legs, so that both ends of your body can "meet" in one smooth simultaneous motion (many gyms have this as a machine with weights)\nb) leg raises all the way up to my head when hanging by my arms from a pullup bar\nc) SPRINTS!!  This is VERY underrated:  if you do a series of sprints (100 meter, 200 meter eg) you will notice GREAT ab results.  Go to a track, run a 100 meter dash as hard as possible.  Walk for 200 meters.  (wash =)) and repeat like 6-8 times and you will feel a great ab soreness the next day. \n\nGood luck.