What Are the Correct Ways to Lift for Bulk?

Building muscle size requires regular resistance exercises to the point of muscle failure. This produces micro-tears in your muscles, which then repair and rebuild themselves larger than they were previously. Although you can shed fat relatively quickly, building muscle size requires regular strength training over a long period of time. Lifting for bulk also requires very heavy weights and proper form throughout every movement.

  1. In It for the Long Haul

    • In his book, "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," Arnold Schwarzenegger describes several months of exercise required to add just one inch in circumference of muscle. If it takes a seasoned pro that much time, you should also anticipate slow and steady progress. With a long-term perspective in mind, begin by learning the proper form for several exercises to target each body part. The American Council on Exercise offers an extensive library with photographs and descriptions of exercises. You might also enlist the help of a personal trainer. Proper form in your workouts will reduce your risk of injury as you continually increase the amount of weight you’re lifting, which is what will ultimately yield increased muscle size.

    Go Heavy or Go Home

    • A study published in the journal "Sports Medicine" concluded that maximal hypertrophy, that is an increase in muscle size, occurs with loads of 80 to 90 percent of a person's one-rep-maximum, or 1RM. According to Mat Brzycki in "A Practical Approach to Strength Training," the 80 to 90 percent range of 1RM typically correlates with your ability to perform between three and seven repetitions of a given exercise. Thus, you should choose weights that are heavy enough to exhaust your muscles within that number of reps.

    Variety is the Size of Life

    • Although we refer to them as a singular unit, your individual muscles are actually comprised of multiple muscle fibers. Targeting each muscle from a variety of angles allows you to work all of the fibers, which will yield greater hypertrophy. For example, to work your biceps, you should perform standard biceps curls, hammer curls and concentrated curls. Leg, back and core exercises should be equally varied.

    Rest Matters

    • It’s not during resistance exercises that muscle builds; it’s during the rest period afterwards. So, if you don’t take at least a day off between workouts of the same muscle group, you will not see the results you’re looking for. If taking a break sounds like a frustrating waste of time, consider structuring strength workouts for different body parts on different days, such as back and biceps on Mondays, legs and chest on Tuesdays and so forth. This allows you to continue training every day and let your individual muscles recover and rebuild.