I see it all the time, the skinny new guy in the corner at the gym with two light dumbbells doing hundreds of reps and an asinine number of different lifts.  He works hard for a couple of months, pounding out his hundred reps but much to his chagrin his arms remain small, his chest pre-pubescent and he gives up.

There’s no mystery to getting big, just look at the big guys at your gym and look at what they’re doing: Squats, Dead-Lifts, Bench-Press, etc… you know the scary big lifts with big weight and if you want to get big that’s exactly what you need to do.

Beginners will find Rippetoe‘s starting strength a perfect workout structure. The amount of mass being gained through this program speaks for itself as most see a 20-40 lb. gain in 3 months. The program focuses on the core mass lifts which are compound in nature to build maximum muscle because of the recruitment of many muscle fibers to push out every ounce of energy you have in every set and every repetition. This workout is based on a program from the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore.

The Schedule:

Week 1:

1. Monday – Workout A
2. Wednesday – Workout B
3. Friday – Workout A

Week 2:

1. Monday – Workout B
2. Wednesday – Workout A
3. Friday – Workout B

Workout A:

• 3 sets x 5 reps Squat
• 3 x 5 Bench Press
• 1 x 5 Deadlifts
• 2 x 8 Dips (Optional)

Workout B:

• 3 set x 5 reps Squat
• 3 x 5 Standing Military Press
• 3 x 5 Bent Rows
• 2 x 8 Chin-Ups (Optional)

*if you don’t know one of these lifts I recommend checking out BodyBuilding.com’s awesome exercise guide.

Listen.  I know you don’t like Squats.  Who does?  But without big legs you have no platform and legs happen to be one of the biggest groups of muscle in the body plus they can intensify testosterone production massively.  So suck it up and hit the squat rack.

Weight:

So how much should you be lifting? First off make sure that you use the SAME weight throughout the sets. For example if you do the first set of Squats with 200lbs then do the other 2 sets of squats with 200lbs.  Start with a comfortable weight during Week 1 and stick with it for Week 1.  The plan here is not to kill you but to make you stronger and bigger, injury helps nothing.

Every week make it a goal to increase each of your lifts by 2.5%.  Meaning if you lift 100lbs for Bench Press during Week 1 then Week 2 go for 102.5lbs.

Warm Up Sets:

I know you’ve seen the big guys do these.  They start with the bar, then a single plate, then two plates, then three.  While we won’t be doing anything quite that extensive it is important to warm up to prevent torn tendons and muscles.

Your workout should look something like this:

1. 2 sets x 5 reps of bar
2. 1 x 5 of 85 lbs.
3. 1 x 5 of 115 lbs.
4. 3 x 5 of 135 lbs.

What You’ll Eat:

PROTEIN! If you are bulking, which is what this program is all about you need to be eating like there is no tomorrow. 3000-4000 clean calories a day minimum. Make sure you get 1 to 2 x your bodyweight in protein (in grams) and more than that in carbs. Mark Rippetoe also suggests that you drink up to a gallon of milk a day and plenty of water.  Drink all day, every day.

Get any protein you can get your hands on and get it in your belly.  Lean grilled chicken and egg whites are best but if you want to gain that muscle fast then ground beef, steaks, whole eggs, cheeses, etc are great and taste great. Eat a lot of oats, pasta, wheat bread, yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna, etc. and you’ll see the mass start to pack on.

Make sure you get a huge breakfast.  I recommend 4 huge meals a day, breakfast being the biggest.  Eat massive, get massive.

Lifting is great but the rest days are when you actually build the muscle so be sure to take it easy on Tuesday, Thursday and the Weekend.  Light cardio is OK but don’t over-do-it.

Don’t F$%K With It:

This program works and it works you.  You don’t need to add in 3 sets of bicep curls because you think that’s what chicks dig.  The Dead-lifts and Bent Rows will hammer your biceps plenty.  If you want to do some abs that is fine but do 3 sets of one exercise and leave it at that because the other lifts are going to be hitting them some as well.  Remember your body needs rest to grow, if you start adding more lifts you start subtracting all important rest and your gains will shrink.  Just DON’T do it.

Questions?

Leave them in the comments.