This section covers all the techniques that I have used to successfully gain muscle mass. There are many other ways to do this, but I have not used these methods. So many people in the gym have no clue about what they are doing, and they have no guidance. You do. Put this information to work and you will be amazed at the results. They work!
Use Heavy Weights
For anyone trying to gain muscle, several things must be done. One is to train with heavy weights. By heavy I mean a weight that is challenging for YOU.
The average guy in the gym usually works with a weight he can lift for 10-15+ reps. To gain mass, this is too light. Using an appropriate weight, you should only be able to do 4-7 reps. That's it! Using heavy weights for a few reps puts your muscles under much more stress than using lighter weights for many reps.
Free Weights, Not Machines
Next, the core exercises in your program must consist of free weight exercises, not machines. Machines are good for isolating and fatiguing individual muscle groups, but they are only to be used after your main compound exercise work has been done. I don't know of anyone who has gained a substantial amount of weight using just machines.
The main reason for this is a lack of stabilizer muscle development. Since machines are locked into a specific range of motion and help to support the
weight along that path, they fail to stimulate the muscles that surround the area you are working (stabilizers). This is a mistake. If your stabilizer muscles are weak, then the major muscle group will never grow!
Free weight exercises like the dumbbell press or squat, for example, put a very large amount of stress on supporting muscle groups. That's why you will get fatigued faster, and will not be able to lift as much weight as you did on the machine. But you will get bigger and stronger very quickly and have a true gauge of your strength.
If you use machines in your program, they should be used to work isolated areas and only after all compound exercises have been completed.
GP Stan for bodybuilding.