I’ve added another Ripptoe workout voted best program to stack muscle on lean bodies on bodybuilding.com forums!  It works!

Remember: If you’re new to lifting, get some good training advice and learn good technique!  You’ll get more out of your training, and you’ll avoid injuries.

On to the good stuff (btw, it’s also published on the site here:    http://westysworkouts.com/i/ripptoe-2-bulk-building-mass-gaining-muscle-makers )

**************************************************************************************

Authors Note: This workout was originally posted on the Bodybuilding.com Forums by the following member: MATTA114. It is based on a program from the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore.

Example:

Week 1:

o Monday – Workout A
o Wednesday -Workout B
o Friday – Workout A

Week 2:

o Monday – Workout B
o Wednesday – Workout A
o Friday – Workout B

Etc. For the actual workouts read below:

Workout A:

* 3×5 Squat
* 3×5 Bench Press
* 1×5 Deadlifts
* **2×8 Dips (if you cant do these or no assist machine then do Decline Dumbbell Bench Press with your hands Facing each other)

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Workout A.

Workout B:

* 3×5 Squat
* 3×5 Standing military press
* 3×5 Bent Rows (or power cleans)
* **2×8 Chin-ups (recommended mainly if doing the cleans)

Note: This doesn’t include warm-up sets (**)Means this is OPTIONAL

print Click Here For A Printable Log Of Workout B.

Assistance Work:

Most people cant get it through there head that compound lifts also work your arms plenty and always insist on direct arm work. As quoted by Madcow2,

“Don’t **** with this. Every bodybuilder seems to have
Attention Deficit Disorder and an overwhelming desire
to customize everything.”

If you are one of these people note that you have the option of doing the dips and chins which give PLENTY of arm work. Abdominal work is fine to do also if needed.

I recommend weighted decline sit-ups and/or Hanging Leg Raises at 2×8-10.

Weight:

As for the weight, make sure that you use the SAME weight throughout the sets. For example if I do the first set if Squats with 200lbs then I do the other 2 sets of squats with 200lbs.

Every week make it a goal to increase each of your lifts by 2.5%. Meaning if I lifted 100lbs for my Bench Week 1 then Week 2 I would try for 102.5lbs. If I did 200lb Squats Week 1 I would try for 205lbs in Week 2. Sometimes you will be able to do more but don’t mess with your form just to lift more.

Warm-up Sets:

Before all your working sets it is best to do a few warm-up sets. Specifically for your first lift. You don’t have to do the whole thing for the other lifts but definitely the first.

What you do is you ramp your weight up to your working sets.

For Example:

o 2×5xbar (sets x reps x weight)
o 1×5x85
o 1×3x125
o 1×2x155

And the working set weight would be 175.

If you are lifting you’re working sets fewer than 150 I would cut out the 3rd warm-up set of 1×5 because it won’t be needed.

The Lifts:

Barbell Squat:

These should be full range Olympic style squats. Use the full range of your body – that means as low as you can go which for almost everyone is past parallel. If the top of your thighs aren’t at least parallel it’s for sh!t. If you think this is bad for your knees going low, you and whoever told you that are relying on an old wives tale.

Anyone who knows the human body will tell you that below parallel is MUCH safer on the knees whereas parallel and above put all the sheer right on them and doesn’t allow proper transfer of the load to the rest of your body (this is how your body was designed).

Rest a barbell on the upper portion of your back, not your neck. Firmly grip the bar with your hands almost twice your shoulder width apart.

Position your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes should be pointing just a little outward with your knees in the same direction. Keep your back as straight as possible and your chin up, bend your knees and slowly lower your hips straight down until your THIGHS ARE AT LEAST PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR. Once you reach the bottom position, press the weight up back to the starting position.

To be honest ATG (@ss to the Grass) squats work the best IMO. What you do is you go ALL the way down until your hamstrings touch your calves and keep the same Olympic squat form.

Barbell Deadlifts:

Each rep is deweighted fully on the floor. No touch and go. This is called the ‘dead’ lift because the weight is ‘dead’ on the ground. You can touch and go warm ups but that’s it.

This is a very complicated exercise so here is Bodybuilding.com’s detailed instructions on this lift.

Flat Barbell Bench Press:

Lie on a flat bench and firmly position your feet flat on the floor a little more than shoulder width apart. Keep your back flat on the bench! Using a grip broader than shoulder width, hold the barbell above your body, then lower slowly to the middle of your chest. Without bouncing the weight off your chest, drive the barbell up over the middle of your chest until your arms are straight and your elbows are locked. Lower the bar down slowly.

Standing Barbell Military Press:

Standing overhead presses. Supporting weight overhead is a fundamental exercise and stimulates the whole body. Raise barbell to your chest with your hands shoulder width apart. Lock your legs and hips. Keep your elbows in, slightly under your bar. Press bar to arm’s length overhead. Lower to your upper chest or chin (depending on what is comfortable).

Bent Barbell Row:

Raise barbell to your chest with your hands shoulder width apart. Lock your legs and hips. Keep your elbows in, slightly under your bar. Press bar to arm’s length overhead. Lower to your upper chest or chin (depending on what is comfortable).

Chin-Up:

Hold the chin-up bar with a supinated grip (palms facing you) with your hands about 6 to 8 inches apart. Pull yourself up and try to touch either your chin or upper chest to the bar. Return slowly to the starting position. Do NOT swing back and forth! Using this grip works more of your biceps than your back or lats.

Dip:

Using the parallel bars, grip the handles and push yourself up to your starting position. With elbows close to body and hips straight, lower body until shoulders are slightly stretched. Push body up in same posture and repeat. You can bend and cross your legs or keep them straight.

******************************************************************************

That’s it for today, if you’re looking for more info on these exercises, google is your friend

Train hard, eat big… and keep moving forward!

Westy

If you’re looking to gain muscle, you’ll find this workout is one of the best ever described.  (p.s. It’s also published on the website here:  http://westysworkouts.com/i/welcome-to-westys-workouts-ripptoe-101 )  Even if you’re an experienced weight trainer, if you like this workout, print it up and follow it letter for letter… then track your results.  How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been?

NOTE: Make sure to get professional advice on correct lifting techniques before beginning any weight training program.  If you know what you’re doing, you’re less likely to get hurt.

*****************************************************************************

This routine is Mark Rippetoe’s variation of Bill Starr’s 5×5.

Muscle gains of 30-40lb in six months are possible for a well fed lifter as well as massive strength gains in the major lifts.

The Routine:-

Workout A

3×5 Squat
3×5 Bench Press
3×5 Deadlift / Power Clean 5×3, alternate every workout ”A”

Workout B

3×5 Squat
3×5 Incline Bench Press / Military Press, alternate every workout “B”
3×5 Chin-ups / Lat Pull Downs, alternate every workout “B”
3×8 Weighted Hyperextensions / Good Mornings

How to Warm-up?

Warm up using several sets before doing the 3 work sets. If you’re using 175, for example, it would look like this:

Warm up sets

2×5xbar (sets x reps x weight)
1×5x85
1×3x125
1×2x155

Work sets

3×5x175

What is the frequency of training?

You alternate workout A and B, 3 non-consecutive days per week. So you might do:

Week 1
M – Workout A
W – Workout B
F – Workout A Week 2
M – Workout B
W – Workout A
F – Workout B

What about load progression?

Add weight to the bar whenever possible. If you’re very new to lifting weights, or if most of your lifting has focused on curls and other isolation movements, you’ll probably be able to add some weight each workout. You will probably be able to increase the weights by 5-10 kgs each time in the Squat and Deadlift, and about 5 kgs in the other three lifts.

Is it possible to add direct arm-work into the program?

It’s fine to add some assistance work such as Abdominals, Hyperextensions, or maybe some direct Biceps and Triceps work, but don’t overdo it. For direct arm work, 3 sets of 8 of one lift for each muscle at the end of your last workout of the week will be plenty. Your arms are getting hit hard all week on this routine, so you don’t want to blast them with iso stuff as well.

It is more advisable however to add exercises such as Chin-ups (with varied grips) and Parallel Bar Dips for better arm growth. Your arms may not be very strong by doing this, but they will definitely become big.

What about nutrition?

Eat a whole lot of food.

The part about food is important. You MUST eat big to get big. Rippetoe recommends 4 meals per day, plus a gallon of milk spread throughout the day.”

***********************************************************************************

That’s it.  Watch out for the next few days when I’ll be introducing some more advanced Ripptoe training programs so you’ve got somewhere to go.

Remember, work hard, eat big and move forward!

Westy

Building Muscle Tips #2

Eat To Build Muscle

I’ve heard it said that building muscle is as easy as lifting heavy and eating. This may be an over simplification but it’s fairly accurate. There’s a bit more to it than just lifting weights and eating food suggests, but it pretty much sums it up.

Lets get into a little more detail though.

We mentioned in Building Muscle Tip #1 that the body experiences tiny tears and fractures in the muscles while you work out lifting heavy weights. This is a good thing because you’re teaching your body to grow and adapt to the increased workload. The important thing is to keep increasing the workload so you keep growing. So how does your body actually grow?

That’s the other half… Nutrition! Your body feeds on the foods you put in it to re-build the muscle fibers and make your body stronger. Therefore you MUST eat good wholesome food to nourish your body. Otherwise you will not achieve the gains you’re aiming for.

This step is as important (or almost MORE important) than actually lifting the weights. We’ve all seen someone who practically lives on KFC and McDonald’s without exercising. They’re fat and greasy, just like the food. Is that the way you want to feed your body?

Now don’t get me wrong, if you like a bit of take away food, go for it, now and then. It’s good to take a break once in a while. You’ll actually teach your body to “expect anything!” when it comes to food as well as lifting weights. A healthy “non-healthy” day is good for you.

However, if you want to make consistent gains then only good fresh and nutrient rich foods must be consumed the majority of the time.

Building Muscle Tips Eating For Muscle Gain Guidelines