The super simple answer? You gotta pump some iron and do it consistently. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “That dude is jacked. Wish I could look like that?” Of course, on closer inspection, the jacked dude really does lift some weight. There’s a method that is stuck to, day after day, and pumping iron is the mainstay.
Then there’s the more complex answer. Not only is a lot of iron pumped, there’s adherence to a more strict diet, there’s a higher priority placed on the consumption of quality proteins and there’s the sacrifice of getting enough sleep each night. And, let’s not forget the routine. Just throwing around a bunch of weights without any rhyme or reason is actually do you more harm than good.
I’m particularly biased to the old school of chest/tri’s, back/bi’s and shoulders/legs, but is the end all to beat all. I’ve worked out using a stricter super set routine of bi’s/tri’s, chest/shoulders/back, legs/core and that works wonders, too. The general rule is progressively increasing your resistance (adding weights incrementally) and sticking to a routine for at least 8-12 weeks. Remember about muscle memory and muscle confusion and the above will make sense. Wanna blast thru a plateau, switch up your routine.
Yesterday was amazing. Shoulders, Tri’s and Bi’s with legs to close out my time at the gym.
- Compound Routine #1 x3 sets: standing barbell shoulder press, standing rows, dumbbell front and lateral raises, tricep push downs, sit-ups.
- Compound Routine #2 x3 sets: seated bent over shoulder throws, dumbbell deadlifts, single dumbbell preacher curls, crunches.
- Compound Routine #3 : seated leg presses, box step ups, knee raises.