A leaner, more muscular body is something anyone would aspire to have. However, not everyone can achieve this look quickly. It takes time and effort to build muscles, which is why you need some muscle-building tips to help you get there faster. We all know that working out can help strengthen our strengths, but it’s not enough. You also need a proper diet and workout routine to see results sooner rather than later. If you want to build muscles fast, keep reading for some valuable tips on how you can do just that!
I met this guy in October 2009 in Orlando.
He was presenting at a conference where he was talking about how he helps other guys around the world that were like him, skinny, and want to put on muscle.
It is great to have him here on EFI.
If you have ever trained that client that asks you, “how do I put on weight and muscle?” Then you know who he helps.
Vince has some great tips, even if you are not a skinny guy looking to add muscle.
Enjoy
~ Rick
Vince, let the readers know about yourself.
I was formally known as “Skinny Vinny” and grew up as a competitive distance runner and triathlete and excelled from the local to national level. It wasn’t until I got a degree in Kinesiology and lived with a bunch of jacked-up meatheads at University that I started catching the “muscle building” bug.
After I hung up my running shoes, I pursued a career in the fitness industry. However, I didn’t look like a personal trainer (I was still scrawny Skinny Vinny), so I got some help from a local, provincial bodybuilding champ in his 40’s (who looked like he was in his20ss), and I started taking his advice.
Within six months, I shot up from 149 pounds to 190 pounds of solid muscle. From there, I pursued a very successful career as a personal trainer, which led to writing my first book revealing how I achieved my skinny-to-muscular transformation.
Over the past ten years, I’ve been dedicated to helping skinny guys transform their bodies, just like I did.
What is the biggest mistake you see people make in the gym trying to build muscle?
I’m sure Ben will say the same, but it’s not what they are doing, but HOW they are doing it.
Most people lift like football players and focus on moving weights from A to B without any thought of creating fatigue in the muscle or stressing a power through its full range of motion. A minimum of 99% of guys in the gym are not following programs aligned with their goals.
For instance, watch how long a guy’s set lasts the next time you’re in the gym. Maybe 20-24 seconds stop, which is not even close to the optimal time under tension regarding muscular hypertrophy, 40-60 seconds per set. So to summarize:
- Not executing a full range of motion (for their body type).
- Sets do not last 40-60 seconds when their goal is hypertrophy.
What is your number one tip for someone they can do right now to improve their muscle building?
SLOW DOWN.
I know this doesn’t side very much, but often guys get their workouts done using 80% inertia (i.e., momentum), and what I call fools gold! Ever notice how often a guy wants to tell you how much he lifts?
Why?
Because you would never guess what he looks like! Most guys select their weights based on the impact it’ll have on those watching, not on what effect it’ll have on their bodies.
Slowing down the weight is your first step to seeing bigger muscles.
The eccentric should always be slower than the concentric. Four seconds to lower and two seconds to raise the weight is a great place to start.
We teach our students dozens of ways to manipulate a lift in our programming. No more boring workouts!
You have spent time in the gym and seen some crazy stuff. Is there a way that people do an exercise or workout that can harm their joints?
Yes, read my answer above.
I think the biggest mistake is NOT CONTROLLING THE WEIGHT.
One of our excellent and late teachers taught us, “Control is the currency for growth.”
You have no business working with that weight if you’re not controlling the movement. You must earn the right to move heavy weights; if you’re not maintaining the weight, it’s holding you.
I have reviewed the first 3 phases of H-MAX (Hypertrophy MAX), and in one of the DVDs, you were wearing those funny five-finger shoes. Why do you wear them, and when do you not wear them?
Imagine how well your hands would function if you wore baseball gloves on your hands until the age of 25.
Those gloves would shut down the function of your hands!
You wouldn’t be able to move your fingers in every direction. That’s what happens when we wear big, bulky supportive shoes all our life. We lose the function of the musculature that surrounds our feet.
Don’t believe me. Take your shoes and socks off right now. Try to spread your toes, not extend them; SPREAD YOUR TOES.
Can you do that?
Most people can’t, and if you can’t, it means that you probably have muscles in your feet not doing their job, which can lead to a hazardous situation when you start overhead pressing, squatting, and deadlifting with heavy loads.
Did you know your foot has 55 different joints, each with its only range of motion and plane of movement?
Once those muscles stop working, the rest of your body loses the “suspension system” your feet were designed for.
In short, big bulky shoes are HORRIBLE for your feet, and the funny five-finger shoes get the musculature in your feet to begin working again. This is a complex topic, but I hope that analogy helped.
Where can people get more information about you and H-MAX?
For more information on me, visit http://www.HypertrophyMAX.com
I liked your “Weak Side Rule.” Can you share that with EFI readers?
Of course, Ben and I have slightly different outlooks on this.
I prefer my clients to address imbalances and weaknesses by always starting with the weak side and never doing more reps on the strong side.
This helps minimize the imbalance and is a simple step you can take to build a more balanced and proportional body (it’s important to note that there is NO SUCH THING as a perfectly balanced body, but we strive to minimize imbalances).
