* Overhead Presses (shoulders, tricep)

* Pull-ups/Barbell Rows (back, bicep)

* Squats (legs, lower back)

* Deadlifts (legs, back, shoulders)

* Bar Dips (shoulders, chest, arms)

I cannot overemphasize importance of these exercises. Do not start an advanced weight training program without them!

They will overload your entire skeletal and muscular system like no machine could ever do, giving you and effective workout in a very short period of time. If you can only do a few exercises, then do these. They have been proven (and not just by me) to encourage muscle and strength gain unlike any other exercises.

Lift Heavy Weight

To build mass, you must weight train with heavy weights. By heavy, I mean a weight that is challenging for you -- not me, or anyone else. To consider a weight heavy, you should only be able to do a maximum of 8-12 reps before your muscles temporarily fail. A weight is considered "light" if you can do more than 15 reps before muscle fatigue sets in.

Heavy weights stimulate more muscle fibers than lighter weights. It's that simple. More muscle stimulation means more muscle growth.

Don't Overtrain

Heavy weight training puts a huge strain on your body, so adequate rest and recuperation after your workouts is essential. If you are prone to train too often, several things happen:

You don't give your muscles enough time to recuperate between workouts. If your muscles have not repaired themselves, you will not be at maximum strength for your next workout. Rest is essential. Other than eating, this should be your main focus.

You are setting yourself up for burnout or an injury. I know you are motivated and excited about working out, but don't be careless. You must pace yourself, you want to be able to keep this up for a long time, not burnout before you reach your goals. I only weight train 3 times per week, that's all. Anymore than that and I would not give my body enough time to repair and build new muscle.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not grow while working out, you only grow when you are resting.

Below is an example mass workout. I did 4 heavy sets for 4-8 reps each.

Wednesday (legs, abs)

* Heavy Squats, leg extension superset

* Seated Calve Raises, 4 strips sets

* Crunches (4 sets of 20)

-------

Friday (chest, shoulder, triceps, abs)

* Flat bench press, incline dumbbell flyes superset

* Shoulder press, side raises superset

* Tricep pushdowns

* Reverse incline leg raises (3 sets of 20)

------

Sunday (back, biceps, abs)

* Wide grip pull-ups, latbar pulldown superset

* EZ bar bicep curl, incline dumbbell curls superset

* Crunches (4 sets of 20)

That's it. Nothing fancy, but effective.

Former "skinny guy" Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass! The most widely used weight gain program in the world.

Positive Growth From Whey Protein.

Nitrogen balance needs; as a bodybuilder you would like to stay in a positive nitrogen balance to ensure growth. A negative balance will make body cannibalize muscle tissue to feed muscles you just worked. A bad thing if you want growth. Nitrogen from protein is best way of receiving it. Egg and milk products naturally high in nitrogen. Whey protein is excellent.

Loaded With Muscle Sparing Glutamine.

Glutamine is known to have a strong anticatabolic effect. This action allows more efficient anabolism. The benefit of glutamine in whey protein also helps recovery and healing of muscle tissue from aggressive bodybuilding workouts.

Benefit of Whey Protein Summary.

Whey protein is an excellent source of very lean protein. It is relatively low in cost in comparison with other protein sources like chicken, eggs or beef. Its light consistency is great for mixing with liquids. Give it a try!

There are some excellent recipes for whey protein you can use for bodybuilding endeavors. You can check them out at www.nature-boy-bodybuilding.com.

Copyright © Nature Boy 2005

Jeopardizing your health is last thing Nature Boy wants. Please check with your doctor before starting a fitness program. We want to make this a healthy start to a better lifestyle.

Author Bio: Kevin Doberstein is a Certified Fitness Trainer and has been a natural bodybuilder for past 25 years. 15 years as a gym owner. Kevin was once quoted “whey protein makes a good grout for bathroom tile”. For more articles about bodybuilding, bodyshaping and nutrition you can visit his site and join his at www.nature-boy-bodybuilding.com. You can join Nature Boy bodybuilding Newsletter for latest information about bodybuilding fitness at this site.. You can contact him at natureboy_bodybuilding@hotmail.com.