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Imagine a stool with only 2 legs, or - worse yet - only 1 leg. Could you expect to sit on it for a long period of time? Of course, you could balance there for a while, but over time, you would grow tired and fall off.

That's what weight training - or any other self-improvement plan - is like. You require at least 3 things to be successful:

Training | Diet | Recovery

This is what I call the 3 Pillars. You can "get by" for some time only being seriuos about your training. Or your diet. But you have to get all 3 right in order to maximize your efforts.

 

Look, none of us have unlimited time. We don't have time to waste. We have jobs, families, other commitments. We have only a finite time to train, prepare meals, and sleep. A proper weight training system seeks to strike the right balance between these three pillars and the rest of your life.

My prescription is as follows:

• Train hard but short
• Eat 5-8 smallish and balanced meals a day
• Get 7-9 hours of sleep
• Throw in a nap when you can. 15 minutes works miracles!

So, remember the 3 Pillars next time you want to skip lunch. Or stay up all night. Or spend anything over 30 minutes weight training.

More is not always better. Balance is best.

Aspiring bodybuilders always want to gain mass as fast as possible, looking for weight gain supplements, pills, and "fads" or "gimmicks" to get as big as possible in the shortest amount of time. (Not to mention anabolic steroids.)

This is wrong-headed thinking.

Besides eating a sufficient amount of calories to support the weight gain they want and getting adequate rest, the number one way to build massive muscles is to strength train. That's right, training for strength is a surefire way to increase muscle mass.

Here's how to get stronger: Lift heavier weights!

Duh!

Seriously, the key to getting stronger is to try to lift heavier weights each and every work-out. Don't do maximum single-rep sets, however. If you're trying to build strength, you want to perform sets of 6-8 reps for the upper body and 6-10 reps for the lower body.

Concentrate on exercises that involve the major muscle groups of the body (the chest, back, and thighs) like Bench presses, Squats, Bent-over Rows, Shoulder presses, and Deadlifts. Add in some strength-building exercises for the supporting muscles, like barbell curls, tricep extensions, calf presses, and leg curls.

Following a strength building routine will give your muscles the power they need to lift heavy weights when you go back to a more "traditional" bodybuilding routine.

After all, muscles get bigger because they have to. Forcing your muscles to lift heavier and heavier weights will force the muscle fibers to have to get stronger. And by getting stronger, they'll get bigger, too.

Sometimes, you won't see size gains in the mirror or in the measuring tape. But rest assured, if you see strength gains, the muscle gains will follow!

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