Bodybuilding has long ceased to be natural.
Today, gaining muscle mass can be relatively easy and comparatively quick, with the help of pharmacological agents, requiring minimal physical effort. Many people are absolutely fine with this.
But in this article, we will discuss the principles of gaining muscle mass in natural bodybuilding, which are essentially the foundation of both “chemical” and natural bodybuilding and which all athletes, including renowned Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sergio Oliva, Ronnie Coleman, Evan Centopani, Mikael Ashley, and others, have followed and continue to follow.
Main thoughts:
Bodybuilding always starts with basic exercises
“Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift heavy weights,” – Ronnie Coleman
Prelude
Muscle mass = muscle strength. The increase in muscle mass is a response to strength training. That’s how our body works. This is the most important principle of gaining muscle mass in bodybuilding.
The heavier the weights you work with, the stronger you become and the more muscle mass you gain.
Many beginner bodybuilders make the mistake of training with isolation exercises for individual muscles with a high number of repetitions.
Bodybuilding workouts for beginners should always be based on basic exercises aimed at working the largest muscles in the body, allowing for heavier weights.
Such exercises include squats, bench press, deadlifts, standing press, bent-over rows (and their variations).
This is the secret to the fastest transformation for all body types.
The main principle of gaining muscle mass: the heavier the weights you work with, the stronger you become and the more muscle mass you gain
Next, we will explain why this is the case. We will decode the main principles of gaining muscle mass naturally, without the use of steroids, and illustrate them with examples from the lives of famous bodybuilders.
The Truth About Modern Bodybuilding
The biggest mistake that beginners often make is looking at professionals and trying to imitate them.
But it is important to be realistic and acknowledge that the modern “athletes” that many want to resemble are a product of an UNhealthy and UNscientific approach to gaining muscle mass, and the result of using performance-enhancing drugs (anabolic steroids, growth hormone, insulin, and much more).
The reality of modern bodybuilding is that 99% of professional bodybuilders use pharmacology.
But it is not customary to talk about this.
If you listen to or read interviews with well-known modern bodybuilders about the secrets of their success, you will almost certainly hear common truths about the importance of proper nutrition, training, daily routines… etc., and never about the “dark side” of their strength.
Recommended: How natural is modern natural bodybuilding?
Everything they say is true; with natural methods, you can gain significant muscle mass… but still, it will be considerably smaller.
Main principles of gaining muscle mass in natural bodybuilding
1 Muscle mass is proportional to muscle strength
The most famous bodybuilders that ever existed were very strong individuals.
2 Increase your training weight
If today you are lifting the same weight as a month or six months ago – you will NEVER gain muscle mass. Strive to ensure that each workout is with a heavier weight than the last time. The stronger you become, the more muscle mass you will have.
3 Use compound exercises
Compound exercises engage several large muscle groups at once, allow you to train with heavier weights, and thus stimulate greater muscle growth.
Your training must include basic exercises such as squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press, and bent-over rows.
4 Train with a barbell
With it, you can lift heavier weights.
Also, to hold it, the muscles of the entire body are engaged, not just the trained group.
5 Increase the frequency of repetitions and workouts
The more often you train, the greater the stimulus for muscle growth you create. The more often you perform the same exercise, the faster your technique improves, and the more weight you can lift.
Professional athletes train almost every day.
6 Recover
The immediate growth of muscle mass occurs during rest after training. But complete recovery is impossible if you train hard every day, have inadequate sleep, and eat improperly.
Even the brain needs rest every day. That’s how our body was designed. (And thanks to its Creator for that).
3-4 days of rest per week is optimal.
7 Eat more
The body uses food to support absolutely all life processes: from sperm production to muscle creation and brain function.
In bodybuilding, food is the source of energy for training, building material (protein and amino acids) for muscles and hormones, as well as vitamins and minerals.
You can ONLY gain muscle mass with proper nutrition.
On average, men need to increase their caloric intake to 3000 kcal per day. Those who are slender and have an ectomorph body type need to consume even more calories to gain muscle mass.
Both total caloric intake and the ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fats are important.
For more details, see our material on the principles of proper nutrition for gaining muscle mass.
8 Protein
A diet for gaining muscle mass should have sufficient protein. It is used to create muscle cells and repair tissues damaged during strength training.
For muscle mass gain, it is recommended to consume 1.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight. For an 80 kg man, this is about 150 g per day.
For more information on how much protein you need and how to take it correctly for muscle growth, see the material How to Take Protein Correctly.
9 Be Realistic
Using natural methods to gain muscle mass, you will NEVER achieve the size of professionals “on steroids”.
It is also IMPOSSIBLE to achieve the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger in three months, as gaining muscle mass through natural methods takes time.
Don’t even try to be like the pros; be yourself, and you will do much better.
10 Be Consistent
On average, with the right approach, you can gain about 0.25 kg of muscle mass per week. More than that is unlikely.
If you search for “how to gain muscle mass quickly or 10 kg in a month,” be sure that Google will suggest anabolic steroids or growth hormone.
In natural bodybuilding, 10-12 kg of muscle mass can realistically be gained over the course of a year, and even then, under certain conditions.
How quickly can you gain muscle mass?
On average, with proper nutrition and training, in natural bodybuilding, you can gain ~0.25 kg of muscle mass per week, which amounts to ~12 kg per year.
| Approximate Rate of Muscle Mass Gain in Natural Bodybuilding | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of Bodybuilding | Muscle Mass Gain per Week | Muscle Mass Gain per Month | Muscle Mass Gain per Year |
| 1 year | 0.25 kg | 1 kg | 12 kg |
| 2 year | 0.12 kg | 0.5 kg | 5 kg |
| 3 years | insignificant | 0.25 kg | 3 kg |
For those who are just starting to train, the speed will be higher. However, muscle mass will primarily “grow” due to an increase in glycogen concentration in the muscles, which serves as an energy reservoir: glycogen retains water, leading to an increase in the volume of muscle fibers. In strict terms, this is NOT muscle growth.
Who finds it easier to gain muscle mass:
- teenagers find it easier to gain muscle mass than, say, those over 30, as their bodies produce more testosterone – an anabolic hormone that stimulates muscle growth. (By the way, anabolic steroids are artificial analogs of testosterone.)
- those who are slender, because they have a weight below normal (the body is always interested in returning to normal).
- those who previously engaged in bodybuilding benefit from “muscle memory” to regain their shape.
After 30, gaining muscle mass becomes harder, as the natural level of testosterone decreases each year. The same applies to women, whose testosterone levels are naturally low.
The rate of mass gain also decreases in trained bodybuilders compared to less trained individuals.
Muscle growth of 1 kg per month is a quite realistic average rate in the first year of natural bodybuilding. In the first three years, a beginner gains the majority of their muscle mass. After that, a certain plateau is reached: mass changes very reluctantly. But there is nothing wrong with that.
Engaging in natural bodybuilding, it is quite realistic to gain 1 kg of muscle mass per month; over time, the rate decreases and reaches a plateau.
Let me give a personal example.
My current weight is 90 kg. I gained most of it in the first three to five years of engaging in various sports, starting at around 70 kg.
Over the past five years, it has changed at a very slow pace, although my training activity has been constantly increasing (mostly towards endurance).
I also constantly experiment on myself: I experiment with vegetarianism, training 5 days a week, intermittent fasting, and interval training for endurance.
(Comparing the rate of muscle mass gain would be much simpler under the condition of only strength training according to a scheme that is dangerous in this article.)
In general, gaining muscle mass is harder than losing weight. Losing 0.5 kg per week is very easy, just slightly restricting calorie intake. But gaining the same amount of muscle mass is much more difficult.
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I believe there are many of you who are currently thinking, “I want to grow endlessly.” Answer the question “why?”.
Do you want to weigh 100 kg? 110? 130? Why?
To feel more confident? I pity you if you draw confidence from mass…
So that everyone is afraid and respects you? Then you are still a boy, either by age or by mindset, if you move through life with primitive instincts.
According to the law of conservation of energy, a larger muscle mass requires greater effort to maintain. This is reflected in both training activity and the amount of food consumed, the levels of which need to be maintained.
That is, if you want to be big, keep in mind that you won’t be able to relax.
Genetics determines how quickly and how much muscle mass you can gain
The maximum muscle mass you can gain is determined by height and bone structure: taller people have greater potential, as do those with a “frame” that is wide (skeleton size).
The table below provides approximate indicators for body weight and bicep size of some professional natural bodybuilders from the old-school bodybuilding era (without steroids), which can be used as benchmarks for assessing maximum potential in muscle mass gain (1).
The data is calculated for men with a wrist circumference of 17.8 cm, an ankle circumference (above the ankle) of 22.9 cm, and a body fat percentage of 10%. Bicep size is measured in a contracted state between extreme points.
The potential for muscle growth in women is significantly lower, as they are generally shorter, have a narrower skeleton, and lower testosterone levels.
| Approximate maximum achievable indicators of body weight and bicep size, calculated based on data from known natural bodybuilders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Height | Maximum body weight | Maximum bicep size |
| 1.62 m | 78 kg | 41.5 cm |
| 1.67 m | 82 kg | 42.1 cm |
| 1.73 m | 86 kg | 42.7 cm |
| 1.77 m | 90 kg | 43.4 cm |
| 1.83 m | 94 kg | 44 cm |
| 1.87 m | 98 kg | 44.6 cm |
| 1.93 m | 102 kg | 45.3 cm |
| 1.98 m | 106 kg | 45.9 cm |
The values provided are based on the achievements of the best natural bodybuilders, including Reg Park. Their accomplishments are the result of many years of hard work in the gym and a carefully calibrated diet.
It is clear that for ordinary people, it is unrealistic to expect the same results in muscle mass gain, but.. everything is relative: it is good to have real numbers to compare with, which can help assess your level. Therefore, you can be proud if you have achieved or will achieve at least 90% of the stated maximum muscle potential of the pros.
From the data in the table, it is evident that it is practically impossible for a natural bodybuilder to gain such muscle mass that their weight exceeds 100 kg. There are only two ways: increase the body fat percentage or.. anabolic steroids.
We provided this table just to bring you back to reality and add some realism (in accordance with point 8 of the recommendations mentioned above). But by no means to disappoint you.
Some may argue: but since the pre-steroid era of bodybuilding, much has changed in sports nutrition, new technologies and products have emerged.. Yes, that is true. But genetics does not change, and may even worsen. It is the main limiting factor in how much muscle mass can be gained.
What has definitely changed is that sports pharmacology has started to develop actively, and anabolic steroids have appeared. What has this led to? Look at the following example.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s competitive weight was 106 kg/187 cm. A year and a half later, Ronnie Coleman appeared on stage weighing 136 kg/177 cm. Both trained hard, both lifted 320 kg in the deadlift, and even though Arnold, as is known, also experimented with steroids, the difference in muscle mass of 30 kg is colossal.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman: a weight difference of ~30 kg… steroids
The maximum muscle mass that can be gained is determined by the size of the skeleton: the taller and broader the “frame,” the greater the muscle potential.
How to Gain Muscle Mass Like Arnold?
Genetics determines not only how much muscle mass you can gain but also the shape of individual muscles.
Just as the faces of all people differ, muscles have individual shapes. By engaging in bodybuilding, you can change the size of the muscles, but not their shape, simply because genes do not change.
For this reason, you will never be able to become like Arnold Schwarzenegger, even if you precisely replicate his training and nutrition regimen.
But that’s okay. The result of your personal efforts will be a unique body, copies of which do not exist and cannot exist in nature. And we all love individuality.
By the way, people who have similar anthropometric parameters (body type, height, skeleton) and muscle potential to Arnold can gain muscle mass and acquire a shape similar to his. His body type is mesomorph.
Some well-known mesomorphs, in particular the two guys in the picture below, have very similar proportions and appearance: Calum Von Moger and Chul Soon. But there will NEVER be a complete match.
Mesomorphs Calumn Von Moger and Chul Soon have a somewhat similar physique to Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, the definition is always individual, and there will never be complete correspondence.
The shape of muscles is influenced by the size of the skeleton, muscle structure, and limb length. Those with a short torso appear more muscular under the same conditions. It is necessary, in a literal sense, to “hang” less muscle on the skeleton to achieve definition. Those with a long torso, even with greater muscle mass, will appear less voluminous.
People with long arms or legs look thinner than those with short ones, as again, more muscle mass is needed to fill the space and create volume.
It is impossible to work on separate parts of the same muscle. It is not possible to pump the lower or upper part of the bicep. The bicep is trained as a whole, and only its overall size can be changed.
In general, the advice is this: do not even try to gain muscle mass like the stars, including television ones, and look like them. Many of them are the result of Photoshop, makeup, proper lighting… the use of hormones and steroids.
You will never be able to gain muscle mass like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the result of your training will be a unique body, copies of which also do not exist and cannot exist in nature.
We recommend: How to Lose Weight in the Belly and How Effective Are Only Ab Exercises?
How to Train Properly to Gain Muscle Mass
Just as a large building cannot be constructed without a solid foundation, it is impossible to gain muscle mass without creating a strong base.
Therefore:
1 Basic exercises should be the priority
Gaining muscle mass should start with basic exercises that train the major muscle groups. After that, use isolation exercises for targeted muscle definition.
2 Isolation exercises – for definition
It is impossible to gain muscle mass by performing a large number of repetitions of isolation exercises – the weights are too light. Compound exercises are necessary, allowing the use of heavy weights.
3 The weight should match your current form
The weight you use in basic exercises should match your current form. Too much load will lead to a breakdown in technique and, with a high probability, to injuries. It is important to gradually increase the weight while monitoring your technique.
Professional bodybuilders often use isolation exercises, and beginners are tempted to copy their training routines. Don’t rush. Everything has its time. Build the foundation first, and you will refine your definition later.
If you reverse the scheme and start with training small muscles, it will indeed lead to changes in their size, but the transformation of small muscles will have a barely noticeable impact on your overall appearance.
It’s like the impression of a car: you can replace the engine in a Lada, add wooden and leather inserts in the interior like in a Porsche, but the overall impression, the sense of status, will not change, both for you and for those around you.
How Exercises Work for Gaining Muscle Mass
Muscles are attached to bones by tendons.
When you work with weights, the muscles contract, overcoming the force of gravity. The force of gravity is determined by the weight of the barbell. The heavier the load, the greater the signal sent to the body that, firstly, the specific muscle is in demand, and secondly, its condition does not match the load it is working with; it needs to be strengthened.
This state of muscle stress stimulates muscle mass gain, strengthening tendons and bones to bring them in line with the load.
The mechanism of muscle growth is cyclical: creating a stimulus – recovery, muscle growth for adaptation to the stimulus – higher load
The more weight you lift, the more you grow.
Principles of Mass Gain for Pros: Professional Bodybuilders are Professional Powerlifters
Professional bodybuilders are well acquainted with the principle of strength = muscle mass.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most vivid confirmations of this. He has 7 Mr. Olympia titles to his name. And he was a truly strong man. His strength stats: deadlift ~320 kg, bench press ~200 kg, squats ~215 kg.
Here are his words:
“The truth is that not every bodybuilder has strength, especially those who primarily train on machines. As for me, years of training in powerlifting and working with free weights made me who I am and gave me big biceps, shoulders, a pumped back, and legs. That’s why I am stronger and look bigger than the rest.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bodybuilding Training.
Overall, it seems that all the guys from the old-school natural bodybuilding era understood that size is proportional to strength. Here are a few more examples:
- Franco Columbo. A Sicilian, Arnold’s gym partner. Deadlift ~342 kg, bench press ~240 kg, squats ~298 kg. He won the Mr. Olympia title twice.
- Reg Park. Arnold’s consultant, who most likely taught him the principle of strength training. Deadlift ~319 kg, bench press ~228 kg, squats ~273 kg.
- Ronnie Coleman. An 8-time Mr. Olympia once said “Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift heavy weights”. He himself lifted 364 kg in the deadlift.
- Sergio Oliva. Competed in the Olympics as a weightlifter and could lift 136 kg overhead in the clean and jerk, totaling 454 kg (across three Olympic lifts). After that, he went into bodybuilding and won three Mr. Olympia titles.
- Stan Efferding. A professional bodybuilder, he set a world record in the squat in the 125 kg weight class, with a weight of ~389 kg. He is often referred to as the strongest bodybuilder.
Professional bodybuilders use isolation exercises to target individual muscles, but they gain muscle mass only through basic exercises.
In fact, professional bodybuilders are also professional powerlifters.
Interestingly, in its original form, bodybuilding competitions included a demonstration of muscular strength. Joe Weider (the creator of the Weider sports nutrition brand) founded the professional bodybuilding competition IFBB in 1946, which has since become a beauty contest where the winner is the one with a well-defined muscular physique who knows how to showcase it on stage.
“Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift heavy weights,” – Ronnie Coleman
Weightlifting, beer belly, and… bodybuilding
There is a misconception that strength training is ineffective for gaining muscle mass, as most weightlifters have a large beer belly and are generally just fat.
In reality, all weightlifters have a significant amount of muscle mass; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to lift heavy weights. There are no miracles. It is simply hidden under a layer of fat. In weightlifting, you don’t need to have a muscular definition to win: you just need to lift the heaviest weight.
But if you cut down a powerlifter, he will turn into a bodybuilder (with a high probability).
The thing is, bodybuilders are very meticulous about their diet to gain muscle mass and definition, using pharmacology to get rid of subcutaneous fat, etc. Weightlifters, on the other hand, just eat a lot. That’s all.
If you take a cut weightlifter and place him next to a professional bodybuilder (with the same body fat percentage), the average person wouldn’t be able to tell who is who.
Although weightlifters use almost the same basic exercises to gain muscle mass…
However, the secret is that a large number of muscles, including smaller ones, are involved in holding and lifting the barbell. Therefore, their physique is also built very harmoniously.
Let’s summarize. A large muscle mass can only be gained by lifting heavy weights. This doesn’t mean that at your next workout you need to load 320 kg on the barbell (like Arnold) and try to lift it.
But if you have been used to training with a 100 kg barbell in squats for a long time, the only answer to your question “how to gain muscle mass” will be “add another 20 kg”: 120 kg will help you move off the dead center.”
And regularly increase the weights; the load should be progressive.
Weightlifters are bodybuilders hidden under a thick layer of fat. They primarily train with basic exercises that engage both large and small muscles, so their physique is built harmoniously.
The importance of progressive overload for mass gain
According to legend, the ancient Greek Milon of Croton prepared for the Olympic Games by carrying a calf on his shoulders from the moment of its birth until it grew up. The idea is clear: as the calf grew, it became heavier, and the athlete’s muscles also strengthened and increased in size. In his time, according to legend, he was the strongest man, winning the Olympic Games 6 times.
Progressive overload in the training of the ancient Greek Milo of Croton
This example illustrates the idea of progressive overload well: in order to gain muscle mass, it is necessary to gradually increase the load. Both gradualness and increase are equally important. Such a training regimen constantly places increasing demands on the size of muscle mass and strength to meet the growing load.
Start with light weights (that allow you to maintain proper technique) and each time, at every subsequent workout, try to lift more. If you do not increase the weights and the barbell weight is the same as it was a month or a year ago, you will not be able to gain muscle mass.
The number of sets and repetitions, types of exercises can remain the same. Just add weight.
This approach is even contagious. Many people who delve into the essence of progressive overload and start seeing results, become increasingly motivated to go to the gym next time: they want to see “how much they can lift today.”
Most people in the gym are engaged in merely “regular pumping” (from English pump): they perform a large number of repetitions with light weights, the muscles fill with blood, swell, veins appear, and… satisfaction lasts for a few hours. Then everything “deflates.”
Some engage in masochism at the gym, pushing themselves to the point of muscle pain, believing that pain is an effective means of gaining muscle mass.
Muscle pain is a sign of either poor conditioning, when lactic acid accumulates, or a result of muscle damage.
Pain is a protective mechanism; it always warns us that something is wrong.
When we burn ourselves, pinch a finger, or hit our head, few people feel the desire to repeat these actions to make their skin healthier, their finger more sensitive, or their head smarter. The same goes for muscles. Pain is a sign that something is wrong.
Another common mistake observed in the gym: many people frequently change the types of exercises, the number of sets and repetitions, as if trying to “drive their muscles to death.” The only thing that gets trained in this way is endurance.
To gain muscle mass, such intense movement around the gym is not very beneficial, as individual muscle groups do not have time to adapt to a certain level of load. Moreover, in this mode, it is very difficult to track and plan progress, as too many variables are constantly changing.
To gain muscle mass, progressive overload is important: the training weight must be gradually and consistently increased. Muscle pain and frequent changes in exercise types, sets, and repetitions do not work for mass gain.
How to Gain Muscle Mass: The Most Effective Exercises
To gain muscle mass, training should be based on compound exercises that engage several large muscle groups at once: deadlifts (legs, lower back), bench press (chest), squats (legs), overhead press (arms, shoulders), bent-over rows (upper back, arms).
Isolation exercises (lunges, dumbbell flyes on a bench, “butterfly”) are very ineffective for gaining muscle mass, as they use light weights. In this case, only one muscle group is engaged, while others remain inactive. This is a significant limitation for the maximum weights that can be worked with.
Squats allow you to lift heavier weights than lunges, as they also engage the glute muscles. The bench press is more effective than the dumbbell fly in a lying position, as it involves not only the chest muscles but also the arm muscles.
That is, in compound exercises, significantly more muscles are trained simultaneously than in isolation exercises. This is the most effective way to gain muscle mass.
1 The heavier the weights you lift, the greater the stimulus you create to build muscle strength and become stronger. Compound (basic) exercises allow you to lift heavier weights.
2 Basic exercises shape a more proportional and aesthetically pleasing physique. Since they engage several large muscle groups at once, it is almost impossible to focus on just one muscle/muscle group, becoming a living embodiment of classic comic caricatures, with a pumped upper body and a skinny lower body, or a huge chest with disproportionately small arms and legs.
3 Basic exercises train the body in a natural and instinctive way. In life, we never use just one muscle. Our movements are always complex, as a whole. Isolation exercises are unnatural for us.
4 Since compound exercises engage several large muscles at once, 3-4 exercises per workout are sufficient. This saves time. In the case of isolation exercises, you need about twice as much time to work through all the major muscle groups of the body.
The advantages of basic exercises for gaining muscle mass: they allow you to lift heavier weights, shape a proportional physique, and reduce workout time.
When we observe professional bodybuilders, we often see that they seem to constantly perform isolation exercises. But this is not the case. They all first gained muscle mass through compound exercises and only after that moved on to targeted definition work. You can be sure of this.
Consider the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger:
“Reg Park’s theory is that first you must gain muscle mass, and only then refine it, give it quality shape; you work on your body like a sculptor on a piece of wood, stone, or metal: first with a rough tool, then with a finer one, until you reach the polishing stage.
And only then do all the mistakes of the incorrect first phase (muscle mass gain) become obvious and painful, as they can no longer be corrected..”
“My only goal was to gain muscle mass. I weighed 105 kg and at that time I didn’t care about how my waist or other body parts looked, or how proportional I was. I aimed to create a giant body weighing 115 kg by training with heavy weights.
My mind was focused on looking huge, impressive, and strong. I understood that this was what created the effect. All my muscles began to grow tremendously. And I knew that this was the right path.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.
You might have the opinion that isolation exercises are absolute evil. This is not true. There is nothing wrong with them, and sometimes you should dedicate time to them.
However, the well-known Pareto principle of efficiency also applies in bodybuilding. Its essence is that 20% of efforts yield 80% of results. In terms of bodybuilding, it can be interpreted as follows: 80% of the results in gaining muscle mass are determined by compound exercises, and only 20% by isolation exercises.
80% of the results in gaining muscle mass are determined by compound exercises, and only 20% by isolation exercises
How to Eat Properly for Muscle Gain
Read about the principles of nutrition for muscle gain here: Proper Nutrition for Muscle Gain: 7 Recommendations from Experts.
