Muscle Building Success Guaranteed

By Steve R Robbins
There is a very simple and effective method of almost guaranteeing success in every endeavor that requires a sustained effort. The degree of that success is dependent on many factors, but success/failure can be virtually assured by either doing or not doing this one very simple thing.

One of the first questions I ask someone after they have asked me for assistance or advice is to see their weight lifting log. If they respond with "I don't have one" my work has been made very easy. My advice is to tell them to start one and after a month of keeping it come back and ask me again. NOW I will be able to give some muscle building help.

It absolutely astonishes me that people do not keep logs of their workouts. Literally defined a workout log is simply a record of your work. Realistically and practically defined it is your road map to success.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration just released their findings that you have a 50% better chance of succeeding in a weight loss program if you simply write down every day what you ate. That's it. Record your history of eating that day. By seeing it in "black and white" it made people more accountable and by knowing ahead of time they would have to record their food consumption, they felt pressured to eat less! And this my friends, is a LOUSY way to keep a log, and it STILL is effective!

I use my weight lifting log to not only record what I HAVE lifted but also what I WILL lift. I'm not only talking about a goal weight for the future, but also for the PAST. Meaning once I have recorded that I have done a particular thing (new max, most weight in a set, new higher weight for every set, whatever) I refuse to not ever do less again. When I record it in my log, it becomes the new minimum to what I WILL DO.

Now, of course progress is never in a straight line up. So obviously I do have days where I can not match what I had done in a previous workout. But by establishing this mindset, I can keep "down days" to a minimum. Teams can not win every game, the key is to keep losing streaks very, very short.

So here is what works for me. Before each session I write down on an index card what I will do in the gym. I take my info from my log, always increasing weight somewhere. This is crucial to mass building. Something HAS to be MORE than before. I hit the gym and follow my plan. I make mental notes of the variations from my plan. I might add weight or reps to a set or if I fail to do something I know it. When I get home I record what I actually did and highlight the pluses and negatives. When I work this body part again I go back to my log and as I develop that days workout I pay special attention to the highlighted areas. Extra increases I might not try and duplicate, but anywhere I came up short I vow to NOT let happen again. This includes coming up short for increases I had tried for and failed.

As you might imagine I can keep falling short to only one workout most of the time. New floors have been created and weights gradually increase for all sets in all exercises in all body parts. This cycle of accountability is a key component to success in muscle building as well as any activity that requires sustained effort over an extended period of time.

"Success is the result of consistency of purpose". Write it down.

For more information on how to build your muscles, visit Muscles Building Guides and Advices