Question from Tim Maurice: Weights is a very general word. People do weights to achieve a variety of goals however it is very confusing when knowing how to achieve these particular objectives. There are three potential areas where you could be going wrong.

These are; working in the wrong repetition range, not consuming enough quality calories, and not working to muscular failure. I will explain these in more details to give you all of the advice you need to increase your muscular size.

The right repetition range

There are a variety of rep ranges when working with weights. The range that is best for you is working between 8-12 repetitions which is known as the hypertrophy zone.

The word hypertrophy means increasing the size of the muscle cells therefore giving you the appearance of being bigger. If you work with in this range your training will be the most beneficial giving you the best results for your particular goal.

Calorie consumption

In simple words; when training to increase the size of your muscle you need to increase the amount of calories of which you consume. Your body needs these extra calories to allow the muscle to grow. You will also need to look in to your diet and work out how many grams of protein you are consuming. Ideally you should be consuming between 1-2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.

If you are not currently consuming this amount you need to start eating more foods high in protein e.g. lean meats, fish and eggs. Remember, you need to be consuming more calories than you are using up during the day.

Muscular Failure

Muscular failure is very important. Each training session you need to be failing that particular muscle you are working on.

Muscular failure is where you can not possible complete another repetition during that set. Also muscular failure means working the muscle at a great intensity throughout the session. To do this; start off with selecting a weight for each exercise that you will be able to do at least 8 repetitions and a maximum of 12 repetitions.

Then complete a minimum of four sets for that exercise with 90 seconds rest in between each set. The final thing to remember is to complete at least two exercises on each muscle group you are working on.

The final thing I would like to mention is you need to ensure you are doing the exercises the correct way. That way you know you are working the area you are wanting to work on. To do this speak to your fitness instructor in the gym or book a session with a personal trainer.

For a free structured program to help you achieve your goals please feel free to visit www.oliverjamespt.com and we will be happy to tailor a program to suit your needs.

Hope this helps
Oliver