The Top 3 Advanced Muscle Building Philosophies You Must Know
August 30, 2010 by Jamin Thompson
Filed under Muscle Building, Recent Posts
A few days ago I asked you for your BEST 3 ways to build muscle and I got the typical answers that I expected to get…eat a ton of calories, train hard, and rest.
Well no shit.
Those are always the top three typical responses to that question and I think it is pretty safe to say that most of you know the three fundamental ways to build more muscle.
I want to take those three fundamentals a step further and expand on them a bit.
Today I’m going to share with you my own three philosophies that I’ve discovered since I began training seriously about ten years ago.
What have I learned since I got ripped for the first time back in the day?
Well…for one…I’ve learned that there is a lot of nonsense and confusion out there when it comes to bodybuilding.
There are tons of websites, forums, books, magazines, articles, blogs, trainers, muscle heads in your gym and of course the advice of experts like myself pounding you on a daily basis. 
In fact, I bet you have probably been exposed to thousands of different philosophies, methods, techniques, and tips from some or all of these sources. To make matters worse, most of the top experts never seem to agree on anything and a lot of their books, articles, and courses even contradict themselves!
You may look at me and say, Jamin, you’re guilty of the same thing…you contradict yourself a TON. Sure, it may seem that way, and if you take my advice out of context, then I will appear to be pretty guilty as well. I’ll explain the context part in more detail below.
The thing is…we could spend an entire day and most of the night discussing and arguing about load parameters, reps and sets, exercise selection, rest periods, equipment selection, training frequency, WHEW, and we haven’t even started to discuss nutrition…not to mention supplements!
The debate never ends, and I disagree from time to time with many other experts and they challenge my ideas as well.
Who is right?
Who knows.
One thing that’s for sure is that all of this fierce debate and contradictory advice leads to what is known as “paralysis by analysis” – a state of confusion that prevents you from doing anything!
In other words, it prevents you from getting the most important degree of your life – a degree in G.S.D. which stands for Getting Shit Done.
A Note To My Beginners…
If you’re just starting out in the bodybuilding world, eating big, lifting weights, and learning the ropes, you’re in luck – there are several good, inexpensive muscle building courses out there that can jump-start your gains that I highly recommend. Two of my absolute favorites are No Nonsense Muscle Building by Vince Delmonte and the other is Muscle Gaining Secrets by Jason Ferruggia. Investing in one or both of these courses will save you years and years of unnecessary frustration.
Don’t be one of the suckas who spends countless hours on bodybuilding forums or who wastes tons of time Google-ing useless bodybuilding articles or information online. Good information is out there, but 99% of the time you’ll have to pay for it. Muscle building info is just like anything else, you get what you pay for.
A Note To My Intermediate & Advanced Lifters…
Most people who fall under my intermediate lifter category are people (guys and girls) who have between one and four years of training experience and I consider you an advanced trainer if you more than 4 years of consistent training experience. According to my full definition, you can’t just be a regular gym dude or dude-tte to be an advanced lifter or simply just been lifting for 5 or more years.
In order to be “advanced” you must have a physique that is good enough to be put into a fitness magazine. You must look above average.  Let’s put it this way.  If we met in the streets I would know that you work out based on your physique. I would not think, “I wonder if he works out…!”
I have a good friend (won’t mention her name) who has been on the amateur competitive cycling circuit for the past 5 years. She competes in the same races year after year and her times are always about the same…slow and steady. Even though she has been cycling for 5 years, I can’t consider her an advanced cyclist because she hasn’t done anything yet. Same thing goes for you in the gym.
If You Have Intermediate Or Advanced Experience…
You can relate to the “paralysis by analysis” example and I trust you overcame that by getting a degree in G.S.D.  There aren’t very many people out there these days who have that degree so hold it proudly. Cherish it.
If you’re like me, you probably find it very confusing that many athletes and bodybuilders have G.S.D. degrees but they went to totally different schools. The part that always get’s me is that just about every school teaches different methods. Some bodybuilders rely on free weights while others swear by machines. You’ll find dudes who swear by full body workouts while others live and die by the traditional single body part training.
Whose way is the right way??
I’ve studied, reviewed, and tested all the different training systems with honest interest and effort and since I got ripped for the first time back in the day I have come up with some unusual and brand new conclusions that you’ll have no chance of finding in your online searches or by reading magazines.
Introducing My Top 3 Advanced Bodybuilding Philosophies
1. Everything sets up the potential for results.
This is true, at least for short term results. I think that since 2007 I have personally reviewed and experimented with virtually every single program out there and you know what? I got solid results from 95% of them. Seriously, I was able to gain at least a few new tips from each one, and the best part was that by combining the various techniques from each of these programs I was able to generate a substantial carry-over effect into the next program and that allowed me to continue to gain more muscle week after week, month after month.
Simply by focusing on the various muscle building targets I experienced size gains, strength gains, enhanced flexibility, greater lactic acid tolerance, increased endurance, higher work capacity, and much better muscle recruitment.
I want you to know that there are more ways to build muscle than by simply focusing on power and size. There are other methods you can use that can create a carry over effect when you return to regular strength training methods such as lifting for power and size.
Take home message: There are many ways to set up the potential for results, 12 specifically which I discussed in yesterday’s post and each one should be focused on for a specific period of time before moving onto the next.
2. Every training program has an expiration date.
Even mine. If you think back to the first time you tried my Six Pack Abs Unleashed training program, which is the prep program for The 6 Pack Secret. I lose track of the amount of emails, tweets, and Facebook comments I have gotten from guys and gals who are absolutely dying, feeling as if they are going to puke. They are absolutely shocked at how tough the workouts are!
But it was not hard forever…and if you continued to follow the program longer than you should have it probably because quite easy and boring. That means it’s reaching it’s expiry date because your body has adapted.
The more advanced you become the faster your body adapts. Most of the time my body adapts to a new training program within three or four weeks and these days I always try to design shorter programs that switch training parameters every four weeks or so. After that you should be progressing to a different workout or training style.
Take home message: Your body will always react and resist any unfamiliar challenge or attack. But if you constantly pound your body with the same challenge or attack…eventually that unfamiliar challenge becomes very familiar. If you expect to progress consistently, I recommend you change it up every four weeks or so.
3. There is no one way.
In The 6 Pack Secret, I reveal my best tricks for building muscle, losing fat, and getting into unbelievable shape without using supplements, drugs, or hours of mindless cardio. It is a program that is based on efficiency and is backed by some compelling science. If you have completed my program, you probably can see your abs and have built a considerable amount of new muscle. If this is the case, give yourself a few back pats! 
But don’t stand there admiring your success for too long…advancing to the next level means there is no one way (or best way) to go about it. Think about it…if there was one way to break through a plateau and start gaining muscle again, someone would have figured it out by now.
Over the past 3 years I have added a solid 20 pounds of lean muscle to my frame, surprising everyone I know, including my mom. According to her and my confused friends and family members, I blew beyond my genetic potential.
How did I do it?  Well for one…I broke all of the rules. I challenged traditional beliefs and stopped listening to the experts and discovered new ways to train that when used in the proper context, delivered unthinkable results.
For example, imagine you posted the following comment from a popular bodybuilding forum: “Jamin recommends doing 2 sets of 50 reps for hypertrophy…” You’re done. You would get eaten alive…IF you failed to mention the context of the 2 x 50 reps.  What if the 2 sets of 50 were strategically placed amongst other methods making up a 52-week program? What if it were prescribed during a muscular endurance/definition phase or a recovery week?
Failing to mention the context of a technique is what typically starts useless debates on forums and as I teach you the 12 Anabolic Targets that make up Maximize Your Muscle (a new program being released Tuesday August 31st) you’ll see how everything works if it’s combined and structured in a precise manner.
Take home message: Many ways, 12 specifically, do work, if they are matched to the appropriate context and outcome.
Well there it is! And like I said a few days ago, you will BLOW BEYOND YOUR GENETIC POTENTIAL in 2010 and into 2011. You’ll be able to PROVE it to yourself on August 31, 2010.
Before I end this post I would like to ask you to share YOUR number one ADVANCED training philosophy below.
What is one training rule that has never failed you?  What ONE conclusion have you come to? If you can’t come up with your own that’s cool, feel free to use one of mine if you feel you can relate to them.
KEEP TRAINING HARD!
Jamin
PS - Let’s tear it up with at least 50 comments below!
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