These 10 tips I’m about to share are all things I’ve lived by and used during my life coming up form being a weak 125lb wrestler who starved himself to make weight in high school to now weighing around 185lbs lean and mean.

Building muscle is one of the most challenging things an athlete can face.

There’s a ton of MEDIA BULLSHIT and FALSE information of there that will keep you from gaining some big time muscle.  Let’s steer you clear of that right now!

I will admit that I spent TONS of money on stupid, non-effective supplements back in the day.  Lot’s of lunch money went to waste…  If I only had used it for solid whole foods, I would’ve been way better off!

On top of that, I started out with a deficit…  I wrestled in high school and I cut tons of weight!  This didn’t help me at all!

I used to do some crazy ass stuff to shed pounds!   I would wear layers upon layers of clothing during practice, I would spit all day long to lose more weight, I would sleep with my bedroom window open in the middle of winter to shiver off a few more pounds.  To add even more to the list, I didn’t eat very much at all.

So after wrestling was done, I had one goal and that was to add as much lean muscle onto my frame as fast as possible!  I knew I was playing football in college so I had to gain some muscle fast!

For all of you that maybe in this similar situation or that have found adding muscle onto your frame a challenge,  LISTEN UP!!!

If I could go back in time, I would use these 10 tips I’m about to share!

Follow these to a “T”!!!

1) EAT, EAT, EAT!

I’m not talking about eating junk.  If you’re really trying to gain a ton of mass, you can squeeze some crap food in there every once in a while for calories but you need to be eating like it’s your job!

Most people and especially athletes done eat enough.  You should be eating breakfast, a nice lunch, and dinner.  You’ve got to add in some snacks in between and definitely some POST workout fuel to help speed recovery and lean mass gains.

I roll with Prograde for my post workout fuel.

2) DEADLIFT

This should be a no-brainer!

Deadlift’s will add slabs of beef to your frame.  Not to mention all the strength you’ll build as well.

Use a variety of different deadlifts in your program using heavy weights and lighter weights.  You don’t always have to go heavy, but make sure your picking stuff up off the floor and with good form!

3) Lift Explosively

Lifting explosively will help you wake up your nervouse system and fire up muscle fibers that would’ve never awakened if you had just stick to regular old slow tempo lifting.

You should be doing power cleans, snatches, jerks, hang cleans, and all the other olympic lifts variations (if you know how).

If you’re not familiar with those, use Kettlebells and Sandbags the the Olympic style variations you can do with those.

You should also be throwing in a heavy dose of plyometrics with bodyweight such as clapping push ups, squat jumps, and lunge jumps.  Even though your unweighted, you’ll still fire up much needed muscle fiber to help you grow and get strong!

4) Do Resisted Cardio

I would stay away and NEVER do straight cardio.  Especially if you’re a hard gainer.

If you’re really trying to pack on the mass, I would skip regular old cardio like running and stick with weighted conditioing variations.

So things like sled dragging, farmer walks, kettlebell and sandbag complexes, battling ropes, and resisted sprints will do the trick!

5) Use The TRX  to supplement Bodyweight Exercises


The TRX Suspension System is in my opinion, a necessity.  You can do so many different things with it to add muscle on your frame it’s ridiculous!

You can take all of your basic bodyweight movements and pretty much transform the regular version into an highly advanced version by simply switching to a TRX.

6)  Supplement w/ The RIGHT STUFF

If you are going to buy supplements, buy from the RIGHT place – PROGRADE!

You don’t have to go overboard and get all the extra crap either!

Just get the basics:

I only recommend what I know works!

Also, ONLY use supplement’s IF your eating right!  Supplements are NOT a replacement for good eating.

7) Follow A Coach or Mentor

This is probably one of the MOST important of all the tips I’m giving here.

My ways and thinking towards training in general all changed after I visited with Zach Even-Esh and became a Certified Underground Strength Coach.  I molded much of my training philosophy around what I learned form him and other coaches I have learned from.  I train differently as a whole but, many things I now do are from his Underground Methods I’ve learned.

If I had been so hard-headed and thought that I knew everything and that I would simply learn everything on my own, I wouldn’t be the coach and trainer I am today.

I would strongly advise to listen to people who have done it before you and who are strong and big themselves!

Buy training manuals that great coaches have developed.  INVEST into yourself!  I’ve got a whole bookshelf FULL of training manuals, DVD’s, and books!  Some suck and others are masterpieces but it’s important!

One resource, which I keep stressing to look more into is Muscle Gaining Secrets.  There is tons of solid info in there for ANY person wanting to gain mass.  It’s specifically for hard gainers and people looking to add lean muscle to their frame!

8) Train Strongman

If your not flipping tires, dragging sleds, and carrying heavy objects around yet, you’re missing out on some serious muscle building movements.

Look at the strongmen on TV, none of them are small or weak.  Some are a little bit fatter than I would like but either way, they have tons of muscle on their bodies.  That doesn’t happen by accident!

Make sure to hit up some Strongman Training in your weekly routines at least 1 x a week!

Do some tire flipping, heavy sled pulling, truck pushing, log clean and pressing, farmer carries, and atlas stones if ya got em!

9) Break the Rules

Lots of books out there state certain things that I don’t personally like to follow sometimes.  Like rest periods and periodization schemes.

Sometimes you have to create your own periodization schemes.

Notice I said “sometimes” not all the time.  It’s still important to have a basic plan but good to break that plan as well.

I personally like to train at a real fast pace.  Even when I’m training with real heavy weights.  I’ll hit a few reps, set the weight down, wait a few secs while I take a few deep breaths, then hit it again.

Some books state I should have rested for 3 minutes!  Screw that!  Break the rules every now and then!

Short, highly INTENSE workouts are the key!

10) BELIEVE


This is the MOST IMPORTANT tip.  You must BELIEVE!  If you even as one bit doubt yourself, it’s over!

You must be 110% confident that will will achieve you goals.  No matter what they are:

Gaining muscle, strength, losing fat, getting faster and more powerful….

Whatever it is, you’ve got to believe in yourself!

The power of BELIEF is so great to have but yet so many athletes I run into never have it.

Believe in yourself and ANYTHING is possible!

If you take any of these tips, at least take #10.  If you do, you’ll be fine!

Those are my top 10 tips on How to Build Muscle!

Live Aggressive and Get Strong!

Travis

PS – Leave you comments and questions!