How to build muscle – Sam’s bulking transformation part 5
Can you go from scrawny to brawny in just ten weeks? MF’s Sam Rider investigates
After more than a decade of intensive weight training in an attempt to pack on muscle I’ve got nowhere. My bodyweight has flat lined since I turned 17 and I can’t seem to put on any mass no matter how much I train or eat. So I’ve sought the help of transformation specialist Adam Gethin, founder of Creating Physiques, to help me overcome my ectomorphic genes. We set out a top-end target of adding 10kg in ten weeks, but right now anything would be a bonus.
Big finish
The ten weeks are up and the results are in. In the above video you join me for the Men’s Fitness photoshoot. Here you’ll also hear from my associate editor Joel Snape and my girlfriend Kathryn to reveal how the transformation affected my work and home life.
Because the challenge has been to put on as much lean mass as I could, rather than specifically get in cover model shape, I’ve been spared the typical depletion workouts and diet fixes to drop my body fat percentage. Instead for the the last two weeks I’ve introduced cable crunches and hanging leg raises plus high intensity interval training to my workouts to ensure I don’t lose sight of my abs muscles.
Results day
I’ve pushed myself to my limits in every workout and prioritised eating over entertainment to make sure every day of the final fortnight counts. Now it’s time for the revelatory photoshoot. Under Adam’s instruction I’ve shaved my chest and had a spray tan — something he assured me would help highlight my new muscles and make them look leaner despite the ridicule I’ve been getting from my colleagues and rugby teammates — and headed back to Speedflex for my final body fat assessments to find out the extent of my transformation.
10 Week Body Plan, £9.99 from Men’s Fitness, has everything you need to know to help you pack on muscle in just four workouts a week. Order your copy here: http://amzn.to/1IwwMya
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