When it comes to building muscle mass, there are a few rules which are part of a successful outcome. The following seven rules for bodybuilding will help you to maximize both the amount of muscle mass you achieve as well as the time it takes to gain muscle weight.

#1 – Build Your Bodybuilding Program Around Compound Exercises

By performing compound exercises as the base to your strength training program, you are not only building an entire group of muscles at once, but you are more effectively using your time. When you work out various muscles at one time, say through deadlifts, squats, etc., you build surrounding stabilizer muscles as well as the main muscles. Compound exercises also allow for better recovery of all muscles involved that contributes to the growth process.

#2 – Avoid Training More Than Two Days Simultaneously

This is especially critical if you are involved in high intensity training. Not only do your tired and damaged muscles need time to recover, but your central nervous system also takes a pounding during high intensity exercises and needs a break to recover before being stressed again.

#3 – Don’t Overtrain

Overtraining can occur either by working out too many days straight (as in Rule #2), or by over doing it during each session. For this reason, high intensity training programs are the most effective since they skillfully guide you to pack on the most muscle mass while eliminating body fat, all in the shortest amount of time without overtraining. Pushing too hard for too long and overtraining is the top reason why many bodybuilders stop the muscle gain and definition process.

#4 – Avoid Stress

When at all possible, avoid high levels of stress throughout the day. Stress burns up energy reserves and can leave you exhausted when you hit the gym. If you use up your energy to deal with stressful situations, you won’t have enough to push your muscles to the points necessary to stimulate extra muscle growth when you need it.

#5 – Eat Multiple Times Per Day

The 3 meal a day method doesn’t work when it comes to bodybuilding. In order to pack on the muscle pounds, you need to keep your system saturated with the elements that will continuously fuel and build muscle mass throughout the day. Amino acids and glycogen gleaned from carbs and proteins are necessary and should be supplied through, at least, five small to medium meals eaten every 2-3 hours.

#6 – Consume a High Quality Protein Shake After Each Workout

Recent research has shown that muscle growth is most benefited by receiving protein directly after high intensity workouts. The rise in insulin levels at this time helps to increase the synthesis of proteins which are then used to promote more rapid muscle growth.

#7 – Take an Occasional Break from High Intensity Training Programs

After you’ve been hitting your strength training program hot and heavy for 4-6 weeks, it’s time to take a break and let your entire body recuperate. High intensity exercises produce a great deal of wear and tear on your system and if you don’t give yourself time to heal up then you can experience fatigue, weakness, depression and other symptoms of overtraining. In order to avoid debilitating delays in your strength training program, simply give yourself a full week’s worth of rest or, at the very least, downgrade the intensity of your training program for a couple of weeks. These occasional breaks in high intensity workouts help spark new and fresh periods of muscle growth.