So you want to build muscle? Let me give this to you straight: It's not a walk in the park. A well-chiseled physique does not come naturally. Nor is it a function of heredity. If you want to bulk up then you're going to have to prepare yourself for some tough road ahead. And it's not going to be for the faint of heart.

Workout routines that build muscle are those that exercise multiple joints and muscle groups. Workout routines, squats, deadlifts, bench presses, dumbbell lateral raises and crunches are cool exercises to do to bulk up. Squats develop your leg muscles, deadlifts your back, bench presses your chest, dumbbell lateral raises your shoulders and crunches your abdominal and core muscles.

Here are the correct techniques of doing these exercises:

• Squats. Do your squats on a power rack so you can adjust the safety bars to your desired height. Ideally, you should set them just below your desired squat depth. Now set height of the bar hooks in your mid-upper chest. Begin your squats by placing your head and upper shoulders under the bar. The majority of the bar weight should be on your trapezius muscles and not on your neck or spine. Lift the bar off the hooks and step away. To balance the weights, lean forward and as you squat, let your knees bend out in line with your toes. Lean your torso forward and keep your chest out and back arched slightly with your butt sticking out. Go down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. When moving back to stand, try to thrust your hips back in line with the rest of your body.

• Deadlifts. Begin by stepping up to a weighted barbell on the floor or on a platform, bringing your shins as close to it as possible. Using an overhand grip, grab the bar. Exhale as you stand straight up with the bar, all the while ensuring that your shoulders are kept back, chest out, head forward and back slightly arched. Straighten your knees and hip at the same time as you rise up. At the top, pause a bit, breathe, and lower the weight gradually as you exhale. Don't slam the barbell on the floor.

• Bench Presses. With a barbell on the bench rack, lie with your back to a bench. Holding the barbell in your palms, bring these to about an inch above your chest. Stretching your hands, lift the barbell and then lower it down slowly.

• Dumbbell Lateral Raise. Begin by holding a set of dumbbells at your sides, slightly away from your body, while you're standing up. This is your starting position. Raise the dumbbells up to shoulder height slowly, making sure that you do not let your wrists go above your elbows in doing so. On top of the movement, pause before slowly lowering the weight back to the starting position. To keep the tension, do not let the dumbbells touch your body. Repeat.

• Crunches. Lie on the floor, keeping your knees spread shoulder-width apart and your feet flat on the surface. With your hands behind your head, lift yourself upwards, exhaling while doing so. Hold for a second or two before lowering yourself back down. Repeat.