Basically any decent weight training programme will produce positive results as long as you are progressing in some way. If you are lifting the same weights and performing the same exercises every time you go to the gym you can be sure you will not put on any further muscle mass.

This is because, on average, most people adapt to a particular workout every 3 to 6 weeks. Once we have adapted to a workout, we need to change it for continuing progress, otherwise we will hit that inevitable plateau.

Now if your main goal is to put on some muscle mass and to stay as lean as possible, I have given some simple pointers. Baring in mind that this approach may not work for all of you, it will work for most.

Training

As your main objective is hypertrophy (muscle gain), we will focus on lifting weights with rep ranges of between 6 and 15. This does not mean you should stick with these reps ranges all the time, it's just that you will produce most of your hypertrophy following this variable of your workouts. Every 6 weeks you should 'chuck in' a strength workout focusing on the 2 – 5 rep range.

Weeks 1 to 3 (Train 3 times a week)

For the first 3 weeks focus on 2 or 3 exercises per body part performing 3 sets of 12 reps each, resting only 60 seconds in between sets.

Weeks 4 to 6 (Train 3 times a week)

For the next 3 weeks focus on 2 or 3 exercises per body part performing 4 sets of 8 reps each, resting only 90 seconds in between sets.

Weeks 7 to 9 (Train 3 times a week)

For the next 3 weeks do ONLY squats, chins and bench press on one day and Dead lifts, BB military presses and DB rows on the other day. Perform 4 or 5 sets of 3 to 5 reps each, resting 4 minutes in between sets.

After you have completed 9 weeks, repeat the cycle and feel free to change the exercises if you like.

Nutrition and Supplements

The next part covered is your diet. In short, you basically want to eat as much protein as you can stomach along with vegetables, lentils and/or beans. You want to try eat every 3 or 4 hours.

Also make sure you have a post workout shake containing about 50 grams of whey / pea / rice / goat whey protein, 20 grams of glutamine and 50 grams of sugary carbs. Maltodextrin and dextrose work very well for glycogen replenishment.

Cheat day

Once every 5 days, increase your calorie intake by up to 50%. This basically means eat whatever you like making sure you eat more than you normally would every other day. I get all of my clients on a cheat day, usually over the weekend. For best results try stay away from gluten, wheat and dairy all the time.

Rules and safety guidelines for gaining mass

Below are some general rules to follow for gaining mass quickly and safely:

• 75% of your hypertrophy workouts should be with compound exercises such as chins, dips and squats.

• Make sure you perform all exercises with a controlled tempo. No fast explosive movements (except during the strength cycle), especially during the eccentric phase of the lifts.

• Eat protein with every meal and drink at least 3 litres of water every day.

• Eat as many green vegetables as you can.

• Have a protein shake after every session

• If in doubt of proper exercise form, seek help from a personal trainer.

• Get at least 7 hours of solid sleep every night.

• Make sure your workouts do not exceed 60 minutes. If it does, reduce your training volume.

• Train to failure on the last one or two sets only.