The best exercises to gain muscle mass and lose fat

Which bodybuilding exercises are best for gaining lean muscle mass and losing fat? This is one of the most common questions I get asked almost daily.

In weight training, there are a variety of exercises that one can choose from to sculpt the body of their dreams. Bodybuilding outcomes are generally measured in changes in body composition; increase in muscle mass or tone, depending on the objective, along with a decrease in body fat. The speed at which these changes are acquired depends on the training protocol used, the nutrition plan followed and the amount of rest (good night's sleep) that the trainee gets.

For a training protocol to work with maximum efficiency, it must not only be periodized or cycled, but it must also include exercises that provide the most stimulation in the shortest possible time.

Different exercises provide different levels of stimulation. Exercises like leg extensions, while great for sculpting the lower quadriceps, have less of a stimulating effect than an exercise like the squat. The effectiveness of an exercise really depends on the ability of the exercise to involve the maximum amount of muscle fibers and also on its ability to provide neuromuscular stimulation (SNM).

Neuromuscular stimulation is of crucial importance, since it is the nervous system that finally sends a signal to the brain requesting that the process of muscle growth begin. That said, how do we determine what the stimulation factor is for each exercise? Such will be the subject of the next section การออกกำลังกาย.

How do you determine which exercises are best for gaining muscle and losing fat? - NMS classes

In order to qualify what is the NMS of each exercise, I borrowed the Classification system used to classify the speed of DSL systems (technology used to achieve high-speed Internet connections through your telephone line) and what I designed to suit my purpose. In this system, a Class 1 technology has lower speeds than a Class 2 technology.

Therefore, in our four-class exercise rating system, a Class 1 exercise produces the lowest NMS (this class is comprised of variable resistance machine type exercises) while a Class 4 exercise produces the lowest Higher NMS and, therefore, is the most difficult but most challenging one. In each class we can also have subclasses like Class 1a and Class 1b. A Class 1a exercise will produce less NMS than a Class 1b.

Class 1a

Class 1a exercises are comprised of isolation exercises (a joint) performed on variable resistance machines (such as Nautilus) where all movement of the exercise is controlled. This type of exercise provides the least amount of stimulation since the stabilizing muscles do not need to be involved as the machine is in charge of the stabilization process. An example of such an exercise would be the machine curl.

Class 1b

Class 1b exercises are compound movements (multi-joints) performed on a variable resistance machine. An example of such a move would be the incline bench press performed on a Hammer Strength machine. Since movement is compound, more muscles are involved, and therefore neuromuscular stimulation is higher than that offered by an automatic curl, for example. However, the fact that the machine takes care of stabilization problems limits the growth that exercise offers.

Class 2a

Class 2a exercises consist of isolation exercises (a joint) performed with non-variable resistance machines. An example of such an exercise would be the leg extension exercise performed on one of those leg extension accessories that come with benches that are sold for home gyms. These accessories lack pulleys and cams that would make the exercise a variable resistance exercise. Therefore, muscles need to be more involved in movement, which as a result provides better stimulation.

Class 2b

Class 2b exercises consist of basic (multi-joint) exercises performed with non-variable resistance machines. An example of this would be the bench press unit that is attached to the Universal type of machines or a leg press machine that does not contain pulleys or cams that would facilitate exercise. Since there are no pulleys or cams to facilitate exercise as you lift the weight, the NMS is higher.