What makes a weight lifting program the best workout routine to build muscle? There are some factors that are specific to triggering muscle growth. These factors will be in the routine if it claims to “be the best.” At the end of this article you will be armed with the knowledge to recognize a great muscle building routine when you see it.

1) Importance of full range movements.

Think about this for a second. Let’s say that you are putting together an army for battle. What would you prefer to have, 50 high quality soldiers or 70 high quality soldiers? Answer is a no brainer, of course you want 70. Working out is no different.

You need to be sure that you are recruiting as many muscle fibers as possible with every rep. The only way to accomplish this is by being sure to execute each rep with an absolute full range of motion. The phrase “full range of motion” doesn’t mean the same for every exercise.

For example, full range of motion is different when comparing a squat to a chest fly. With the chest fly, you want to reach as far back as possible before performing the lift. When it comes to the squat, you should only go to a 90 degree angle between your thigh and calve. The proper phrase for explaining the full range of movement would be “max range given the exercise.”

When you perform max range movements for each exercise, you are stimulating the max amount of muscle fibers possible. This is powerful when triggering muscle growth. You are training 100% of muscle fibers as opposed to just 75%. A big mistake that many weight lifters make is that they add too much weight too soon and sacrifice their max range of movement. Don’t let this happen to you.

2) Amount of time lifting weights.

Muscle responds to its environment and adapts accordingly. Bigger muscle means more immediate power output. On the contrary, more efficient muscle means more endurance, but this doesn’t require large muscles. If the body can get away with not having to nourish and maintain muscle mass, it will lose it as quickly as possible. The sole reason for this is because the body just wants to survive with as much ease as possible. Like water, your body will take the path of least resistance.

So with this in mind, clearly longer workouts do not mean that they’re better when it comes to packing on the muscle mass. You should never workout more than 60 minutes in the gym. However, many people get this confused with total amount spent at the gym. Your warm up and cool down is not included in these 60 minutes! Only the hypertrophy phase needs to be limited.

The science behind this is all chemical based. To be more specific, I’m referring to the release and stimulation of hormones in your body. The idea is to maximize the human growth hormone (HGH), and testosterone-1. These two hormones are the most potent muscle building powerhouses in the body. Their enemy is the dreaded Cortisol. Every great workout routine to gain muscle will address this.

Cortisol actually breaks down the muscle and puts your body into a catabolic state. Clearly you don’t want this if you’re trying to gain muscle. You want to make sure to minimize this hormone at all costs. The best way to do this is to live a low stress lifestyle and limit your hypertrophy phase. The best workout routine will never over train your muscles.

So what’s the magic amount of time? The short answer is that there isn’t one. Effective workouts can be as little as 10 minutes, and as long as an hour. There are other variables such as intensity and the amount of times you go to absolute failure in your workouts. But as a rule of thumb, never train hard longer than 60 minutes.

3) Number of reps.

When it comes to packing on the muscle, there is a magic range of reps that should be executed. This range falls between 4-7 reps. The reason behind this is that you need to be lifting very heavy weights to trigger muscle growth properly. The idea is to rip the micro fibers just the right way. It’s also important not to overdo it.

Lifting less reps than 4-7 will generally result in an increase in power, but not necessarily size. Lifting over 7 reps typically results in the muscle increasing in endurance. This of course doesn’t result in a large increase in size. A solid workout routine to gain muscle will always explain this to you. Most of the triggering of muscle growth takes place in the first set of the exercise. For this reason, you shouldn’t be performing endless sets. Two sets per exercise is best.

You now know 3 key factors that every great workout routine to gain muscle will contain. Do your research before just winging it at the gym. Training in a smart manner will pay off dividends in a short period of time.