How to Build Big Muscle

Avoid These Muscle Mistakes

Four ways to break free from what’s holding you back in the weight room
By Michael Easter menshealth
 

Mistake #1: You Don't Train Your Legs

Most guys' workouts are top-heavy. "They focus too much on the mirror muscles—the chest and arms," Boyle says. (Video: The worst exercises for your chest) A sign of true fitness is a muscular backside. "Your largest muscles, including the glutes, are in your lower body, and training them releases hormones that build size and strength everywhere else." (For a workout designed to do just that, read The Biggest Muscle You Aren’t Working.)

Try this: The elevated-back-foot split squat. Hold a bar across your upper back using an overhand grip. Assume a staggered stance, with your left foot forward and your right foot back and on a 6-inch step or box. Lower your body as far as you can and then push back up to the starting position. Do 10 reps, switch legs, and repeat. That's 1 set; do 3.

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