Building muscle mass with a power cycle. Desperate for pounds of new muscle? Forget the isolation exercises, for get the weight training routines that have you going for the pump, the burn, flushing the muscle with blood, or any of that other nonsense.

If you're interested in building muscle mass, you've got to play with some serious weight on some serious exercises. It's time to use the big plates for once, and more some real iron. Only then will you starting adding some serious muscle mass to your body.

Sure, the pump feels great and you look pretty damn good in the mirror after a pump workout, right? But is it doing anything for you? Maybe, maybe not.

Look at it another way. When do you think you'll get more muscle out of your weight training program - when you are slamming the big plates on the bar and grinding out seriously heavy sets of squats, or when you are using the little ten pound dumbbells for a high rep pumping set of laterals?

If you think it's the laterals, you should probably stop reading right about now. This routine is definitely not for you. But if you are serious about building muscle mass, you'll want to tackle this weightlifting program and give it all you've got for 8 - 12 weeks.

The routine goes as follows:

Day 1

Squats - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Deadlifts - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Overhead Presses - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Weighted Dips - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Day 2

Rest

Day 3

Dumbbell Rows - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Decline Bench Press - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Weighted Chinups - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Leg Curls - 3 x 4, 6, 10

Day 4

Rest

Day 5

Rest

Day 6

Repeat Day 1

You may want to take two day's of rest after each workout or even just make the routine a two day a week program (for example, Monday and Thursday), as it can quickly drain you of your recovery ability and energy if you are working the program as hard as you should. And if you are interested in building muscle mass, you need to work the program hard.

Gregg Gillies

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com. He has contributed articles to Ironman Magazine and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. He has written two books, available at his site, where he also publishes a free newsletter on Losing Fat, Gaining Muscle and Getting Fit