Review of Jason Ferruggia's Muscle Gaining Secrets

In the beginning of Muscle Gaining Secrets, Jason Ferruggia states that he doesn't have a clue about how to "work out."

At first, this may seem odd coming from a renowned strength and conditioning coach. I mean this is a guy sporting a strong and powerful physique, a guy who has been featured in numerous top fitness magazines and a guy that can produce testimonials to the effectiveness of his training methods from everyone from pro athletes to formerly skinny teenagers.

And he says he doesn't "work out"?

Well, while he doesn't "work out," Jason definitely does "train." There is a difference between training and simply working out and it is a difference that Jason wants his readers to quickly understand.

It is a point that Jason hammers home throughout the ebook. If you are shuffling in and out of the gym because of a sense of obligation, because you want to make the effort for a better, healthier you, then you are "working out" and while that certainly beats the sedentary lifestyle, it isn't what will make you big and strong.

"Training" is something more. Training to Jason, as he explains, is like going to battle. It is a battle between you and your training journal. It is a battle with the iron, a constant battle to get stronger each and every training session.

If your goal is to get big and strong, to build significant muscle mass and totally transform your body, you don't want to "work out." You want to "train."

This program has a distinct "hardcore" flavor to it. It isn't surprising to learn that Jason's start in the fitness world came through opening a hardcore gym in New Jersey. For those who have never been to a hardcore gym, it is distinctly different from your neighborhood Ballys.

If you go to a hardcore gym, don't expect to find a wide array of nicely cushioned machines encouraging you to enjoy a relaxing workout. Instead, expect to find iron. And more iron.

Don't expect to hear Britney Spear's latest crap playing softly in the background. Instead, expect to find Korn playing at high decibels. Don't expect to have to endure mindless chit-chat about the weather. Instead expect to talk strength training or not talk at all. Don't expect politically correct encouragement to get another rep up. Instead, expect to hear your manhood challenged.

And, unless you want your ass kicked, don't walk into a hardcore gym and ask directions to the pec-deck machine.

Hardcore trainers are a different breed than your average fitness enthusiast. They are not good prospects for the infomercial's ab gadgets or Muscletech's latest concoctions. They tend to be fixated on one goal...

Getting Bigger and Stronger.

This isn't pretty boy training, this is training to be a BAD ASS. It is that goal that Jason focuses on throughout Muscle Gaining Secrets.

Training

Jason starts by introducing you to 7 factors which will determine whether of not your training is taking you to maximum strength and size gains. He works you through each of these factors and, on the first (Exercise Selection), provides perhaps one of my favorite all-time mass gain training quotes...

The quote is accurate and funny, and also sums up the ebook's no-nonsense approach to training.

Jason takes you through every body part and tells you how to best train it for size. And I do mean every body part. Parts like the neck and forearms are covered in-depth. These parts are typically left out of most similar programs with the assumption that they will grow as they are trained indirectly along with the major muscle groups (which is true to a certain extent, and you won't find Jason telling a beginner trainer to do bi-weekly intensive neck training, but the info is there if at some point you see a need to directly train these muscle groups).

Along with each body part, Jason details the most effective exercises for size and strength in each muscle group. This is an area where Jason really excels. Beyond a basic description of each exercise, he provides true insider tips to improving your performance and results. I'm not talking about the run-of-the-mill crap that you'll hear an inexperienced personal trainer rattle off after reading a textbook, I'm talking about stuff that only the true longtime gym warriors can impart.

Regardless of your training experience level, you'll learn some useful things from Jason. I did.

The training plan Jason outlines for you consists of 3 short (he wants your lifting time to be no more than 30-45 minutes per session) but very grueling workouts each week. One thing that he does an excellent job at is defining where you should be based on your training experience and level. He prescribes specific training programs for beginner, intermediate and advanced trainers and clearly shows you when and where you need to be.

The culmination of this training, the advanced training, is covered in his Maximum Mass in Minimum Time Workout Guide (see below under bonuses).

In short, just an amazing lesson on effectively training for muscle mass gain. And again, it's an invaluable lesson for the inexperienced and experienced alike.

Cardio

Jason steers you away from traditional long duration cardio sessions and towards more efficient high intensity interval methods. When you get your cardio right, it can help you effectively limit fat gains and maximize muscle gains.

The Muscle Gaining Secrets cardio system is different then most of that you'll see elsewhere. It takes less time but requires more effort. It has logic behind it and Jason removes all doubt that it is a powerful tool to your transformation. He explains it well and when adopted, the system can move your cardio sessions from being a hindrance to your size and strength goals to an asset.

Jason also gets out-of-the-box in his cardio section, giving ideas for sand bag and sledge hammer training amng other methods.

Nutrition

After presenting strong training sections, Muscle Gaining Secrets doesn't leave you hanging when it comes to dieting. Jason calls nutrition "pretty damn important". Facts are, if you never get to caloric surplus, you're never going to gain. Jason drives this point home and delivers a strong section that gives complete information on dieting for muscle gain.

He works you through the macronutrients, giving you the ratios you will want to be consuming each in your diet. He also gives specific foods that represent the best sources of each of the three macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fat. He gives solid and specific advice on pre and post workout nutrition.

Now, you'd expect the above to be present in any halfway respectable mass gain program. Where Jason really distinguishes himself is in specifying different approaches for different body types. He does this quickly and simply, allowing the reader to make an easy decision on which approach is best suited for him or her. While the very skinny hardgainer may see his best results with one approach, the guy who puts on fat rather easily may see his best results with an entirely different approach.

Jason does a good job of explaining the various dieting methods he recommends. He provides a simple but solid carb cycling plan which can work as an effective way to limit fat gains while bulking.

Also of note, at the end of all the ebook's chapters Jason does a Q&A section. What I like about these Q&As is that they aren't just idiot questions. A lot of times the Q&As you see in books will just go over things that were already covered in the chapter, or things that only a complete moron would ask. So they become essentially a waste of space and are typically skipped by the reader with an IQ over 50.

What Jason does with the Q&As is a bit different and you don't want to skip these. He starts with intelligent questions that intelligent, thinking trainers do ask and provides thorough answers that really become bonus gems. For example, within the nutrition Q&As you learn everything from tips to bulking while keeping cholesterol numbers in check to vegan mass building (complete with sample diets) to what the least fattening alcoholic beverage choice.

Supplements

Like most accomplished trainers, Jason isn't a big fan of the supplement industry. He learned how ridiculous and unhelpful the vast majority of supplements are the hard way - by wasting a lot of money. He is determined to keep his readers from making that same mistake.

In an effort to keep you from falling for the tempting but mostly B.S. sales pitches of the supplement companies, he works back through the history of the bodybuilding supplement industry and then explains the exact tactics they use to get you to open up your wallet. This is an interesting and accurate read and after reading it, if you ever again look at another supplement ad without extreme skepticism, then you're beyond help.

While the bulk of supplements are simply overpriced crap, Muscle Gaining Secrets does recommend and give adequate guidance to proper use of the few that can help. Jason's recommendations aren't the typical ones you might see, but they are sound.

Notable Bonuses

First up is the Maximum Mass in Minimum Muscle Time workout program. This specific training program is designed for high-intermediate or advanced trainer, the beginner to intermediate programs are covered within the Muscle Gaining Secrets ebook. Overall, the training programs provided will never leave you wanting, no matter what your training level. jason does an excellent job of explaining exactly what he wants you doing and when he wants you doing it with all his workouts.

Next up are the Muscle Building Meal Plans. Laid out for you are a total of 9 different caloric intake levels and a full week of pre-planned meals each to make sure you are gettingeverything you need to groew. and if you are in a hurry, Jason's Quick Meals For Fast Muscle Recipe Guide covers you with complete instructions for dozens of easy-to-prepare "muscle meals", everything from post-workout mush to apple pie.

If you ever have a question on exercise form, Jason's Exercise Database is going to be right there for you, getting into the details of more than 100 top mass building exercises. Beyond form, as mentioned earlier, Jason's tips for getting the most out of every exercise are invaluable.

To keep your training on track, Jason includes his Composition Tracking 5000, software that helps keep track of your measurements. An audio download, Uncensored Muscle Building, lets you listen to Jason pounding the program fundamentals into your head. And The Supplement Report works you through unbiased reviews of the best and worse supplements out there.

Finally, maybe my favorite bonus, is lifetime membership to Jason's private membership site. here you get additional content and forums where you can discuss and get individual advice on your training from jason himself as well as others who have adopted the approach.

Optional Upgrade Bonuses

For a bit more, Jason upgrades you with some advanced plans. His Advanced Mass Building Guide is for those who have already completed his basic plan, packed on at least 20 or 30 pounds and are looking for more.

His Renegade Cardio will get you in top shape and burning maximum fat without getting bored. For those looking to graduate to some bigger guns, his Armed and Dangerous program is designed to help you add 2 inches to your biceps in just 8 weeks. Additionally, Jim Wendler's Secrets of Super Strength provides powereful strategies to immediately add weight to all your lifts.

If I Had To Complain...

Jason does a really good job of effectively getting a lot of information out without ever making the reader feel overwhelmed. the information is solid so there isn't a lot to complain about. When i visited the member's area, there wasn't a lot there and there wasn't a whole lot of activity on the boards, so that is something that can be improved and probably will with time.

Conclusion

The training that Jason lays out in this program is going to put you right smack on the path to that bigger, stronger you. It is going to do it quickly and intelligently. It is based on Jason's extensive experience in not just training himself (he went from 6'0" 147 lbs. to 231 lbs.), but 15 years of training athletes and weekend warriors alike - training them not to see them get a bit stronger or to lose a pound or two, but training them with the primary purpose of getting them significantly stronger, significantly more ripped and significantly bigger.

Muscle Gaining Secrets isn't really a bodybuilding approach to getting big, and it definitely isn't a fitness approach. It is a bad ass approach, an approach that values strength and size gains equally in the pursuit of building the big and powerful physique.

The title, "Muscle Gaining Secrets", might at first seem a little presumptuous. Honestly, there aren't many true secrets in the weight training world. However, Jason manages to do the title justice with a ton of tips and tricks you just don't find anywhere else. It's advice that inhabits hardcore gyms where it quickly puts muscle on the most resistant of bodies.

Within the base ebook and throughout the bonuses, Muscle Gaining Secrets delivers a simple, direct and spot-on plan for hardgainers seeking to move up in their respective weight and strength classes.