The Beginners Guide to Muscle Building
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It's entirely possible to attain high-level results with only the most basic exercises, along with the proper amount of work and recovery. The trouble isn't that there's not enough training information available these days, but that there's too much of it. Information overload can paralyze you if you're only just beginning to consider the gym. Instead of more information, what you really need is a compass to navigate through the knowledge you already have.
This article is that compass. It will help keep you from becoming trapped by the often overcomplicated pitfalls found in every gym. The most important thing to remember, though, is that training is actually not complicated. According to fitness expert Bill Parisi, you just need to "use a few effective things well and be consistent with your training," adding that if you do that over time, results are practically guaranteed.
Work on the major, complex lifts. They will work the most muscle and produce the greatest amount of results in the least amount of time and are the most valuable tool a beginner can use. Get a good warm-up. Too many athletes skip or underperform here. You need at least 15 to 20 minutes of activity to get both your body and mind focused and ready for the upcoming workout. Five minutes on the treadmill or bike, then 10 minutes of calisthenics, jumping rope or hitting a heavy bag is a good, solid start. Use bigger, complex lifts first.
Training economy can be defined as getting the biggest bang for your training minute. They will work the most muscle and produce the greatest amount of results in the least amount of time and are the most valuable tool a beginner can use," said Joe Kenn, strength and conditioning coach for the Carolina Panthers football team. Pay attention to reps and sets. Tracking your reps and sets helps you verify you're getting the right amount of volume in your workout. The more reps you perform, the less sets you'll do. A good beginner rule of thumb is to shoot for 16 to 18 sets as a maximum for the workout.
Make sure you use tempo and proper rest periods. The purpose of training is to put your muscles under tension. The way to increase that tension is to spend more time on each rep by increasing the lowering and pausing phases. Jordan and I tend to train and eat later in the day, so we save a lot of calories for our post workout meal — sometimes upwards of g protein and g of carbs. Unsure of how to accurately track your macros and calories? Jordan and I highly recommend you stay away from high intensity cardio such as sprints, HIIT workouts and intense cycling on your off days. The most coveted physiques are built over many years, not months.
Beginner’s Muscle Workout
No one ever gets his or her training and nutrition right from the start. We all screw up, get injured, get off track, or something just gets in the way. It takes time, but the process is worth the time spent. Casey Butt, fitness researcher, has done extensive work on the subject and there seems to be a limit to how much muscle we can carry naturally without the assistance of pro-hormones or anabolic steroids. If you have an interest in this subject, check out his book, Your Muscular Potential not an affiliate link. While supplements are not necessary, they may provide various benefits while attempting to achieve your muscle building goals.
Protein Powders Protein powder is in no way, shape, or form essential. In this case, supplementing with protein powders may be beneficial in helping you reach your daily quota. Vitamin D In addition to numerous other benefits, Vitamin D is essential for the metabolism and absorption of calcium which is of the utmost importance during weight training. However, if you are not consistently getting direct sunlight, supplementing with Vitamin D may be in your best interest. Fish Oil Fish Oil has so many benefits.
Not only has fish oil been associated with reduced inflammation, lower body fat, and overall better health and longevity, but fish oil has also been shown to have a significant role in muscle growth and development. Unless your diet includes a great deal of fish you would do well to supplement with fish oil.
If your diet includes dairy you probably do not need to supplement with calcium. Creatine This is perhaps the most extensively studied training supplement on the market. It is safe and in certain individuals has been shown to markedly improve strength. While a decent percentage of people are non-responders, others experience fantastic results. It is by no means necessary but supplementing with Creatine may enhance performance.
What are your thought? I want to take a moment to thank you for this tutorial.
I want your body! Not in a gay way, a look alike way. Man you got it together. I think most people feel the more we do the more we build muscle but after reading your tutorial I see the opposite is true. Any advice you can give will be appreciated. I realize at my age there are limitations but I still feel I could be a little more muscular. Thanks, look forward to your reply. Thanks for the compliments, but fairly hard for me to give an exercise recommendation over a comment like this.
Thanks for taking the time to read. I like that this post puts a lot of the fundamentals spanning BOTH diet and exercise into an easy-to-understand format for beginners. I do have one concern though with your comment that after 6 months to a year and lbs of weight gain the lifter will be intermediate. Learn these few exercises, get really good at them, and your entire body will get stronger and bigger. Focus each week on adding more weight to each exercise. For example, if you did 3 sets of 5 squats of pounds this week, try for 3 sets of 5 squats of pounds next week.
From Here To Weightlifter: Muscle Gain For Beginners
That depends on your goals. I try to mix it up.
The good news is that no matter which path you take pure strength, size, or a mix of both , as long as you are adding weight each week you WILL be getting stronger. ANY path will work, provided you are getting progressively stronger with it! So if you do 5 sets of 5 squats at pounds this week, aim for 5 sets of 5 of pounds next week. Or 3 sets of 10 at pounds, then next week try for 3 sets of 10 at pounds.
Get your heart rate up and muscles warm first by doing a dynamic warm-up of jumping jacks, lunges, bodyweight squats, hip raises, push ups, leg swings, jumps, etc. Only then should you start adding weight for some warm-up sets before moving into your real sets. However, if you do a squat incorrectly with pounds on your shoulders, you could do some serious damage. You can always add more weight next week if this week is too easy. This will affect your muscles in different ways.
Learn how to build muscle and strength with a proper routine, healthy eating, and enough rest. What to eat and how to work out to get big and strong.
Just be consistent between sets and when doing the same workout between weeks to track your progress. Less is more — just make your routines really intense and exhausting. Write down everything — Keep a training journal, and write down exactly how many sets and reps you did for every exercise.
Lift Heavy Things
That way, you can compare how you did this time with how you did last time. Follow a routine, have a plan. The best thing you can do is have a plan to follow and stick with it! We provide a free bodyweight routine, and a comprehensive gym training routine to get you started with strength training in our free guide, Strength Training Everything You Need to Know. Grab your guide when you sign up in the box below:. I thought I was one of those people who just could never gain weight…and then I learned it was all diet, started eating 4, calories a day, and I put on 18 pounds in 30 days.
Yeah, I wanted to throw up from always eating along with three Muscle Milk shakes a day, but it worked. Eat a lot of whatever — this was my first plan years ago: This is how I went from pounds in 30 days. Lots of oatmeal, brown rice, chicken, my home-made big-ass shake , almond butter sandwiches on whole-grain wheat bread, beef, eggs, fruits, veggies, and some milk. Still not optimal, but it works and is better for your insides than the previous method. Still relatively cheap, as tubs of oats, brown rice, and bread are inexpensive and can add on a lot of calories quickly.
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LOTS of nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, shots of olive oil, and yams along with tons of chicken, grass fed beef, fruit, and veggies.