Do not be alarmed if you have no idea what you’re doing in the gym and need plain and simple advice from a professional. To get the body of your dreams, all you need is a strong commitment and the knowledge gained from this article. However, remember to warm up before and after each workout session for better muscle recovery and injury prevention.
Free Weights Instead of Machines
Machines have their time, but for now, let’s begin with free weights. As a result, barbells and dumbbells will be used nearly entirely throughout your workouts. Free weights stimulate a large number of stabilizing muscles for balance and control. That means you’ll be working a lot more muscle groups besides the ones you’re supposed to be working. Instead of a giant lump of muscle on your intended muscle, you’ll get a bunch of small bumps, and definitions all over your body. Your muscles will also grow faster as a reaction to the extra stimulant generated. Then why do you think that practically all elite bodybuilders use only free weights as a training tool?
Compound Instead Of Isolation Exercises
Use as many compound exercises as you can in your routines to get the best results. If you’re doing a compound exercise, you’ll engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Example: The Squat strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. They differ from isolation exercises, which work for only one muscle group at a time. Physical therapists use isolation exercises to strengthen certain muscles or rehabilitate them after injury.
Among the best compound exercises are the Squat, Deadlift, Chin-Ups Bench Presses, Lunges, Bent-Over Barbell Row, and Dips.
Intensify Your Training
If you want your muscles to grow, you’ll have to train like a madman. Consider doing additional reps or increasing your weight from the prior session. This means that every time you train hard, you need to give your body time to recover because it has been strained and has numerous little scars. You gain muscle mass by taking a break, especially if you sleep instead of going to the gym. Sleep for at least 8 hours a day if not more, and don’t work for the same muscle group more than once or twice a week.
Keep cardio exercises separate from weight training sessions. You should do less cardio during the muscle-building period since aerobic workouts burn muscle. When you get to the cutting phase, you can up your cardio to reduce fat and gain rippling definition.
Use The Proper Technique and Form
Everywhere you look, you’ll see folks lifting weights with the wrong form and technique. This not only slows your growth but also makes you more prone to getting injured as a result. Wrong form occurs usually when people try to lift weights that are too heavy, whether out of pride or ignorance.
It’s more vital to work out well than to work out more. Depending on how you lift and how you run or jump, you may be able to go harder or be sidelined. As a beginner, you can expect to spend a whole lot of time learning proper techniques. Over time, perfecting your form will improve your performance, conserve your energy, and reduce injuries.
Perform Lower Body Exercises
60-70 percent of your musculature is located in the lower body. If you don’t train them, not only will you look chicken-legged, your entire body will not grow as quickly and as large. It is not common for people to train their legs because movements such as squatting, deadlifting, and lunges can be quite demanding on the body. Yet, it is precise because of this intensity that you will release more growth hormones when sleeping and that overall muscular development will be accelerated.
Lower body exercises should be done regularly because these vast muscles are essential to your overall fitness. Your body will adjust to the exercises more easily, and you’ll create positive habits that will help you reach your fitness goals. In contrast, if you only focus on the upper body, it is impossible to maintain balance. Working your glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings with movements like deadlifts, squats, and lunges helps increases athletic performance and maximize gains
Eat More and Correctly
You cannot lose weight and gain muscles at the same time. A calorie deficit is needed to lose weight. To gain muscle mass, you need to consume more calories! So, do not be afraid to eat. After working out, eat a lot of protein, a moderate amount of carbs, and healthy fatty acids such avocado, fatty fish, nuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds. In those moments, your body is at its most nutrient-hungry and will absorb anything you eat with lightning speed. The longer you delay eating after a workout, the less effective it will be. Even better, consume quick absorption protein shakes and high glycemic carbohydrates. Dietary carbohydrates will stimulate insulin production almost instantly, allowing your muscles to absorb the protein fast.
Most people fail horribly at their muscle-building objective because they don’t pay enough attention to the crucial aspect of nutrition. There is more to weight training than just lifting. In the gym, you tear down muscle fibers, but if you don’t feed your body the right nutrients at the right times, muscular growth will be nearly impossible. So that your body is always anabolic and growing muscle you need to have 5-7 meals a day, spaced every 2-3 hours. A high-quality protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates should be included in every meal you eat.
As a general rule, bodybuilders are advised to consume 1.2–2 g/kg/day of protein, with a focus on adequate protein at each meal (0.40–0.55 g/kg/meal) and a balanced distribution throughout the day (3–7 meals). Dietary fats should be consumed at a moderate level (0.5–1.5 g/kg/day) to prevent an unfavorable fTC ratio and to prevent reductions in testosterone levels. Carbohydrates, with a minimum of 3–5 grams per kilogram per day, should make up the rest of the calories.