Ask any fitness trainer in any gym and they will tell you that despite the massive advancements made in science and nutrition over the last two decades the majority of gym users are still totally confused when it comes to learning how to build muscle or improve their overall physique.
Should you consider yourself to be one of the many people in need of some help with their fitness journey, you are in the right place today.
Before we begin it is important to point out that there are various ways to get results and almost unlimited variations on training and diet. That's why if you ask ten different people for advice you will more than likely get ten completely different answers. While it's great to have that much variety at your fingertips it often holds people back instead of helping them. They feel they cannot get any further forward because no matter what they do they hear somebody telling that that they're training is incorrect...
Make no mistake about it, there is more than one way to get fit, to lose weight and to get big. Embracing that fact will generally help you rather than hinder you.
Today we shall take a look at some simple rules which, if applied over time, will provide a rock solid foundation for you to build upon. We have used these techniques with seasoned athletes, gym newcomers and reknowned hard gainers alike. To put it bluntly, they work!
The first port of call is your diet. Don't be fooled into believing you only need to diet if your goal is weight loss. On the contrary, if your goal is to get more muscular your diet is very, very important. You can train all day long if you want but your nutrition is the thing which is going to determine what happens to your body.
So before we head off for our next workout we need to your next workout session is figure out how many calories you need to eat each day for maximum results. The worst part about this segment is that most people think it's going to involve some sort of rocket science or magic formula. It doesn't, it's actually pretty easy to work this out for yourself.
Write down the weight you want to reach in pounds and then multiply it by 15. Congratulations, you've done it. Now you have your daily calorie target and yes, it was that simple! If you'd like to build up slowly swap out the multiplication of 15 for a multiplication of 12 instead.
So we now have a base figure for our diet. This already puts you ahead of the majority of other people training at your gym because despite it being very simple, most fitness enthusiasts never take the time to learn how to do this and wonder why they never get results.
You also need to look at your training program. It needs to be designed to include the exercises which are best for building size and strength and the repetition range needs to hit your hypertrophy zone. This means compound exercises are going to become your best friend and trying to fall into the eight-to-twelve repetition range with each set.
That is the foundation of a good program but there are a couple of other things you can do to further enhance your results.
Most notably is your rest. When you are trying to build a better physique the most overlooked aspect is certainly rest. Most people like training every single day and cannot understand that they need days off just as importantly as they need to training itself.
Make it your goal to go to the gym no more than three days each week if you are new to training. If you have already been training for over two months you can increase that to four sessions. You could train with weights up to six days per week by splitting each day to avoid ever training the same muscle group twice in succession, but most people are happy with a four day split routine. Those other three days are very important to your rest and recovery.
We also need to quickly mention the importance of sleep when it comes to getting stronger and more muscular. You've probably been told countless times that you should get eight hours rest every night but how often do you actually do it? If you are like most people the answer is not often enough. Your body recovers from your day's work while you sleep and if you don't give it that basic need your results will suffer for it.
Natural growth hormone is released while your body recuperates from the day's work. If you don't get a decent night of sleep and you like to be up again on just a couple of hours rest you will notice it becomes much harder to get any results with your fitness. Your gym sessions will suffer as will your mood in general.
Now you know the basics and we're betting it wasn't as hard or as complex as you thought it would be when you first arrived! The next time you hear somebody asking how to build muscle I want you to remind yourself of the basic rules. Sleep, rest, specific training and a focused diet will get you there. Any personal trainer worth his salt will help you set that plan up should you require help however it's not as difficult as most people think, as you discovered today!
Should you consider yourself to be one of the many people in need of some help with their fitness journey, you are in the right place today.
Before we begin it is important to point out that there are various ways to get results and almost unlimited variations on training and diet. That's why if you ask ten different people for advice you will more than likely get ten completely different answers. While it's great to have that much variety at your fingertips it often holds people back instead of helping them. They feel they cannot get any further forward because no matter what they do they hear somebody telling that that they're training is incorrect...
Make no mistake about it, there is more than one way to get fit, to lose weight and to get big. Embracing that fact will generally help you rather than hinder you.
Today we shall take a look at some simple rules which, if applied over time, will provide a rock solid foundation for you to build upon. We have used these techniques with seasoned athletes, gym newcomers and reknowned hard gainers alike. To put it bluntly, they work!
The first port of call is your diet. Don't be fooled into believing you only need to diet if your goal is weight loss. On the contrary, if your goal is to get more muscular your diet is very, very important. You can train all day long if you want but your nutrition is the thing which is going to determine what happens to your body.
So before we head off for our next workout we need to your next workout session is figure out how many calories you need to eat each day for maximum results. The worst part about this segment is that most people think it's going to involve some sort of rocket science or magic formula. It doesn't, it's actually pretty easy to work this out for yourself.
Write down the weight you want to reach in pounds and then multiply it by 15. Congratulations, you've done it. Now you have your daily calorie target and yes, it was that simple! If you'd like to build up slowly swap out the multiplication of 15 for a multiplication of 12 instead.
So we now have a base figure for our diet. This already puts you ahead of the majority of other people training at your gym because despite it being very simple, most fitness enthusiasts never take the time to learn how to do this and wonder why they never get results.
You also need to look at your training program. It needs to be designed to include the exercises which are best for building size and strength and the repetition range needs to hit your hypertrophy zone. This means compound exercises are going to become your best friend and trying to fall into the eight-to-twelve repetition range with each set.
That is the foundation of a good program but there are a couple of other things you can do to further enhance your results.
Most notably is your rest. When you are trying to build a better physique the most overlooked aspect is certainly rest. Most people like training every single day and cannot understand that they need days off just as importantly as they need to training itself.
Make it your goal to go to the gym no more than three days each week if you are new to training. If you have already been training for over two months you can increase that to four sessions. You could train with weights up to six days per week by splitting each day to avoid ever training the same muscle group twice in succession, but most people are happy with a four day split routine. Those other three days are very important to your rest and recovery.
We also need to quickly mention the importance of sleep when it comes to getting stronger and more muscular. You've probably been told countless times that you should get eight hours rest every night but how often do you actually do it? If you are like most people the answer is not often enough. Your body recovers from your day's work while you sleep and if you don't give it that basic need your results will suffer for it.
Natural growth hormone is released while your body recuperates from the day's work. If you don't get a decent night of sleep and you like to be up again on just a couple of hours rest you will notice it becomes much harder to get any results with your fitness. Your gym sessions will suffer as will your mood in general.
Now you know the basics and we're betting it wasn't as hard or as complex as you thought it would be when you first arrived! The next time you hear somebody asking how to build muscle I want you to remind yourself of the basic rules. Sleep, rest, specific training and a focused diet will get you there. Any personal trainer worth his salt will help you set that plan up should you require help however it's not as difficult as most people think, as you discovered today!
About the Author:
About the Writer: Russ Howe PTI is a trusted fitness coach. Learn how to build muscle with our free video guide showing the five steps to a more muscular body and the best shoulder building exercises.
