Building muscle mass is a crucial part of achieving your fitness and health goals in general. However, beginners often feel overwhelmed by different fitness regimens promising instant or unrealistic results.
The following guide is designed for beginners. It breaks down muscle-building basics into small but detailed sections to provide you with all the essential information you require to help you kickstart a successful muscle-building expedition. If you’re looking to get started, consider investing in the right equipment like weight benches. You may also try to purchase weight benches at factoryweights.co.uk to support your workouts.
Understand the Basics
The science behind the growth of nice, huge muscles is quite simple. First, you should understand that muscles grow through a gradual process called Muscle Hypertrophy. This basically means increasing muscle mass by challenging your muscles through resistance training using different exercises.
Beginners can start by using resistance bands or small weights and their own body weight. Also, start with small reps (repetitions) as you gradually increase the reps during subsequent workouts. This contributes to the progressive growth of muscle mass while also making them both strong and defined. You might also want to consider using ab stimulators, as recommended by EMS Fit Hub.
Have Achievable Expectations
Limit your expectations to what is uniquely real to you. All bodies respond differently to different stimuli, so you must start your muscle-building adventure with a clear set of realistic milestones.
Avoid disappointments by understanding that building muscle mass is a slow – sometimes painful – process.
As a beginner, start small with manageable weights and/or reps, then gradually increase the weights or reps as you deem fit. This is also a great way to keep track of your progress since it’s easy to chart your path throughout your muscle-building journey.
Proper Dieting
We all need a daily balanced diet regardless, but this fact becomes especially important when you start working out to build muscles. Nutrition plays a critical role in the quest to gain muscle mass because the body needs specific foods to ensure the entire process is a success.
Protein is vital for healthy muscle growth. It is therefore important to maintain sufficient protein in your daily diet while ensuring you get it from healthy animal and plant sources; whichever works for you.
Your body also needs energy to carry out the workout, so you must incorporate carbs into your diet.
Lastly, you need sufficient healthy fats to maintain your homeostatic mechanisms in a perfect state, which is important for your health in general.
Isolation vs Compound Movement Exercises
The difference between these types of exercises is simple: the muscle groups targeted.
Fundamentally, compound movement exercises such as burpees or push-ups target different muscle groups concurrently. Combining these few versatile exercises can give you a full-body workout.
On the other hand, isolation movement exercises target a specific muscle or group of muscles such as the abdomen muscle group (six-pack).
Therefore, it is recommended for beginners to mix both types of exercises in their daily workout routines as a sure way to ensure quick progress.
Create a Custom Plan for Workouts
Regular structured but adaptable workout regimens are recommended for beginners. It is also recommended to start with compound movement exercises that give you a full body workout at least 2 to 3 times a week. You can increase intensity and frequency as needed.
Beginners should perform a maximum of 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps each and get enough rest between sets to allow for sufficient muscle recovery and steady growth. The reps and weights can be increased gradually as deemed fit (or at least what is possible).
Resting and Recovering
Resting is not an option; it’s mandatory because the magic of muscle growth happens during rest. You should get 7-9 hours of adequate sleep every night while setting aside recovery days between workouts is equally important.
Overtraining can seriously hinder your muscle-building progress; therefore, listening to your body and getting as much rest as your body demands is important.
Supplementing Your Diet
Using supplements is a great and safe way for some individuals to gain muscle mass in a shorter period.
However, while it is not mandatory to incorporate supplements into your daily diet, supplements – especially protein-based supplements – have proven to be a game changer for fitness enthusiasts worldwide.
Supporting your protein intake can be achieved by using common commercial options such as:
- BAAs (branched amino acids)
- Creatine
- Protein powder
Most importantly, it is paramount to remember that supplements should never be used as food replacements and they are not a magical solution to gaining muscle mass.
Talking to a health professional before trying sports nutrition supplements is equally important. This is safe and ensures you consume only what aligns with your needs.
The Do’s and Don’ts
One of the major rookie mistakes exhibited by 96% of beginners is using the wrong posture or stance while working out.
Using the wrong posture can easily lead to injuries that may sometimes be serious enough to temporarily or entirely stop your muscle-building journey.
Keeping a Journal
Documenting your day-to-day progress is one of the best ways to motivate you. You can also find more ways to stay motivated by joining fitness communities or getting a workout buddy.
Keeping a journal also helps you pinpoint areas that require improvement and where you need to cut back.
Final Word: What to Remember
To complete this guide, it’s important to mention that the muscle-building expedition is a rewarding process that offers infinite benefits that guarantee the well-being of each individual.
Just remember the basics, avoid common mistakes, maintain a proper diet, and have realistic expectations.
