First and foremost, be consistent. It’s easy to build up a bunch of motivation to hit the gym once, but it takes serious determination to stick to your workout. Choose a schedule you know you can follow, one where you will have plenty of time and no reason to make excuses for skipping. A great way to stay focused is to find a reliable partner. Both of you can push each other and keep the other accountable.
Second, you may need to make serious changes to your diet. To build muscle quickly, you will need to consume excess calories, specifically from protein. A general rule of thumb is to consume approximately one gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight you have. Also, an increase in calories will provide essential energy to push yourself when weight lifting. Be mindful of where these calories are coming from, however. You will need to evaluate your current eating habits to make sure you aren’t consuming any “empty” calories (like from saturated and trans fat or added sugar).
Also, you are going to need sufficient rest to allow your muscles to recover and grow. This means consistently getting plenty of sleep each night and minimizing the amount of intense activity you perform using muscles you recently trained in the gym. Weight lifting is only a stimulus for muscle growth; to build muscle quickly, you must give yourself plenty of rest (as well as follow proper nutrition, as explained above).
Following these tips will help you maximize muscle and strength gains in the early stages of lifting, and also are crucial for as long as you are training. Obviously, you aren’t going to get huge overnight, but if you want to start seeing results as soon as possible and build muscle quickly, keep these guidelines in mind.
Lifting weights stimulates muscle growth, but this can only happen if the proper nutrients are available! What is the most important nutrient for muscle growth? PROTEIN. This should become the focus of your diet. A rule of thumb is to consume about 1 gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight. Your personal goals may require a different amount, but this is pretty typical for muscle building. Consuming a variety of foods high in protein is also key, as each will provide different amino acids (the ultimate muscle building blocks). There are lots of lean meats to eat, and I highly recommend exploring options outside of simply chicken and tuna.
The amount of carbohydrates and fats you consume will have to be individually determined. If your goal is to bulk up, then these numbers will obviously be higher than someone cutting. There are a few rules that everyone should follow.
· Avoid consuming simple or processed carbohydrates. This means anything with added sugar, including candy, soda, most juices, and basically every sweet and treat you can think of.
· Avoid white carbohydrates. These carbohydrates do not contain nearly the amount of healthy nutrients as their whole grain counterparts. Also, they tend to have a high glycemic index which can lead to fat storage. Foods to avoid include white breads, white rice, and white potatoes.
· Avoid saturated and trans fats while consuming monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Saturated and trans fats can be found many places like fatty meats, butter, and processed foods. Always check the label if you’re unsure. Mono and polyunsaturated fats are great for lots of bodily functions. Foods like almonds and other nuts, fish, olive oil, and natural peanut butter are great sources of these “good” fats.
So now it’s time to put all these tips together and make an effective strength training routine.
Breakfast
2 eggs + as many egg whites as you’d like + some type of lean meat. This is a great high-protein and low carbohydrate breakfast that also provides many other important nutrients in the two egg yolks.
Lunch
Some type of lean meat + vegetable. This provides more protein as well as great vitamins and minerals from the vegetable. Meats can be anything: chicken, turkey, tuna, lean beef, pork, even venison, bison, ostrich, whatever you enjoy. Mix things up, prepare things differently, do whatever is necessary to allow you to keep eating healthily.
Dinner
Same guidelines as lunch. Again, try to mix things up. Having a variety is important to consuming all the different nutrients.
Since you should be eating closer to five meals per day, what should you be eating in between?
Pre-workout
Take any pre-workout supplement in the suggested dosage. Also, it is a good idea to have a source of whey protein prior to working out. Having this readily-absorbable protein available will help your muscles recover faster. Blending a whey protein shake with some milk and a fruit or two can give you great energy and essential daily nutrients (besides tasting pretty great, too). Check out bodybuilding.com for great deals on all the best supplements.
Post-workout
Take any post-workout supplements, including more whey protein. I wasn’t completely truthful when I said to avoid simple sugars at all times: it can be beneficial to muscle recovery to consume some simple carbohydrate source directly after exercising. A great way to accomplish this is to add some honey to your protein shake (which tastes awesome with vanilla flavored protein).
This is a pretty general outline, but keeping these important nutrition tips in mind is absolutely crucial for maximizing your muscle building gains. As you can see, it’s best to develop a complete strength training routine to incorporate all of these essential elements.
How to Choose the Best Muscle Building Program For YOU!
So you've decide that you want to take the plunge and embark on the journey to build a better body and a healthier life. Where do you begin? The first and highly important step is choosing a muscle building program that is going to work best for you. Although this program can be complicated and possibly slightly overwhelming, by following these easy instructions you will be able to choose a great muscle building program that will work wonders for you.
First and foremost you have to think about what your true goals are. Do you want to build a lean and cut physique, lose weight while packing on pounds of muscle, or build large muscles and bulk up. All of these various goals will no doubt affect what type of program you need.
There are so many types of programs out there, muscle building programs, six pack ab programs, dumbbell only workout routines, weightless/body weight exercise programs, etc. As a general rule, if you are looking to bulk up and pack on muscle, go with a muscle building or dumbbell workout routine program. If you are looking for a more lean physique look, stick to either a "six pack ab" program or a body weight exercise program. If you are lacking much muscle to begin with but still want that lean look, a muscle building program may still be your best option.
Another fact that everyone must know before choosing a muscle building program is where they plan on training and what type of equipment they have access to. If you don't have any equipment to use or a gym membership you will either have to get some or go with a weightless/body weight exercise program. If you have a set of dumbbells at your house but no equipment or machines a dumbbell exercise program would work just fine for you. With a gym membership, you can pretty much do any program you would like.
Another factor we often see that should be mention is how much time do you have available and how determined are you to reach the goals you desire. If you have absolutely no time to devote to a muscle building program or any type of exercise you would more than likely be wasting your money by purchasing a program. If you have time but not a lot, try and pick a program which has a low amount of time constraints and is flexible enough to fit into your personal schedule and hectic life. If you are very determined and are able to consistently devote a few hours a day to your program, than you have unlimited options as to which muscle building program your decide to try out.
A final, yet very important, factor that must be brought up is what is what is your budget. There are some high quality muscle building program out there that will stay under the amount of $30, while there are others that can potentially cost over $150 or even more. We highly suggest that you establish the amount you are willing to spend before you ever begin looking into potential muscle building programs to try out. Also, don't be afraid to try out a less expensive program, just because it costs less doesn't always equate to it being an inferior program.
Now that you have read about some of the more important factors in choosing the correct muscle building program to suit your personal needs and wants, if you are ready, it is time to start looking around at various programs. A good place to start would be our reviews of various types of muscle building programs that can be found on the side bar of our web page.
As a last note, if you do end up purchasing a program, the best piece of advice I can give you in reaching your goal is to stay determined and never give up. If you are dedicated and follow a good program correctly, you will eventually reach any goal you have for yourself, that I can guarantee.
