How to double your muscles How to build muscle mass: a detailed guide to action. The main exercises for muscle growth

How to build muscle? This question is of interest to many beginners who have recently come to the gym in an effort to significantly improve their body. The task of increasing lean muscle mass is quite feasible, subject to certain rules, although it will take a lot of effort to achieve it.

To begin with, let's look at the features of the internal processes occurring in the body.

At any given time, our body is affected by one of two mutually exclusive metabolic processes: anabolic and catabolic. Anabolism is a process of plastic metabolism, which is responsible for the construction of new cells, including muscle tissue, while catabolism, on the contrary, destroys muscle and adipose tissue.

Accordingly, in order to ensure a stable growth of muscle mass, we need to stimulate the predominance of the anabolic metabolic process in the body. Consider how to achieve muscle growth.

You can immediately watch a video on how to gain muscle mass thin:

"Three whales" of muscle growth

The whole process of building an athletic figure is based on three basic principles:

  • competent training plan;
  • observance of the mode of rest and recovery;
  • balanced special diet.

If one of them is not observed, the result will be far from planned, since only a targeted and complex effect on the body to stimulate the anabolic process will bring success.

Planning the training process and rest for mass growth

If your task is to get the maximum effect from training, then you need to follow a few simple but effective tips:

  1. Exercise no more than 4 times a week, and even better no more than 3 times.

Such a number of visits to the gym will allow you to optimally load all muscle groups. There is a widespread misconception that the more often you exercise the body, the better the effect will be. In fact, if you are not a professional athlete and do not take anabolic steroids, then frequent training will drive you into a state very quickly, and, as a result, will cause the predominance of the catabolic process in the body. And this, in turn, will greatly remove you from achieving the goal of increasing muscle mass.

After a hard workout, the body must have time to recover. After all, it is in the process of recovery that the anabolic process occurs and muscle growth occurs.

  1. The duration of the training should be at least 1 and not more than 1.5 hours. If we do less than one hour, then the body is unlikely to start anabolic processes at the end of the workout, and if we do a hard workout for more than 1.5 hours, then the breakdown of muscle tissue is inevitable.
  2. You should sleep at least 8-9 hours a day. This will allow you to fully relax, recover and prepare for hard work in the gym. Chronic lack of sleep, like overtraining, is a direct path to muscle breakdown.

The main exercises for muscle growth

The very first thing you need to do is to throw away program magazines, which are usually compiled by professional athletes for professionals. They will give you nothing but disappointment. For example, even the muscles of the press, people with a sedentary lifestyle should pump in a completely different way than experienced athletes with experience.

If your goal is to build muscle mass, then try to bypass the simulators and forget about isolated exercises. Your working exercises should be only basic ones. Compound exercises are multi-joint exercises that work many muscle groups.

The more difficult the exercise, the more muscle groups involved in its implementation, the greater the metabolic response your body will receive after training. Isolated exercises pumping any specific muscle group are not able to load your body so much and will not contribute to their increased growth.

Consider the most effective basic exercises, which will be most effective for both beginners and more experienced athletes:

  1. Barbell Squats. This is the best exercise for stimulating muscle growth. The fact is that in this exercise, in addition to the increased work of the leg muscles, the back muscles and many smaller stabilizers are connected that keep your body and the barbell in balance. This exercise, performed with heavy weight, for 6-10 repetitions will cause the maximum anabolic response and will stimulate the growth of all muscle groups. Unfortunately, many beginners ignore it, but in vain.
  2. Deadlift. Like the squat, this exercise should also become your favorite, as it also loads almost the entire body and stimulates muscle growth. Like the previous one, this exercise must be done with a weight that will allow you to perform no more than 10 repetitions.
  3. Bench press, lying wide grip . Many muscle groups are involved in the work, such as pectoral, shoulder muscles, deltoids, etc. The exercise loads the upper body well and should be included in the mass gain program.
  4. Bench press standing. An excellent exercise for the formation of the muscles of the shoulder girdle, in addition, back stabilizers are connected, as well as leg muscles.
  5. . This exercise is familiar to everyone from childhood. You can choose any grip, or alternate it from workout to workout. The exercise will allow you to load the muscles of the back and shoulder girdle well.

The exercises listed above should form the basis of your training complex for muscle growth. They are quite enough to see a certain result in the mirror in 3-4 months. Additionally, you can add: push-ups on the uneven bars, bench press, lying with a narrow grip and others. The main thing is that these exercises are multi-joint and load the maximum number of muscle groups.

Squats and deadlifts are best spread over different training days, and the rest of the exercises can be done within the same day. Do not split the training of muscle groups into different training days. The so-called "split systems" are more effective for experienced athletes.

Remember, you do not need to carefully pump all the heads of the biceps separately, and the biceps as a whole too. This is unlikely to help you build the desired amount of muscle.

Diet

Another important factor for muscle growth is proper nutrition (). How to eat to build muscle? It's no secret that during exercise, the body needs a large amount of protein. To be precise, it is recommended to consume at least 1.5 - 2 g of protein per 1 kg of weight. In addition, we must not forget about carbohydrates. Many novice athletes start eating insane amounts of protein, low-carb foods in the hope of a quick result. This is fundamentally not true. In addition to plastic metabolism, energy also occurs in the body, the most suitable fuel for which they are.

Also, it should be noted that the athlete's diet should be frequent in order to prevent a lack of calories. This can lead to muscle breakdown as the body begins to extract energy from the amino acids in the muscles. However, you should not consume the entire amount of protein and calories you need in one or two sittings. It is much more logical to break the daily norm into 5-6 times and use it at intervals of 3-3.5 hours, which will allow you to supply the body with everything you need in a timely manner and stimulate metabolic processes.

The most important is the intake of food after training. At this time, the body's reserves are depleted by physical activity and their urgent replenishment is required. The most optimal in this case is the use of sports nutrition. Immediately after training, you must use a gainer (a product containing proteins and), if you are not inclined to be overweight. If you are afraid of the appearance of body fat, then the best option would be a protein shake that contains only proteins.

Another important time period when you need fast-digesting protein is in the morning, right after waking up. At this time, it is also advisable to drink a protein shake.

If you want to make your muscles grow, then you should resort to the help of regular training and proper nutrition.

In this article, you will learn how to gain muscle mass.

For muscle growth, 3 very important conditions must be observed:

  1. Get a large number of calories, that is, you need to consume more calories per day than you spend.
  2. The body should have a need to build up new muscle fibers, then you need increased physical activity.
  3. The body must fully recover after exertion, that is, you always need to give the body a good rest. Namely, you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day.

Each of these conditions contains a lot of subtleties and nuances. And if you really want to know how to gain muscle mass, then read our 16 tips.

If you are reading this article, then you probably want to build muscle and increase your body size. And it doesn’t matter what exactly you want - sculpted biceps or just additional muscle mass. The tips in this article will add some new tools to your arsenal. These tips are a compilation of information received from the best athletes.

Tips for Gaining Muscle Mass

Add a couple of strategies from the list to your daily arsenal and watch the inevitable growth of your muscles!

  1. Focus on more food

James Pulido

You probably know that nutrition plays a key role in sports. It helps to demonstrate the beauty of our body after hard work on it. Well, if we are talking about muscle growth, then nutrition is, in principle, necessary - in order to grow, you need to eat. And do not be embarrassed by talking about counting calories.

Want to know how many calories to eat? James Pulido, MuscleTech athlete and Superman fan gives his answer: “The best option for an athlete is to multiply his weight in pounds by 20. That is, an athlete weighing 180 pounds (about 82 kg), multiplying his weight by 20, will get a result in 3,600. This is the number of calories that an athlete should consume daily. For example, I weigh 105 kg, convert the weight to pounds (type in Google "105 kilograms in pounds", write your own instead of my weight at 105), get about 231 pounds, multiply by 20 and get - 4620 calories.

(Note that multiplying body weight in pounds by 20 depends on the quality of the calories consumed. Multiplying by 20 is the maximum limit you can give your body. The minimum limit is multiplying by 15. You can be conservative and multiply your weight at 16 - 18.)

For starters, Pulido recommends dividing your meals in terms of fats, proteins, carbohydrates. For one pound of your weight (about 500 grams), you should have 1.5 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrates daily. Everything else - and this is about 15-35% of the daily diet - should be dietary fats. "Fats are essential for hormonal balance, including testosterone production, and testosterone is critical for muscle growth," says Pulido.

  1. Plan your workouts carefully

You want to grow, but it's only important to plan your workouts and not attack the gym like a crazy Banshee. The first thing to do is organize your workouts so that you don't train the same muscle group every day. In addition, muscles grow not only in the gym. They grow thanks to properly calculated rest time and proper nutrition.

“Targetedly stretching and injuring the same muscle groups for two days in a row will not provoke further muscle growth in this area,” says Jesse Hobbs. “If your muscles are aching after yesterday’s workout, then you won’t get best results from today."

Jesse Hobbs

Except when you follow an advanced training course. But even in this case, the muscles need to be given 36-48 hours of rest before starting training again. So, if you work hard on the chest and biceps on Monday, then on Tuesday and Wednesday, give the muscles a little rest.

  1. Prioritize evenly

A carefully planned program will ensure maximum results without repetitive repetitions of the same exercises or too heavy reinforced workouts. When forming a training program, pay attention to the difference between the main and peripheral muscle groups.

“Major muscle groups are the largest muscles (pectorals and legs, for example) that don’t need to be trained more than once a week,” says Hobbs.

“Peripheral muscles such as biceps, triceps, trapezius, calves, and abs can be trained more than twice a week and will fully recover in a short period of time.”

If you want to build muscle in your arms or pump up killer abs, then train these muscle groups twice a week. For example, if you train biceps, then start doing it on Monday. On Tuesday, move on to triceps, and somewhere on Thursday, start training both at the same time.

  1. Add Basic Exercises

If you want to grow muscle, lifting weights is one of the important steps towards this goal. And compound exercises like the squat, bench press, and deadlift allow you to increase your overall muscle mass, get stronger, and lift more weight in isolation exercises. To be frank, if you're not doing barbell squats and bench presses, you're missing out on a lot.

“I strive for natural movement in my exercises,” explains Pulido. “Using basic exercises causes a hormonal surge in the body and allows me to take on even more weight the next workout.”

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Nick Twam, a personal trainer, always focuses on the deadlift. In his opinion, the deadlift is one of the the best exercises for muscle growth and strengthening. It is ideal for gradual but steady muscle growth. The deadlift will help you develop a wide back, strong legs and forearms, and toned, round buttocks while working on the shoulder and trapezius muscles.

  1. Choose nutrient-rich foods

The amount of food you eat is important, of course. But the focus is not only on quantity. Aim for nutrient-dense foods. They will give strength to the muscles.

Ed Honn, a regular competitive bodybuilder, calls these products the best buds. "Eat a variety of nutritious bodybuilding foods that will help you gain some serious weight and volume," he says.

His favorite foods are chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole grain bran bread, avocados, almond butter, coconut oil. When it comes to personal dieting, Ed makes sure that protein levels in foods are always stable, cutting down on fats and carbohydrates as needed.

If, for example, in a short time it is necessary to build up a large amount of muscle, then he will increase the amount of consumption of fats and carbohydrates.

  1. Change the number of repetitions in exercises

If you lift the barbell the same number of times every workout, then it's time to think about making changes to an established program. Within one workout, you can easily afford a varied number of sets and repetitions and different intensities. “I prefer to do basic exercises like squats, bench press and deadlifts for 5-8 reps per set,” Honn says, “then I move on to secondary exercises, which are enough for me for 8-12 reps per set. ".

Lindsey Capotelli

Such a system allows Honn to achieve stable growth in both volume and total weight and achieve optimal results. For those who are almost close to the result, the number of repetitions can range from 15 to 100 repetitions. It all depends on how you planned your exercise system and on what result you need.

Girls, pay attention: you also need to work using the system of changing the number of repetitions. "I've noticed a trend behind most women who train - they get stuck in the 10-15 rep range," says personal bodybuilding trainer Lindsey Cappotelli. “And I used to do the same thing, until I tried short sets of 5-8 reps. At the same time, the first results appeared.

  1. Pay attention to the importance of post-workout recovery

"It's silly to train harder and harder every day," advises Honn. "If you're a little out of sorts or you just don't have the energy, it's better to rest for a couple of days, take yourself a short day off in your training system."

Listen to your body. If I have a training day planned and I feel really bad, then I don't go to the gym and concentrate on getting through the day eating right. Rest, chosen at the right time, really leads to positive results. After all, if you think logically, in the gym, the muscles are injured. And in order to build muscle on this basis, you need to eat right. And there is no point in carrying yourself in the gym in a tired state - one way or another, this will lead to even more serious and dangerous injuries.
To facilitate recovery, Honn focuses on sleep, proper nutrition, and gentle stretching exercises. “Sure, you can train hard, but can you recover just as quickly after such a workout?” he asks. Think about this question before you start compiling your training program.

Elissa Martis

Elissa Martis, a professional bodybuilder, also enhances her workouts with stretching exercises and even regular massages. “I believe that gymnastics is a winning option for maintaining the elasticity of muscle tissue.”

  1. Keep track of your training sessions

Lindsey Cappotelli says she is making constant progress thanks to the entries she regularly makes in her training journal. “I like to write down on paper everything that I do - the weight lifted, the number of repetitions, and in general, everything that I did between rest breaks. So I always know for sure where I stopped, ”she explains. “Since muscle growth is a constant change, then I will complicate the workout by adding extra weight, reducing the number of repetitions and adding the number of sets.”

Lindsey likes to plan her classes 4-6 weeks in advance. Thus, it constantly progresses without getting stuck at one point. You do not always need to train harder, the main thing is to do it wisely.

  1. Regularly adjust and supplement your workouts with new little things

To avoid a "dead" phase in progress, natural bodybuilder Justin Robbins recommends changes in training. This does not mean that you need to completely abandon the old program and start a new one. But some changes can be made.

Justin Robbins

"Never do exactly the same exercise two weeks in a row," says Robbins. “Change the equipment, change your grip, change your hand position, or add one exercise to train the part of your body you want to improve.”

  1. Prepare your own food

If you haven't started cooking ahead of time yet, you're still losing in terms of building muscle. “If you always have the right food on hand, you won’t be tempted to go off your diet even a little bit,” says Robbins. "Never skip meals or you will seriously slow down your progress."

Instead of cooking every day, try to cook for a week at a time. For most people, this is very convenient on Sundays. Go to the store, read a book with healthy recipes, stand near the stove. Every morning before leaving for work, you will know for sure that you won’t have to think of anything for the evening.

If you're fluent in English, check out this resource - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/healthy-recipe-database.html. There are a lot of really healthy dishes here. And if you do not know English, but want to learn these recipes, subscribe to site updates, translations of these recipes will be published soon.

  1. Know Your Rhythm

Another key point in building muscle is pace. “Your muscles need to be in constant tension throughout the entire workout,” says Robbins. "When in doubt, slow down and think about the quality of the exercise, especially if it's the hardest exercise of all."

If you decide to do fewer lifts but more constant tension, then just slowly count to five as you lower the bar. This will give you the serious muscle damage you are aiming for. And these damages will lead to rapid growth.

Irene Goli

Do not fuss during the exercise. Focus on HOW you do them. “Mental control over muscle growth is important to me on every set,” says Irene Goli. “Focus on the quality of the reverse movement in the exercise and tighten your muscles to the maximum limit and stay under this tension for as long as you can.”

  1. Distribute nutritional supplements wisely

Before, during and after workouts are great times to take supplements designed to empower muscle performance and speed up recovery.

"I'm a firm believer in pre-workout, break and post-workout nutritional supplements," says Nick Twam.

Caffeine is one of the main pre-workout supplements. As a rule, in the form of natural, boiled coffee. "Caffeine launches nervous system, so it's perfect for starting heavy workouts. It will help you feel focused and energized," Twam says.

He also likes to use a few grams of citrulline malate to keep his muscles active. 5 grams of creatine monohydrate and a small portion of carbohydrates to increase energy and muscle glycogen recovery rate.

While exercising, Twam sips on branched-chain amino acid (BCA) shakes. "RCAs are required to reduce catabolism and increase protein synthesis," he explains. Nick adds 10 grams of RCA, often coupled with additional carbs, to keep his muscles at their full potential.

Post-workout, Twam finishes with NitroTech+ with up to 50 grams of extra carbs for even faster recovery and extra glutamine and creatine if needed.

If you do not want to use supplements separately, try picking up a complex preparation. Trainer Jason Dwarika, for example, recommends the MuscleTech Nano Vapor for getting the most out of your workouts.

  1. Be committed to a healthy lifestyle

Daniel Beausoleil

When Danielle Beausoleil is asked about her success, she begins to describe her special approach.

“Many people mistakenly believe that to achieve a decent result, you need to devote 70% to diet and 30% to fitness, or vice versa,” she says. “In fact, you are required to be 100% committed to both diet and exercise.”

Without endless dedication to a nutrition plan and training plan, your results will come to you with excessive difficulty. Of course, this has long been a cliche, but it is true - consistency is always the key to success.

Danielle's advice is simple: choose only the type of activity that is ideal for your specific needs.

  1. Take a multivitamin

While getting your nutrients from whole, natural foods is always best, sometimes you just can't get all the micronutrients at once and in full, because you still follow a diet and a certain nutritional restriction. “Vitamins and minerals are useful for any person, even for those who adhere to proper diet' says Nice.

She focuses on high-quality multi- and omega-3 supplements, and also supplements with magnesium and zinc, as this increases the intensity of training.

  1. Know your weak points

As you gradually progress in gaining muscle mass, pay attention to lagging behind the rest of the muscle groups. If there is a part of the body that you want to pay special attention to, then it would be nice to develop a special, separate training plan for it.

Trisha Ashley

“If there is a specific muscle group that needs to be focused on, I prefer to take a little more weight than usual and work for about six sets of six reps each,” explains fitness model Tricia Ashley Gutierez. “Then, if I realize that this muscle group really needs to be worked out, then after three days I return to working out this area of ​​​​the body using even more intense reps for the isolated muscle group.”

By adding weights to exercises for isolated muscle groups, you can easily equalize lagging muscles with the rest. Increase the frequency of training only for the lagging muscle group and you will get the desired volume.

  1. Get Started with Sports Nutrition Supplements

Do not think of nutritional supplements as just a way to increase the overall performance of the body. Nutritional supplements help the active athlete stabilize their caloric intake. “If you want to build muscle and find it difficult to consume the required number of calories for this, then a dietary supplement responsible for gaining muscle mass will only benefit you,” says Pulido.

High quality weight gain supplements include protein, carbohydrates, some fat, and additional micronutrients and ingredients to help improve overall performance. Pulido recommends Mass-Tech products, which he himself has used when he needs more calories than usual for extra energy and improved performance. And if it is not possible to go to the gym, then you can always equip

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How can a man gain weight?

At all times, women preferred strong men! AND modern women not an exception! Who likes a thin man who can't even protect the lady of his heart? Sometimes the question of how to gain weight for a man becomes an insoluble task for many people with unsuccessful genetics: yes, unfortunately it is, and nature disposed of it in its own way, someone can gain weight without problems, but someone does not gain him despite his best efforts.

The male body is designed in such a way that it is able to process and assimilate more food than the female, moreover, with sufficient activity, even without enhanced training, men gain better mass than women. Simply put, if a woman needs to relax a little and increase the calories consumed, then they are immediately deposited in the waist, abdomen and hips, precisely in the form of a fat layer, while a man at this time has a more even weight gain, and not an increase in a large fat layer on belly. This rule applies to healthy and fairly active people.

It is unlikely, our dear men, that you want to acquire an outstanding belly or round shoulders; rather, we are talking about gaining muscle mass. Of course, many immediately run and hang out in the gym for hours, listening to their pumped-up friend who offers miraculous “set injections” or dubious sports nutrition. Such "helpers" are almost everywhere. It seems that there is no need to mention the specialized sites of "amateur chemists" and other open information.

If your goal is to gain weight quickly, it is worth considering that the rate of mass gain in men, like in women, depends mainly on genetics and regimen.

For a man, a set of muscle mass is the first rule! This is like a “saving point”, since simply absorbing calories will not give anything, calories, as they come, will go away.

Sleep 8-9 hours a day, weekly rest, load alternation, proper nutrition (fractional meals, if you eat 1-2 times a day, like most men, you will not be able to gain muscle mass - huge portions of food are poorly absorbed, and the muscles will starve) and split training are your best friends.

Here we will tell you more about nutrition.

Avoid semi-finished products. It is important to consume high quality protein. At least 2 servings of meat or fish plus 2-3 servings of egg white, cottage cheese 5-9% fat should be present on your table daily. The intervals between meals are about 3 hours.

Weight gain as a result of an increase in muscle mass occurs due to training in the gym (no more than three times a week. Moreover, these workouts should be about 40-45 minutes long) and eating a sufficient amount of protein foods in combination with carbohydrates , fats and beneficial trace elements and vitamins, amino acids and L-glutamine. Drink at least two liters of fluid daily. Before going to bed, you can drink protein and protein shakes of your own preparation.

The most effective supplements for gaining muscle mass are creatine and glutamine. Creatine improves endurance and muscle energy, while glutamine improves the immune system and strengthens defenses. Experts recommend taking these supplements in combination with high-carbohydrate drinks after training. It is better to ask for help from a trainer who will tell you how to do the exercises correctly so as not to harm yourself.

Try to limit your intake of foods rich in animal and other saturated fats (fatty meat, lard, margarine, butter, sausages, etc.). For muscle growth and energy production, the body primarily uses carbohydrates, so most of the fat in conditions of excess nutrients will be deposited in adipocytes (fat cells).

Avoid fast carbohydrates, the most dangerous of them are sweets (confectionery, sweet fruits, etc.), the less dangerous are baked goods. Fast carbohydrates can be absorbed very quickly from the digestive tract, as a result of which the blood sugar level rises sharply, in response to this, the body converts glucose into fat.

Fast carbohydrates can be consumed after training, when muscles and other organs are able to quickly utilize glucose, in addition, the secretion of the anabolic hormone insulin increases, which is of no small importance when gaining muscle mass.

Fractional nutrition

When gaining muscle mass, food volumes should be approximately equal, however, in the first half of the day (before 16:00), about 70% of all food eaten per day should be eaten.

Never eat sugary or fatty foods at night. Food before bedtime should be easily digestible and rich in protein, sour-milk products, vegetables (legumes and others), poultry meat, salads, eggs, and fish are well suited for this.

Pre-workout nutrition

Be sure to eat before training (2 hours before it starts). Products containing slow carbohydrates are well suited for this: cereals, flour, vegetables, etc. Carbohydrates before training are necessary in order to load glycogen depots and provide muscles and brain with energy during training.

Nutrition after training

The most voluminous meal should be 20-30 minutes after training, or if you are taking a carbohydrate-protein shake (gainer) immediately after training, then the meal should be 1-1.5 hours after training. Include food in it rich in proteins and slow carbohydrates, even a small amount of fast carbohydrates (sweet) can be consumed. After training, the so-called protein-carbohydrate window opens, during this time the body is located to absorb a large amount of food, while the nutrients are used to restore muscles and replenish energy.

Muscle mass begins to grow only when the amount of incoming energy in the form of food exceeds the amount of energy expended by the body. In addition, you need to remember that the body always tries to maintain homeostasis (the constancy of the internal environment), so you can increase the caloric content of the diet by 5, 10 and even 30%, while the mass will not change! Sometimes, in order to move the mass off the dead center, you need to increase the calorie content of the daily diet by 50 or even 100%!

To determine the amount of food you need to gain muscle mass, you need to follow a simple technique:

Gradually increase the calorie content of the diet until the weight gain starts to be 600-800 g per week. If the increase is less, then you need to eat more, and vice versa.

To do this, you need to weigh yourself at least once every three days. After a month, you will be able to adjust your rate. Don't go over 800 grams per week or your body will store a lot of fat!

And yet, what kind of menu is needed to gain muscle mass? Let's take a closer look.

Protein products

1. Meat - any, lean. Poultry meat is preferable because it contains practically no fat and is easily digestible.

2. Fish and other seafood. You can also eat any fish, including fatty ones.

3. Milk products . Give preference to fat-free foods. The most popular are cottage cheese, cheese, kefir, milk, yogurt, etc.

4. Eggs . You can eat 6-8 eggs a day, along with the yolks. It has been scientifically proven that if you do not have high blood cholesterol, then eggs will not affect its level in the future.

5. Legumes . Beans, beans, peas, lentils are the most important vegetable sources of protein, although its value is lower than that of other products. Lentils and chickpeas additionally contain significant amounts of BCAAs. Soy is specifically not included in this list, since soy products are often genetically modified nowadays, and men are advised not to consume soy due to its hormonal activity.

Building muscle is not only about lifting weights - you should also pay attention to nutrition. In this article you will find tips on how to build muscle.

Steps

Part 1

Nutrition

    Increase your calorie intake. For example, if you are now eating 2,000 calories a day, increase that figure to 2,500 or more. But try to eat healthy and don't overeat.

    Eat enough protein to promote muscle growth. Your norm is 1-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, if your weight is about 80 kg, then you should consume at least 81-146 grams of protein daily.

    Drink enough water. The body needs enough water to build muscle mass at an optimal rate. Here is a simple formula to calculate if you are drinking enough fluids:

    Eat regularly. Instead of having three large meals, as we all have been used to since childhood, it is better to change your eating habits and divide meals into 5-6 small ones.

    • One or two meals can be replaced protein shake to keep the amount of protein consumed at the right level. On the Internet you will find many delicious and healthy recipes protein shakes, here is one of them:
    • 240 ml skim milk;
    • 1 banana;
    • 1 teaspoon peanut butter;
    • 2 liters of protein powder.
  1. Eat healthy fats. That's right - fats not only make food taste better, they're also good for the body if you eat the right fats in the right amounts. The amount of saturated fat found in butter, chips or bacon should be kept to a minimum - no more than 20 grams. This is bad news. The good news is that unsaturated fats are very healthy and even necessary. They promote the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K, help improve vision and skin condition. Depending on the total calories consumed per day, 50-70 grams of mono- or polyunsaturated fats will bring significant benefits to training and overall health.

    • Monounsaturated fatty acids are found in olive, canola, and sesame oils, as well as avocados and nuts such as almonds, cashews, peanuts, and pistachios.
    • Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn, cottonseed, and safflower oils, as well as in sunflower, flax, and soybean seeds and oils.
    • Omega-3 fats are very beneficial for heart and blood health, vision and brain development in children. Cold-water fish, such as salmon, tuna, cod, and sardines, are especially high in these fatty acids.
    • Multiply calories per day by 0.001 for trans fats, 0.008 for saturated fats, and 0.03 for "good fats" to find your maximum fat intake in grams. For example, if your diet is 2500 calories per day, then trans fat should be no more than 3 grams, saturated fat - less than 20 grams, and up to 75 grams of mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
  2. Take vitamins. In addition to a balanced diet, include vitamin supplements in your diet. So your body will receive all the vitamins and minerals necessary for health. There are various options depending on your age, gender, health and nutritional status. Find what works for you and incorporate it into your daily diet.

    Part 2

    Workout Tips
    1. Make an effective training plan. Good nutrition is necessary for the body to increase your potential, but it is of no use until you take care of your muscles and start working to make them bigger, bigger and stronger. The best way to start is the basics.

      Warm up. Before you start any workout, whether it's jogging or deadlifting 140 kilograms, do a few simple exercises that will help warm up the necessary muscles. This will not only help you tune in, but also prevent injury.

      • Do not stretch untrained muscles. Research shows that stretching before exercising, contrary to popular belief, not only does not prevent injury, but can lead to decreased productivity. Stretching is best done after the main workout.
    2. Work harder, but less. Multiple repetitions build endurance, but they are unlikely to increase muscle size or strength. Instead, do 3-8 sets per muscle group, 6-12 reps per set. The last rep should be pretty hard for you. If not, increase the load.

      • The total duration of the workout should not exceed 45 minutes per day.
      • Change the set of exercises every 4-8 weeks. The body will get used to the tension and you will reach a stage where there is no tangible benefit from strength training. The only way to prevent this is to make adjustments by increasing the weight and changing the set of exercises. Try only pulling iron for a week, doing six to nine reps per set with as much weight as you can lift. The more experience you have with strength training, the more often you should make changes to your workouts.
    3. Train your whole body. You will see the maximum result if you use the whole body in training. The more muscles you use during training, the more hormones your body will produce (including adrenaline and norepinephrine), which in turn will promote muscle growth, both during training and throughout the day.

      • Give all muscle groups equal attention, for example, do five sets of deadlifts alternating with five sets of abs. So the workout will be more balanced, and you will feel the growth and flexibility of the muscles.
      • Compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, crunches, deadlifts, and pull-ups involve different muscle groups.
      • You can work the whole body in one session or separate the sessions, for example, the core on one day, the lower body on the next.
      • Do not hurry. Advanced athletes often use a technique called explosive reps. In other words, they lift an incredible amount of weight in a short (explosive) period of time. This method brings significant benefits, but the risk of injury among beginners is very high. It is suitable only for experienced athletes.
    4. Turn on cardio. Cardiovascular health ensures good circulation - a must for muscle growth. The generally accepted recommendation is 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week, or 75 minutes of intense cardio, or an equivalent combination of both. Cardio can be running, cycling, swimming, or any other sport that involves constant movement.

      • Cardio burns calories quickly, so if you do too much and too often, it can reduce the energy stores needed for muscle growth. If you increase your cardiovascular exercise, increase your calorie intake as well.
    5. Rest. Your body needs time to recover and grow muscles, and for this you need at least 7-8 hours of good sleep. Avoid alcohol and caffeine for better sleep.

      • In addition to getting enough sleep, don't go overboard with your exercise regimen. The idea "the more the better" is very tempting, but in this case it's just the opposite. You can overtrain, which can cause a decrease in blood supply and oxygen saturation of the muscles, which in turn can lead to a decrease in muscle mass. Here are a few symptoms that will tell you that you are at risk:
        • chronic fatigue;
        • prostration;
        • loss of appetite;
        • insomnia;
        • depression;
        • decreased sexual desire;
        • chronic pain;
        • prone to injury.
    6. Make a workout schedule. To avoid overdoing your workouts, create a schedule that works for you and matches your goals. Here is one of the options for separate training, allowing muscles to grow and recover:

      • day 1: chest and biceps followed by 30 minutes of high-intensity cardio;
      • day 2: back and triceps, then 30 minutes of moderate cardio;
      • day 3: legs and abs, 30 minutes of high-intensity cardio;
      • day 4: shoulders;
      • Day 5 to Day 7: Rest.
    7. Reduce your stress levels. Whether your stress is caused by stress at work or you're just nervous, do what you can to reduce or eliminate it altogether. Stress increases hormone production cortisol, under the influence of which the body accumulates fat and burns muscle tissue.

      Perform explosive lifts. When lifting up, you train the explosive strength of the muscles. Be careful, such workouts increase the risk of injury if performed incorrectly. If you want to do this exercise along with squats or other movement exercises, start with light weight and not too intense workouts:

      • Move to the "explosive" part of the exercise gradually, start with a small range of motion and increase it over time.
      • Move smoothly as you lower the weight. During this movement, the most breaks occur, so you should not make "explosive" movements down.
      • "Load" the muscles at the beginning of the exercise - hold the contraction of the muscles before proceeding with the movement.
      • Rise up sharply, but do not straighten up at the top of the range of motion. For example, the knees should be slightly bent for leg exercises and the elbows for upper body exercises.

    Part 3

    Exercises for individual muscle groups
    1. Develop your back muscles. These exercises target the major back muscles, including the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and teres major:

    2. Focus on the chest muscles. The bench press is the most reliable way to develop chest muscles, although there are many other exercises for the chest.

      • Push ups. Combine push-ups with other chest exercises or do them on their own. Keep your hands shoulder-width apart as you lower. The closer you put your hands, the more stress will be on the triceps.
      • For bench press Start with a weight that is easy for you to lift. If you are a beginner, try starting with a barbell with 4.5kg plates on each side. Spread your arms shoulder-width apart, grab the barbell and slowly lower it until it is at chest level; lift the projectile up so that the arms are fully extended. Do three sets of 8-10 reps, adding weight with each set. When you have a few months of practice behind you, gradually increase the weight and do 6-8 reps per set to reach the state of "training to wear" at the end of the third set.
      • Lift the projectile on the bench with slope. It uses the same bench as for the bench press, only one side is at a 40-degree slope. Do 3 sets of 8 reps. It will be more difficult to lift the bar at an incline, so start with a lighter weight than on a flat bench.
    3. Train your leg muscles. These exercises will help strengthen your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings:

      • Do deadlifts to work your hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Lift a barbell or two kettlebells off the floor and straighten up, then slowly lower yourself down. Keep your back straight and straighten your arms; engage your legs and back.
      • Squats with a bar. Place plates on both sides and place the barbell on the rack at about shoulder height. The weight should be large enough to make it difficult to squat, but not become an overwhelming task. If you are a beginner, it may be better for you to start doing this exercise with only the neck. Bend under the bar and stand so that the barbell is on your trapezius muscles, right below the neck. Bend your knees slightly, and spread your legs slightly wider than your shoulders. Raise the barbell up, take it off the rack and take a step back.
        • Slowly shift your weight down by bending your knees. Keep your chest, knees and feet in the same vertical line, and pull your hips back.
        • Slightly hunch your back, but keep your body as straight as possible, head and spine should be in a straight line.
        • Lower your buttocks and transfer the tension to your leg muscles. The safest option is to bend your knees at a 90-degree angle. Through practice and experience, some people can go below 90 degrees, but this is not necessary.
        • Exhale deeply and lift yourself up with your muscles, legs, and hips, not your back. 3 sets of 8 reps.
      • Front Squats with a bar. Place the barbell on a stand just below your shoulders. Approach from the front and grasp the bar so that the projectile is placed on the front of the shoulders. Remove the bar from the rack. Keep your back straight, bend your legs and do a squat, your hips should be under the bar. Get up and do 3 sets of 8 reps.
      • Bulgarian lunges(they are also "squats on one leg") with a kettlebell. Hold the kettlebell at chest level with both hands. Come to the bench, take your right leg back parallel to the floor so that it lies comfortably on the bench. Sit on your left leg so that your right knee almost touches the floor. Stand up and do 3 sets of 8 reps. Do the same with the other leg.
    4. Work your biceps. Dumbbell curls are one of the most effective ways to build strength in your biceps. As with the rest of the exercises, gradually increase the weight you lift to build muscle.

      • Arm curl with dumbbells. Sit on a bench, take the dumbbell off the floor, hand between your thighs. Put your elbow on your thigh, lift the dumbbell to your upper chest, bending your arm up. Change hand and repeat. 3 sets of 8 reps.
      • Arm curl with a bar. Stand up, grab the barbell with both hands. Straighten your arms so that they touch your hips. Using only the strength of the arms, lift the projectile to the chest, bending the arms at the elbow. 3 sets of 8 reps.
    5. Build your triceps with arm exercises. Push-ups from the bench in the back - the most effective method work out the triceps, that is, the muscles that are under the biceps. You need strong triceps to bench press and lift heavy weights.

      • To perform this exercise, place your hands on a bench shoulder-width apart, stretch your legs and torso forward. Slowly bend your elbows and lower your torso down until your buttocks almost touch the floor. Rise to the starting position, repeat, doing 3 sets of 8 times. If this is not enough for you, increase the load by lifting one foot off the floor.
      • In addition, you can do push-ups on the uneven bars. Holding on to two beams, bend your legs at the knees and take them back; Lower your body until your knees are almost touching the ground. Rise up and fully straighten your arms.
      • Forehead press. Lie down on a flat bench. Bend your elbows so that the bar is a few inches from your forehead. Slowly lift it up until your arms are fully extended, then lower it back down. Keep your elbows close. Do 3 sets of 8 reps.

How to increase body weight? The cause of reduced weight may be any disease in the body. Therefore, an underweight man should first of all consult a doctor. If there are no pathologies in the body, then insufficient weight may be the result of a too fast metabolism. This is especially true for young men.

How to increase the weight of a man?

Many underweight men try to gain weight by increasing the amount of food they eat. However, this does not lead to the desired results.

It is necessary to increase not just the amount of food, but to increase the number of calories consumed by the body per day. A nutritionist can help you calculate the number of calories your body needs.

In order to increase weight, you must follow the correct daily routine and diet. Proper nutrition combined with exercise will increase weight by increasing lean body mass.

To determine the optimal weight of a person, it is necessary to measure his height and subtract 110 centimeters from the resulting value. The result will show the number of kilograms that is the optimal weight for a given person.

Proper nutrition for weight gain

It is necessary to create the correct diet. We should try to eat more often during the day, preferably every 3-4 hours. Food should be rich in vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates.

You need to have breakfast in the morning within an hour after getting out of bed. For breakfast, you can cook an omelette, eat foods such as cottage cheese, cheese, dairy products, fruits and honey. It is very useful for breakfast to eat milk porridge seasoned with vegetable oil.

For lunch, you can cook for the first hearty soup, for the second meat or fish with a side dish of pasta or mashed potatoes, a salad of fresh vegetables. Then you can eat dessert and drink coffee with cream.

For dinner, you can cook an omelette with ham and tomatoes and coffee with milk. Before going to bed, you can eat fruit: apples or grapes. During the day, in addition to the 3 main meals (for breakfast, lunch and dinner), you need to have snacks. As snacks, you can eat dairy products, sandwiches, salads, fruits, nuts. During the day, you need to drink plenty of water.

For 1 serving, you do not need to eat too many different foods. You can cook food for the whole day. If possible, it is advisable to prepare food before each meal, as fresh food is tastier and healthier. You need to eat regularly and avoid feeling hungry.

How to increase weight with brewer's yeast?

Brewer's yeast improves metabolism and the general condition of the human body. The composition of brewer's yeast includes a large complex of vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Brewer's yeast contributes to an increase in muscle mass with a prerequisite for physical education, sports and other physical activities.

Brewer's yeast contains a large amount of amino acids and vitamins that contribute to their absorption. The protein found in brewer's yeast resembles animal protein, but has a much higher calorie content.

In order to increase your weight, you need to take 2-3 tablets of brewer's yeast after meals. Thanks to the intake of brewer's yeast, a person's appetite improves.

While taking brewer's yeast, you should follow the correct diet. Brewer's yeast can be bought at a pharmacy. They are made in the form of tablets. You can make a drink to improve your appetite. To do this, dilute brewer's yeast in water, add honey and crackers there.

Workouts to increase muscle mass

How to increase your muscles and how to increase body weight? Muscle volume increases with physical activity. In response to an increase in muscle load, the body responds with an increase in lean body mass. To gain weight and increase muscle, you need to achieve a constant progression of loads in training.

It is advisable to perform strength exercises in the gym under the supervision of a trainer.

If you can't go to the gym, you can do strength exercises Houses.

It is necessary to monitor the intensity of training and gradually increase the load. If the training is not intense enough, then the increase in muscle mass will not occur.

When exercising at home, training with dumbbells and a barbell is most preferable. They give the greatest effect for increasing muscle mass and body weight.

It is necessary to perform the exercises correctly and gradually add weight. Among the physical exercises, the following give the greatest effect:

  • squats with dumbbells;
  • pushups;
  • bench press in the prone position;
  • deadlift;
  • twisting on the press;
  • bench press in a standing position;
  • pull-ups on the crossbar;
  • swings with dumbbells.

Strength exercises must be combined with running, swimming, cycling. You need regular and sufficient rest.

Muscle growth does not occur during the training itself, but during the rest, especially at night. Therefore, you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day.

Training is not recommended to be done every day. You can train 3-4 times a week in the gym or at home.

Don't overtrain. If you spend too much time and energy on training instead of building muscle, you will release cortisol, which, on the contrary, contributes to muscle breakdown.

If, due to too frequent and exorbitant training, processes that destroy muscles occur, then it will not work to increase weight and add muscle mass. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the training does not exceed 1.5 hours.

After training, you need to eat. During training, you need to increase the diet. Breakfast should be early and heavy.

Only in this case, in response to training and strength exercises, the body will be able to gain the necessary weight.