Most people would like to be in better physical condition than they are in right now. It’s not a strange thing to crave; we always want to improve on what we have currently – and our physicality and appearance are pretty important factors! Are you thinking of heading to a gym and bulking up a little? Do you want to get stronger and build muscle, too? Well, good for you, it’s a great thing to want.
When it comes to actually figuring out how to do such a thing, it seems like a bit of a minefield. There are so many details and all kinds of contradictions around. If you’ve never been involved in the fitness game, then it can seem like actual rocket science! Fortunately, it’s all pretty simple! It’s just a case of doing the same stuff over and over again, really. Once you get going, you can become an expert almost immediately! It can seem like quite a steep mountain to climb, but it’s really a case of scaling a reasonably shallow hill for a long period of time. Wanna know how to actually build muscle and strength? Well, read on…
Have A Plan In Mind
Before you even begin your journey, you’ll have to have an idea of what you want. Firstly, you’ll want a clear picture of what you want to look like or what areas you would like to improve. You don’t want to begin a workout that doesn’t achieve the goals you’re setting – that would just be a colossal waste of time and money.
Also, think about having an actual program ready to go. Heading into a gym and simply pottering around from the start until finish isn’t going to get you the results. Whether you’re doing an intense strength regime or a kettlebell full body workout, make sure you have everything logged down in front of you. Be sure to write down your results, too – you’ll be able to track your progress that way.
Know That The Two Are A Little Separate
Muscle and strength are, in fact, different – amazing revelation right! The two are linked, obviously, but they don’t necessarily go hand in hand. You can have all of the muscles in the world and still be pretty weak compared to other weightlifters. You don’t have to have all of the muscles in the world to be strong.
Muscle is usually built from doing around eight to ten reps when executing lifts. If you’re putting lots of volume into your workouts, then your muscles will be breaking down a lot more and, thus, growing more when they recover. You’ll obviously need to eat quite a lot, too, but will go into detail regarding that in a little while. To build strength, you’ll be lifting heavier weights and doing a very small amount of repetitions. Because the weight is so grand, you don’t have to do much in terms of volume – you won’t be able too, either!
Get The Form Right
You can put all the weights on, but if your form is horrific, then you’re not going to get anywhere near where you want to be. You might be a little self-conscious, or you might even want to show off – don’t do that. If you feel as though you have it wrong: lower the weight and do it properly. You might feel as though your progress is dropping – it’s not.
Make Sure You Do The Big Lifts!
In order to build overall strength and, thus, more muscle going forward, you’ll need to do the main compound lifts. Now, they’re not completely essential, but they’ll help out an awful lot. You don’t HAVE to do them, but you’ll be a lot better off if you do. What are the main compound lifts? Well, there’s the bench press, squat, deadlift, and military press. They all require many muscles to get them done, so your entire body will be put to work!
Eat!
We mentioned this a little earlier. You’re not going to get what you want if you don’t eat a little more. You might manage to bulk up a little with your current diet, but you’ll only get so far. You got to have a surplus of calories in your body in order to build muscle and strength. It might be a little daunting if you’re hoping to lose a few pounds, but it the only way to get it done!
Use Supplements To Boost Your Progress
Whether you want a little boost due to your meals being a little short, or you just want to go the whole hog, supplements will add that extra something to your workout and post-workout tasks. Beforehand, you might want to try some pre-workout stuff in order to boost your performance. You could then get some protein powder afterwards in order to get that extra protein in your diet.
Change Up Workouts A Little
After around eight to ten weeks of training, your body will start to get used to everything. When that happens, you need to shock the body and try out all new stuff. Completely shake up the workout – if your mind isn’t okay with it, then that’s cool; that’s the idea! You might even want to think about training at different times (if you can). Your body grows and improves under stress and issues – make sure your body is constantly feeling the pressure.
Don’t Work Half-Heartedly!
Really put in the effort. Don’t enter this kind of thing, thinking that a half-hearted approach will get you what you want. You’ll need to sweat in the gym and eat all the right stuff when you get home. There’s no luck involved in this game.
Rest!
When you’re not working out, your body needs to rest in order to then grow. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, and let your body get that well-deserved rehabilitation. This means getting the right amount of sleep at night. It also means having rest days. Hitting the gym or running every day sounds like the right course of action, but you do need days where you literally do nothing, too!
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