How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast: The Complete Guide For Men
A toned muscular body is no longer the preserve of models or body builders. Most young men today work hard to get that magazine-cover look. If Aamir Khan can do a “fat to fit” or a John Abraham build those awesome biceps, so can you. But, how easy is it, really, to gain muscle mass?
Most neighbourhood gyms – and these have really mushroomed over the last decade or so - promise to help you build muscle mass in the shortest possible time. While most gyms promise you rippling muscles, it is only the professionally-run gyms that have the necessary equipment and experienced trainers to guide through the process. It is important that you take care to avoid injuries in your hurry to build muscle mass.
So, what are the factors that help in building muscle mass? What precautions do you need to take? Simply put, it is a combination of a well-planned exercise routine and a diet that adds strength and stamina. So, let’s get the fundamentals right, first.
1. It takes time
The rippling muscles you get to see of men on magazine covers do not happen with a few weeks of training at a professionally-run gym. It takes time to build muscles. Not every human body reacts in the same way. In some, muscles develop over a reasonable amount of time and workouts, while in others, it takes more time. Do not lose heart. It takes regular practice and a certain rigour.
2. Focus on the whole body
You cannot just develop biceps. It is not possible for just one set of muscles to be developed. After all, building muscle mass is also about physical strength and that does not come in bits and pieces. The entire body needs to be exercised develop muscles. Be sure that you exercising your entire body.
3. More is not better
Get rid of the notion that spending more time exercising in the gym will get you the muscles like that guy on the magazine cover. Spending less than an hour at the gym is ideal for you to develop muscle mass. Any good gym instructor will tell you that spending 40-45 minutes on a workout would be the best way to achieve your goals. Anything more than an hour does not help muscle growth.
4. Eat well, sleep well
Building muscle mass is dependent upon three pillars. First, workout that is suited for you. Second, eating a balanced diet. Third, having a good eight, if not nine, hours of sleep. As the popular saying goes, muscle building takes place more outside the gym than inside it. That is why it is imperative for you to spend more time to nourish the muscles and rest them adequately for them to develop.
5. Multi-joint training
When you enter the gym, the first phase would cover multi-joint training. The idea is to prepare your body for the rigour of lifting weights, the most essential aspect of training to induce muscle growth. This basic, multi-joint strength developing programme includes barbell rows for the back, squats for the legs, bench presses for the chest and overhead presses for the deltoids. Such a high intensity workout helps in building the capacity of your joints and your body to lift weights.
6. Don’t give up
At first, this is bound to create some amount of soreness of the muscles. But, the answer does not lie in giving up. On the contrary, regular workout sessions help in reducing the soreness of the muscles. Along with this, cardio exercises like cycling or running are also an essential part of the basic exercise regime. These basic capacity-building exercises are essential for building resistance to weight training exercises that will follow soon after.
7. Weight training
In weight training, it is advisable to start with whatever your body can lift. No rightful purpose would be served by you trying to lift the heaviest of weights and making your gym instructor rush you to a doctor. So, follow the instructor’s advice, start with minimal weights and slowly increase the weight as your capacity builds up. You will, by now, begin to feel the difference. But do not expect to see muscle growth increasing on a daily or a weekly basis. It is growth that takes place slowly with regular practice.
8. Your body is unique
Weight training has a certain routine. Again, it all depends upon how your body is made. Your body weight and height, your genetic disposition to build muscles, maybe faster than others who take a longer time. Some may not develop a muscle mass despite following all the norms of muscle development. These are, essentially, issues that will be determined by the gym instructor assigned.
9. Follow the time table
The training routine will certainly include the number of times in a week you will need to exercise to develop a decent muscle mass. There are several routines that are, generally, advised by gym instructors. First, there is the regular routine wherein you can practice every day with a day’s break during a week. There are also routines wherein you practice a minimum of three days in a week. Either of those routines will have to be a full-body workout. This is what any experienced instructor would come up with. Of course, there are variations. For example, you may work one day only on the upper part of the body and the next day on the lower part of the body with an off in between. This may be followed by a repetition on the following two days of the week with another off thrown in between. But, the split routine is considered by experts to be one that can be comfortably done once you have reached a certain level of practice. This is not advisable during the early days of practice.
10. Slow and steady
Depending on your body’s capacity, the trainer will tell you how much weight to lift and how much not to lift. Start slowly and steadily like the tortoise to achieve the goal of having a muscular body. The extent of weights to be carried would depend upon the number of times you can lift a certain amount of weight without having to put it down. And, when you do bring it down, how slowly you bring it down is critical in building muscles in the entire body. This process where you bring it down slowly is called dropsets. Weight training is fundamentally, weight resistance exercise repeated six to 12 times with a certain weight. The critical aspect to be remembered is that if you cannot lift a certain amount of weight, it is better not to push your luck too far.
11. Focus areas
The largest group of muscles in a body are in the back, legs and chest. It is best to start with the biceps, triceps and the chest followed by the legs and the abdominal region. The next point to remember is whether your body is comfortable in the morning, afternoon or evening. The idea is that you should feel refreshed after spending 45 minutes at the gym.
12. Eat multiple meals
To take the weight of training in your stride, you need to be eating a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates with the singular focus of gaining strength. Increase the number of times you eat. Instead of three meals, it is advisable to eat five times a day. The basic purpose being to build strength.
13. Protect your muscles
Most instructors would recommend supplements like protein shakes during training. Such supplements help in providing energy as well as in repairing muscle tissues in the body. Normally, when you lift weights, muscles suffer very small tears. The body repairs this in the normal course when you sleep. That is one reason why a minimum of eight hours of sleep is essential. So, when you consume supplements, they are said to not only reduce the tears that occur in the muscle fibre but also repair them. These tears are what finally lead to the growth of muscle mass. But, medical research has come to the conclusion that the amount of protein should be determined on the basis of your weight and daily calorific intake. Protein supplements in excess of 30 per cent of the total calorific intake, in fact, acts against the growth of muscle mass. Such an intake also puts other systems in the body under stress. This is possibly why there is another school of thought that says fresh and natural food is the best.
14. Be patient
In short, building muscle mass requires lots of patience and determination. You need time to get muscle mass. And you need to stay on course to develop a healthy body.
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