If you want to gain muscle mass in a short time and have more explosive strength, you can develop a training regime suited to your needs that will allow you to strengthen your body through sports and nutrition.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Develop an Effective Training Program
Step 1. Develop a realistic training regimen
You have to set yourself attainable goals and determine the results you want to achieve. The final goal should be concrete, such as having a certain body mass index (BMI), losing a certain number of pounds or being able to show off sculpted abs.
- If you've never trained in your life or haven't set foot in the gym in a long time, take it step by step. If you try to demand too much of your body and get hurt, you will not be able to get any results.
- If you don't follow a regular training program, it can take longer to see results, so be patient and consistent.
Step 2. Evaluate your situation and your goals
You need to be realistic about the program you intend to follow and the time you can devote to training. Maybe you can play sports for only 30 minutes a day, or maybe there are days of the week when you have more free time.
- Knowing how much time you can devote to training will help you develop a regular and optimal program for body shaping.
- Considering your schedule, try to train three to five times a week. If you can only do this a couple of times a week, try spending a little more time on each session so that you work out for about 75 minutes at a time.
- Assess your current fitness and experience. If you've never trained before, your initial program should consist of less difficult workouts to avoid getting hurt.
Step 3. Train your whole body
The fastest way to have a sculpted physique? Train multiple muscle groups at a time. Over the course of the week, be sure to exercise every single part of your body. If you work more muscle groups during a training session (instead of focusing on just one), you will train them more often, so they will be stimulated more frequently and will develop sooner.
- If you find that you can train three times a week, prepare a program that allows you to exercise your whole body. For example, work on your chest, shoulders, and triceps on the first day. The second, focus on your back and biceps. Third, train your legs, or do a cardiovascular workout, such as running in the park or on the stairs.
- Also make sure you rest well. The recipe for success requires two ingredients: training the right parts of the body at the right time and getting enough sleep. In fact, muscles grow thanks to a cell cycle that takes place after workouts: thanks to this process, they repair themselves by rejoining the muscle fibers.
Part 2 of 3: Doing the Right Exercises
Step 1. Train properly
As for weight training, you shouldn't do it more than five times a week. The reason is simple: if you exert too much from your body and get hurt, you won't see any results in the end.
- In the first couple of weeks, focus on building your muscles. What does it mean? You should lift more weight by doing fewer reps and rest for about two minutes between sets to prevent your muscles from straining. Once your muscle mass begins to build up, intensify your workouts with more reps but less weight. This will tone your muscles and continue to develop them at the same time. If you use less weight, the rest between sets should last about a minute.
- Do not overdo it just because after a short time it seems that the results are not what you hoped for. Trying to speed up the process will make you feel exhausted and sore, so you won't even have the strength to train. With a well-structured program, you can see the following results: in principle, men can see an increase in muscle mass of around 200g per week, while for women this same growth occurs every two weeks.
- If you want, you can do a cardiovascular workout every day. It is very important to shed the extra pounds. Do this after strength training, not before. Aerobic exercise is tiring: if you do it before a strength workout, you won't be able to lift weights optimally.
Step 2. Follow the training program to burn fat and build muscle quickly and effectively
Remember that you need to exercise large muscle groups by dedicating each training session to different parts of the body.
- If you work on the chest, triceps and shoulders on Monday and / or Thursday, focus on the back and biceps on Tuesday and / or Friday. On Wednesdays, train your legs and do some cardiovascular exercise.
- Find a workout that suits your body and your goals. If you want to build and strengthen muscles, vary the repetitions depending on the workout. One day, do sets of a few repetitions (five to eight) with more weight; when you go back to exercising the same muscle group, lower the weight and increase the reps (12-15).
- Varying the weight and the repetitions will always surprise the muscles: this will force them to adapt to varied workouts of different intensities.
Step 3. Try to do some cardiovascular workouts on the weekend to optimize the program
Aerobics can give you the energy to start the week off on the right foot.
- Run a few miles, swim, do workouts that only require body weight, or do yoga on the weekend to keep your muscles alert.
- You may think that cardiovascular training burns muscle and fat because it causes the body to go into a catabolic state. In fact, 30-45 minutes of aerobics per week can help sculpt your physique. Since cardiovascular training increases the density of the capillaries within the muscles, the latter can receive more oxygen and other nutrients which will contribute to the development of mass and improve recovery times.
Step 4. Don't be afraid to ask for help
Generally, gyms or other sports centers have professionals available who can help you prepare a training and nutrition program that suits your body. Instructors can guide you through the exercises and point you on the right path.
- An instructor can teach you how to train efficiently to make the most of your time and work done in the gym.
- The instructors also monitor your progress, give you tips for a balanced diet and optimal hydration, explain how much you need to rest to recover properly.
- Overcoming the final goal will be satisfying from a psychophysical point of view. Thanks to hard work, a healthy and balanced diet and rest, you will get the body you have always wanted.
Part 3 of 3: Follow a Proper Diet
Step 1. Examine your nutrition
Before you try to build muscle, you need to make sure you are eating the right foods, only then will you have the energy you need to train. The body needs a healthy and balanced diet for you to see real progress.
- As the word itself says, supplements should only supplement nutrition. You decide whether to use them or not. If you don't eat right, don't work hard, don't get enough sleep, don't give your body time to rest and recover, few legal supplements (probably none) will benefit you.
- Choose natural foods that energize you and promote recovery. Onions, blueberries, and peppers are great for brain functioning. Quinoa, turkey and asparagus contain nutrients such as folic acid and manganese that improve mood. Tofu, broccoli and radicchio help burn fat, not to mention that they contain essential proteins and vitamins. Fish, beef, and avocado allow you to build muscle mass, but they also offer you antioxidants and essential oils.
Step 2. Avoid classic fast food or foods containing a lot of sugar and sodium
Overdoing carbohydrates is equally harmful, as the body prefers them to fats to fuel.
- If not burned relatively soon after consumption, carbohydrates convert into fat. Eat foods that are high in healthy fats, such as fish, but also protein and fiber.
- Taking multivitamins can also help keep you fit and energize you to train.
Step 3. Eat right before and after workouts
The proteins taken before and after physical activity help you develop muscles and repair them. Taking one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day allows you to gain lean mass.
- Egg whites, grapes, and oatmeal are all great sources of protein that will get you pumped up in the gym.
- Poultry and fish are other good sources of protein, while lean red meat helps you build muscle mass faster.
- Beef, squash, and wholemeal pasta are good sources of protein and nutrients - they'll fill you up after your workout and this effect will be long-lasting.
Advice
- Having a training partner helps you and gives you the right motivation.
- Set a feasible goal for your needs. For example, determine how much weight you can realistically lose or try to gradually intensify your workouts depending on the time you have available. Once you reach a goal, you will feel better about yourself and you will feel motivated to continue, in fact your mental predisposition will be positive. Good luck!
