If you are thinking of hitting the gym you probably want to do it because of two reasons: losing fat or gaining muscle. Or, if you are overweight, it can be the combination of both. Either way, there are specific things one should bear in mind when starting out on this journey. In this article the author will focus on the specifics of muscle building and the best and most efficient ways of doing that. After all, time is money and if you spend some of that time in the gym, you should better make the most of it. There are many guys doing it wrong and spending years in the gym with little improvement.
First of all, you should understand that there are several important factors that you cannot neglect if you wish to gain muscle efficiently and relatively quickly. The factors are the following: proper workout regime, diet and lifestyle habits. For the best way to gain muscle, you have to take all of these elements into consideration and follow them all throughout. If you neglect any of the aforementioned things, you will still make progress but it will be slower and more tedious for your body.
A proper workout regime is not necessarily a demanding one. Let me explain - the first thought a beginner might have is that more is better. That is, the more time you spend in the gym the faster you will get ripped and working out every day is the best way to gain muscle. This is dead wrong. To grow muscle your body needs time to relax and rest. This is why I recommend visiting the gym every second day, leaving a day for rest in between the workouts. If your muscles are sore from the workout the day before it is not efficient to put an even bigger strain on them. If you are using additional supplements like Whey protein and creatine you might be able to work out 5 or even 6 days per week, since your muscle will be able to regenerate quicker, but if you are a beginner you do not need to use additional supplements and should experience relatively quick muscle growth nonetheless.
Regarding the workouts themselves - focus on performing around 3 to 4 exercises per each muscle group. Each exercise should be done for about 3-4 sets of 6 to 8 repetitions. Regarding the weights - do not go overboard. Use challenging weights as you have to push your muscles more to make them grow, but make sure you can do about 6 to 8 repetitions in full range of motion with relatively heavy effort. If you start feeling unwell reduce the load or stop the exercise altogether. If you really want to push yourself to the limit, get a spotter to help you with the last rep in exercises such as bench press, shoulder press and others. When selecting the exercises for the specific muscle group, try to choose ones that will train each part of the muscle. For example, for chest do a standard bench press; follow up with incline bench press and then decline for upper chest and lower chest respectively. You can finish up with dumbbell flys. As for isolation exercises - these aren't necessary if you are a beginner. Free weights are generally the best way to gain overall muscle mass in the specific area.
The next important aspect of your training is diet. Diet is important because it gives all the necessary nutriments to your muscle fibers in order to make them grow bigger. Forget about junk food and start eating healthy. Foods rich in protein should be your main focus - lean meats are a great solution. Vegetables are a good choice as well, along with fish and cottage cheese. Depending on your current weight, you might need to intake more or less calories. If you are thin, you will need to eat a lot more than you are used to. It helps that you have good metabolism rate as it means it will be easier to maintain a shredded look once you achieve your preferred muscle mass. For heavier people it might be easier to gain muscle mass, but losing the excess fat might prove a challenge. Once you acquire the desired look, it will become easier but you will still need to consume the right amount of calories to maintain the muscle. Either way, you will have to work hard and eat right while leading a healthy lifestyle.
A healthy lifestyle is a very important aspect of fitness training. Not only should you stay away from drugs, alcohol and smoking, but you should also lead a relatively stress free life. Sleeping 8 to 9 hours each night is also a requirement, since that is the time when your muscles actually grow. Don't worry though; you will still be able to treat yourself once in a while. However, if you are tired from a night of partying and been having some drinks it is better to avoid a workout the next day. If you are a fan of beer, you should know that it increases the estrogen levels in your body. Estrogen is a female hormone which is the opposite of testosterone, therefore drinking a lot of beer might hinder your journey for the perfect body.
These are the basics and should help you to understand how muscle growth works. If you keep following your training program, eat proper diet and lead a healthy lifestyle for several months you will definitely start noticing positive changes in your body. Do this for a year and you will have a body that will attract stares on the beach. However if you are aiming for a "ripped" or "jacked" look you will probably have to spend at least 2 years in the gym. After that, you will still need to visit the gym about 3 times a week to maintain the muscle and still eat healthy, but it will be easier than getting the muscle mass in the first place.
John Castor writes articles on muscle building and fitness topics, paying special attention to diet, workout regime and the best way to gain muscle [http://www.gainmusclebuildmuscle.com/blog/best-way-to-gain-muscle]. Visit John's website now and get the free guide on how to build muscles. [http://www.gainmusclebuildmuscle.com]
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