What is the best way to build muscle?
Build muscles
Strong muscles can make you more confident, but they require time and consistency. You'll see results if you work hard and stay on the ball. If you want to build muscle, you need to exercise regularly and eat healthy. You can build muscle at home or in the gym with the same exercises.
1
Create a workout plan. Create a workout schedule so you know when to work out which muscle groups. You can work all muscles on the same day or on different days. Rest each muscle group for 24 to 48 hours between workouts. [1]
For example, if you work your arms on Mondays, don't work them again until Wednesday or Thursday.
If you're unsure how to start, find a workout plan online and do it for a while. Don't switch from one program to the next right away or you won't make progress.
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2
Plan your workouts. Make a plan that is customized to you and your goals so you don't slip into overtraining. Create your plan in such a way that you train two muscle groups at the same time and thus save time (superset). For example, train chest and back one day, biceps and triceps another, or do a chest and biceps day.
Here's an example split plan that will give you plenty of time to work different muscles, but also a day to let your muscles recover.
Day 1: Chest and biceps, then cardio.
Day 2: Back and triceps
Day 3: rest and cardio
Day 4: legs and abs
Day 5: Shoulders, then cardio
Day 6: Break
Day 7: Break
Another plan would be to split into upper and lower body. Here's an example:
Day 1: Upper body workout, then cardio.
Day 2: Lower body workout
Day 3: Break and cardio
Day 4: Upper body workout
Day 5: Lower body workout
Day 6: Break and cardio
Day 7: Break
3
Warm up with cardio before lifting weights. Start with a not-very-intense warmup for all the muscles you want to work before you begin your actual workout plan. Not only will you get in the right frame of mind, but you'll also prevent injury. Do five to ten minutes of light cardio before lifting weights.
Walk, run or jog in place.
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4
Train harder over a shorter period of time to build muscle. Workouts with many repetitions are good for building endurance, but won't help you grow or strengthen your muscles. Instead, do three to eight sets per muscle group and six to twelve reps per set as a normal routine. The last repetition should be very hard for you! If it's not, then lift more weight. [
Don't work out for more than 60 minutes a day. A longer workout will make you too exhausted for more quality sets.
Tip: Change your workout schedule every four to eight weeks. Your body adapts to stress. When you reach the peak, training with weights won't do you much good. You can only prevent this by making changes, such as increasing the weights and changing the exercises.
5
Train your whole body throughout the week. You can achieve the best results if you train your whole body. The more muscles you train, the stronger you become and the more balanced your muscles grow. You can train your whole body with one workout or different muscle groups on different days. [4]
Train all muscle groups equally hard, for example, do five sets of Rows after five sets of Bench Presses. You'll have a balanced workout, growth and become agile.
Combined exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, presses, rows and pull-ups, work many different muscles. They are a great total body workout.
Don't rush yourself. Advanced weightlifters often work with a technique called explosive repetition. In other words, they lift a lot of weight in a short (explosive) period of time. This method has many advantages, but the risk of injury is high for inexperienced athletes. It is recommended only for experienced athletes.
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6
Do cardio. They recommend 150 minutes of moderate cardio or 75 minutes of strenuous cardio per week. A combination of both is also possible. Start with 30 to 60 minutes of cardio exercise every other day or three times a week. Cardio exercises include running, biking, swimming, and any sport that involves constant movement. [5]
Good cardiovascular health promotes blood flow, which is very important for muscle growth. Cardio improves cardiovascular fitness, which allows you to better use your muscles for many sports and activities.
Cardio burns calories quickly. If you overdo it, then you won't have enough energy to build muscle. If you do more cardio, you'll eat more calories.
7
Rest. Your body needs time to recover and repair (build) your muscles, so get at least eight hours of good sleep every night. Also, don't overdo it with your training. There's what's called "overtraining," where you can't "pump up" your muscles anymore, leading to muscle atrophy. Here are some symptoms to look out for if you're worried you're slipping into overtraining:
Chronic fatigue
Loss of strength
Loss of appetite
Insomnia
Depression
Decreased libido
Chronic pain
Frequent injuries
8
Reduce your stress. Whether the stress is from work, home, or just yourself, you should reduce or eliminate it. Not only is it bad for you in general, but it can decrease the production of the hormone cortisol, which causes your body to store fat and burn muscle tissue. Here are some suggestions on how you can reduce stress:
Go for a walk.
Talk to a friend.
Write in a journal.
Color in an adult coloring book.
Play with your pet.
Take a bath.
Smell essential oils.
9
Do explosive lifts to build strength. "Exploding" upward while lifting weights builds quick and explosive strength. However, it also increases your risk of injury if you don't use proper technique. If you do this with squats or other exercises, practice with light weights and low intensity first: [8]
Gradually work your way to the explosive part with smaller movements. Increase this with time and practice.
Lower the weight slowly. This part of the movement is the most strenuous, so don't try to "explode" down.
"Load the muscles" at the lowest point of the exercise. Hold the muscle contraction before you initiate the movement.
Explode upward quickly, but do not fully extend at the highest point of the movement. For example, the knees are slightly bent during leg exercises. The elbows are also slightly bent during upper body exercises.
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You can not build a house without bricks. In order to build muscle mass, you will need to eat a sufficient amount of calories. Between working out, your muscles need calories for them to repair and grow. Ideally, you need to be in a caloric surplus. That means you should be eating more than you are burning. That’s why it is hard to gain muscle and lose weight at the same time. Because if you want to lose weight, a caloric deficit is required. That’s why many bodybuilders use cutting and bulking phases. Cutting to get lean and losing body fat. Bulking to gain mass.
