If you are just getting into training and are keen to build up your muscle mass it can be tempting to look for shortcuts in the form of things like steroids to speed things up, but there’s really no need to do something which is both against the law and risky for your health. Instead there are plenty of everyday things beginners can do to build those muscles effectively, and here we look at the best of them. You can read about a range of body related hacks over at Hypertrophia.
A healthy diet
The ultimate aim is to devise and follow an eating plan based on your current body weight (and adjusted as you gain pounds due to muscle development.) There are plenty of dedicated websites where you can work this out accurately – as it depends on factors such as exercise regime, gender etc, but you should then have a decent guide as to how much protein, fat and carbohydrate you need to consume a day. Remember that your calorie total will be over the average as you need extra to feed new muscle growth.
Good protein sources are quality cuts of meats such as chicken, turkey, and beef, eggs, beans, protein powder and so on. Your body also needs high quality fats from sources including nuts, avocado and oily fish, plus low sugar carbs made from wholegrain sources, and non-starch vegetables.
Adequate sleep
Good sleep is essential for muscles to repair and grow, and although exactly how much sleep you need for the best results varies between people the key is ‘good sleep’. That means sleep which is uninterrupted and leaves you feeling rested. If you have problems getting to or staying asleep it’s worth checking out things you can do to improve things.
Guided training
You don’t need to go as far as employing a personal trainer or fitness coach, but it is a very sensible idea to get into building muscle mass under the watchful eye of someone who does now what they are doing. This is important for several reasons, such as avoiding or reducing the risk of injury, learning how equipment works, and creating/ keeping to targets for reps. If you are going to a gym ask around to find out if they have staff on call to help beginners.
When you are new to exercise aimed specifically at building muscle it is easy to overtrain, especially in the first few months when you are likely to see a marked change to your physique. This is why having a complete day free of exercise weekly is vital, as is keeping a god and honest record of the workouts you are doing. Training logs are good for helping you track progress, but also help if you need to re-think your routines as you have a clear record of what you are capable of right at that moment.
Add some supplements
These should be chosen with care, used to complement the work and effort you put into training rather than as a shortcut to success.