Bulk up using free weights.
Many amateur bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts spend hours in the gym without seeing results. If you are struggling to achieve lean muscle gains, then you may be failing to adopt some key diet and training principles. The muscles must be worked to overload with each session, and you must provide your body with the fuel and nutrients needed to ensure they grow bigger and stronger.
Instructions
1. Train with free weights to activate your postural and stabilizer muscles to help promote better gains. Machine weights assist your movement and prevent the targeted muscle groups from being stressed in their entirety.
2. Perform compound exercises with every session. Compound exercises, unlike isolation exercises, require the activation of several muscle groups to perform a movement, and as such, promote greater strength and muscle gains. Compound exercises include squats, bench press, dips, lunges and dead lifts.
3. Perform eight to12 repetitions and three to five sets of each exercise to stimulate hypertrophy (increased muscle size). The last repetition of each set should be performed to failure or fatigue while executing the correct form.
4. Train different muscle groups with each weights session and allow a minimum of three days of rest before targeting the same muscles. Give your body at least two full rest days from resistance training each week.
5. Cycle your training program every four to six weeks, incorporating different exercises within each cycle. This will keep your muscles guessing and ensure they don't adapt to your training, preventing the desired muscle gains.
6. Consume 1 gram of protein to every pound of body weight. Increasing your protein intake will help repair your damaged muscle fibers, essential when trying to build lean muscle mass. Consume a drink made with a scoop of whey protein upon waking up, post training and before bed to ensure your muscles are always fueled.
7. Make sure you are eating enough. It is very difficult to increase muscle size if you are eating a calorie-controlled diet. Ensure you are eating a healthy, balanced diet and don't be scared to eat. If you are hungry, your body is telling you it needs fuel.
8. Sleep for a minimum of eight hours per night. When you are asleep, your body works overtime to repair the damaged tissues and build new muscle.
9. Stay motivated by training with a partner or personal trainer. Keeping records of your training sessions allows you to track your progress, acting as a great motivational tool.
Tags: your body, muscle gains, muscle groups, your training, ensure they, free weights