Whether your goal is gaining weight or building muscle, few activities are as effective or simple as regular resistance training. Have you been thinking about starting a muscle building program but don’t know where to start? Here are a few simple rules to adhere to when following a successful muscle building program.
1. Take care of your hands! The first thing that you need to do is purchase a good pair of weight lifting gloves. When you go shopping, buy a pair that fits comfortably and accommodates your hand type. If you have a tendency to get sore hands when lifting weights you really need to look at getting a pair of gloves to protect your hands and so you can still do the lift.
2. Be consistent! Get to the gym or train at home at least 3 times per week. Unless you are sick or injured, NO EXCEPTIONS! This must be a priority in your life in order to be effective. Keeping a training log helps. Going on holiday? See if there is a local gym or one in the hotel! Work 12-hour shifts? Keep your workouts short and intense and save your longer days for when you are off.
3. Begin each workout session with a warm up set and build into your pace. Finish each session at an easy pace to cool down properly. If you feel the urge to pick up the pace, do it in the middle of your workout, not at the end.
4. Don’t worry about progressively increasing the weights every session. Keep it comfortable on most days of the week, especially the first 2 or 3 months. If you can handle it steadily increase the weight/reps but only if you can lift with proper form to achieve maximum gains and to avoid injury.
5. If you want to increase strength gains, vary your workout. You can do this by increasing training intensity at least one day per week. Typically, you can increase the training intensity by using a full range of motion with every lift, increasing the weight, or decreasing the time between each set.
6. Make sure to exercise every muscle group at least one day per week. To prevent muscle imbalances. If you exercise one muscle group too frequently and neglect to exercise a related muscle, for example working the pecs and neglecting the upper back, it will eventually lead to muscle imbalance. Training all muscle groups will ensure you have good body symmetry and help prevent injury.
7. Set a performance goal. The muscle gain and other benefits are the result of achieving performance goals. You don’t have to aim too high, but you might have a difficult time motivating yourself without setting a goal. Examples of realistic goals would be to gain 1 pound of muscle per week.
8. Monitor your progress. It’s a good idea to weigh yourself before starting a muscle building program. The best time to weigh yourself is after you take a poop in the morning. If you buy body fat calipers it will give you a better idea of what type of weight you are gaining and whether or not it’s muscle or fat.
9. Know your limitations. High intensity training takes some getting used to because it’s a shock to your system. Don’t feel like there is any rush to increasing the weight. You are better off lifting lighter weights with proper form then training sloppy.
10. Most importantly don’t give up! There are going to be some bad days, and maybe even set backs. Learn to expect them and move on. As Rocky said “It’s not how hard you can hit, its about how hard you can GET hit and still stand up”. Learn how to gain weight and muscle the right way and accept the setbacks along the way.
