Feeling like your body could do with looking better? After a some guns to show of at the beach? Want to change that scrawny figure into pure brawn? If the answer to these questions is yes then read on for some tips to get your body in shape. Perhaps you already visit a gym and just aren’t seeing the results that you’re after, working hard doesn’t necessarily mean hard gains will come, it’s about working right so here are some helpful pointers to get you from scrawny to brawny.
Diet
Before even contemplate what kind of workout you’ll be doing in the gym it’s important to work out your diet, food plays just as important a role in this as hard exercise does. Protein is where the treasure lies and things like lean beef, skinless chicken, eggs and whey protein should feature heavily in your diet as well as healthy fats like avocados, seeds and fish. Some carbs can be ok such as oatmeal but in general try to avoid too much. Once your diet is set it’s time to start putting those nutrients to work in the gym.
Routine
Simply heading to the gym and working on whatever machine is free is unlikely to help you, far more important is that you dedicate days to focus on areas of your body. A great tip is to write down what weights you are using and how many repetitions each day, this way you can steadily increase both and do it at a reasonable speed as you get bigger. Some like to split their days up as arms, legs, back, others prefer push and pull days, the choice is yours but it’s important that you have a routine that you stick to to help you stay focussed.
Go Hard and Heavy
While doing circuit type training will get the blood pumping around those muscles the best way to bulk is to life heavy, naturally within your reach, don’t overstretch yourself and cause an injury.Try lifting as heavy as you can in 5 rep intervals, this will greatly increase your bulk in much less time than building from light weights.
Volume Training
A method that bodybuilders use is volume training which involves doing 5 exercises per body part using 4 sets of 8-10 reps, this works out as around 180-200 reps per body part and will help you see gains in no time. Bodybuilders are the biggest gainers on the planet so if they use this method with success then there is no reason that you can’t too.
Recovery
Recovery is one of the most important parts of gaining bulk, you may thinking that working your butt off in the gym each day can help you but if you don’t allow your body to recover then you are going to end up causing damage. Every week or so take a day away from the gym, the following day at the gym use lighter weights, less reps and perhaps cut an exercise or two. This will allow your body to fully recover for the next week of hard training and results will be easier to come by.