About 40 percent of your body weight comes from your muscles. That means that a person weighing 150 pounds has about 60 pounds of muscle. Strong muscles can make it easier to lift boxes, strengthen your bones, and protect you from certain injuries. They can even improve your confidence and self-esteem. The trouble is, how do you put on muscle? Luckily, knowing how to gain muscle is a strategy you can learn. Read on to learn some muscle building tips for beginners that can boost your health and wellbeing.
1. Add Compound Moves to Your Workout
Also known as multi-joint exercises, compound moves work multiple muscle and joint groups at the same time. Think squats, lunges, and pull-ups.
These exercises are a great way to build muscle and give you a strong foundation to work from. If you’re a complete beginner, start with compound moves.
2. Remember to Stretch
When you’re just learning how to build muscle, you’re bound to experience some muscle soreness. It’s a sign that your muscles are working harder than usual.
That said, you don’t want your muscles to feel so sore that you abandon your workout routine. Make time for at least 10 minutes of stretching after every workout. You can also do your stretches on your rest days to keep soreness at bay.
3. Don’t Forget Your Diet
While you should aim to eat healthy most of the time, the foods you eat before and after your gym workout are especially important. On weightlifting days, you should eat about 20 grams of protein both an hour before and an hour after your workout. Just make sure to combine your post-workout protein with some carbs to replenish your energy. When building new muscle, try your best not to eat at a caloric deficit.
You can also experiment with different vitamins and supplements, but make sure to touch base with your doctor. Supplementing with cardarine is an alternative way to potentially burn more fat and improve muscle growth, and you can buy cardarine here.
4. Include Recovery In Your Workout Schedule
Contrary to what you might think, muscle building happens in between your workouts. That’s why it’s critical to rest one or two days per week. Without rest and recovery, you’ll have trouble gaining muscle and be more prone to injuries.
On your rest days, focus on eating healthy, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep. You can also do some low-impact exercises like yoga, hiking, or light stretching. This will keep your muscles healthy and give you enough energy on your workout days.
5. Use a Combination of Free Weights and Weight Machines
As a beginner, you might think it’s best to start with free weights. They’re less intimidating to use, but you need proper form to get a safe workout. Exercise machines on the other hand, actually ensure you’ll use proper posture.
That’s why it’s ideal to use a combination of both weights when you’re starting out. If you want to do squats, start with a leg press machine. The machine will guide you through the proper form and squats will work multiple muscle groups.
Try These Muscle Building Tips for Beginners
If you’re new to working out, you might not know how to put on mass. Hopefully, these muscle building tips will get you off to a healthy and safe start. Remember to make time to rest and stretch and you’ll be adding muscle in no time.
About the Author/s
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.
