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Part 1: Creating an Exercise Routine to Build Muscle
1. Create a consistent exercise schedule with resistance training and cardio. Resistance training helps build muscle, while cardio warms up the muscles and increases endurance. Dedicate 3 days a week to cardio and at least 2 days to strength training, including free weights or bodyweight exercises like squats, planks, or deadlifts. Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 6-12 reps to build 1 to 2 pounds (0.45 to 0.91 kg) of lean muscle per month.
Example split routine:
Day 1: Chest and biceps, starting with or followed by cardio
Day 2: Back and triceps
Day 3: Active rest day, cardio
Day 4: Legs and abs
Day 5: Shoulders, starting with or followed by cardio
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest
Example upper/lower split routine:
Day 1: Upper-body workout, starting with or followed by cardio
Day 2: Lower-body workout
Day 3: Rest and cardio
Day 4: Upper-body workout
Day 5: Lower-body workout
Day 6: Rest and cardio
Day 7: Rest
2. Warm up with 5-10 minutes of cardio exercise before lifting. Before you begin any exercise routine, start with a low-intensity routine designed to warm up all the muscles you're about to work on. This can include jogging, cycling, or the stair master. Not only will it help you get into the right frame of mind, but it can also help prevent injuries.
The standard recommendation is 150 minutes of moderate cardio each week, 75 minutes of vigorous cardio, or an equivalent combination.
Only warm up with stretches if you've already done at least 5 minutes of cardio to avoid injury.
Cardio burns calories quickly, so overdoing it can limit your energy to build muscles. If you increase the amount of cardio exercise you do, be sure to increase your calorie intake as well.
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3. Work harder for a shorter length of time to build muscle. Training with high reps is good for building endurance, but it won’t increase your muscle size or strength. Opt for shorter reps with heavier weights to build muscle. Aim for 3-6 sets per muscle group with 6-12 reps per set. Your final rep should be tough to complete! If not, increase the weight you’re lifting until you feel some resistance.
Cap your workout time to 60 minutes a day. You'll be too tired to perform any more quality sets any longer.
Tip: Every 4-8 weeks, vary your routine. As your body adapts to stress, you'll hit a plateau where the benefits of weight training will begin to diminish. The only way to prevent this is to switch things up. Increase your weights and change exercises.
4. Work your whole body over the week. The more muscles you use when training, the more strength you'll gain and the more balanced your muscle development will be. Work your whole body simultaneously or target different muscle groups on different days.
Give all your muscle groups equal attention. If you’re doing five sets of bench presses, follow up with five sets of rows. Doing so will encourage balanced training, growth, and flexibility.
Compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, and pull-ups use a lot of different muscles. They're great for a full-body workout.
Don't rush. Advanced lifters base their routines around explosive repetition, where they lift heavy weights over a short (explosive) time. This method has significant benefits, but the risk of injury in novice athletes is high. It is recommended solely for more advanced athletes.
5. Practice explosive lifts to build strength. Explosive movement in exercise helps individuals increase their energy spending during and after resistance training, which helps with weight loss and muscle building. Start with a smaller range of motion to work up to the explosive part of your exercise (the lifting), but avoid full extensions at the peak of motion.
For leg exercises, keep your knees slightly bent. For arm upper body exercises, keep your elbows slightly bent.
Move slowly on the eccentric (lowering phase) as this part of the motion is a common cause of injury.
Load the muscle at the low point of the exercise. This means holding the muscle contraction before beginning the movement.
If you want to add explosive movements to your squats or other range-of-motion exercises, practice with a lighter weight and a low-intensity setup first.
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6. Get 6-8 hours of rest per day. Quality rest allows your body to repair and build your muscles. It helps to avoid over-training, as this can lead to muscle wasting, which is when you lose the ability to pump your muscles. Symptoms of over-training include:
Chronic fatigue
Strength loss
Loss of appetite
Insomnia
Depression
Lowered sex drive
Chronic soreness
Prone to injury
7. Reduce stress with slow movement, hobbies, or self-care. Whether stress comes from your job or home, or that's just how you're wired, do what you can to reduce or eliminate it. Stress also increases the hormone cortisol, which encourages your body to store fat and burn muscle tissue. Here are some examples of activities that reduce stress:
Take a walk.
Talk to a friend.
Journal.
Color in an adult coloring book.
Play with your pet.
Soak in a bathtub.
Smell essential oils.
8. Invest in a personal trainer. If you're unsure how to start your muscle-building journey, invest in a personal trainer. Personal trainers know how to curate a tailored muscle-building workout that meets your goals. They can also provide alternative exercises if you have a specific health condition or injury.
Similarly, working alongside a personal trainer will help maintain proper form and maximize each workout for effective results.
In this section, I’ve explained how any beginner can build muscle mass by following the principles I’ve outlined here. See you tomorrow in the next section.
Artemus Vazhui