Bodybuilding has increasingly become popular over the years. More and more men – and women – are looking to achieve an excellent physique. However, it takes a lot of time, patience, and hard work before you see significant changes in your body.
And if you’re still not noticing any progress even after several months of training, maybe you’re missing out on the little things. In this article, you’ll discover the simple things you can do to grow your muscles in no time.
There is a lot of information available on how you can build muscles faster, making it difficult to determine which works best for you. To save you from wasting your time and effort, here are the top tips that will help step up your bodybuilding game.
1. Give importance to warm-up exercises
As you get stronger and become capable of lifting heavier weights, you also increase the pressure you put all over your body – which can lead to injury. To avoid any unfortunate circumstances, make sure to give importance to your warm-up exercises and give them more of your time. As you advance to heavier weights, see to it that you’re also increasing your warm-up time. For instance, before jumping onto your killer workout, use the elliptical or treadmill for around 5 – 10 minutes then proceed to lift light dumbbells.
2. Don’t deprive yourself of carbs
We get it; you don’t want to waste all your efforts by cheating with your food. But we’ve got some good news for you – there’s no need to cut down on your food intake! You even have to stock up on those nutrients to help your muscles recover. Besides, you deserve it after a week’s hard work!
Most importantly, don’t avoid the carbs because it’s beneficial for your muscle growth. Low-carb diets are ideal for those who are trying to lose weight, but if your goal is to gain muscle, you shouldn’t have to worry about those fats.
Nonetheless, if you’re taking a few days off from training, you should control your consumption on carbs. Instead, focus on eating more protein as it is essential in gaining lean muscles.
3. Protein shakes are best consumed during workouts
Pre- and post- workout meals and drinks are undeniably essential for bodybuilders, but drinking protein shakes between workouts is often neglected. Since you’re burning off fats during a hardcore workout, you need to regain some energy with a protein shake.
However, see to it that you’re only drinking enough in between sets to avoid upsetting your stomach.
4. List down everything you eat
From breakfast to midnight snack, list down every single meal you ate for the day. This is an essential part of your fitness journey as you have to know whether you’re not eating enough or overeating. Strictly keep track of everything you eat and drink throughout the day and include the time.
This will allow you to be aware of the number of calories you’re taking up and compare it with your progress.
5. Get Enough Sleep At Night
Working out is essential, but getting enough sleep is more important. This gives your muscles time to recover and prepare to work hard for the next day. Not only that; the body also releases human growth hormones during sleep. Obviously, it helps develop your physique even without having to move a muscle.
6. Embrace Leg Day
A lot of people hate it but leg day is undeniably essential in bodybuilding. First of all, you wouldn’t want to have broad arms and shoulders without increasing the size of your legs. And the most important reason why you need to focus on training is your legs is because it helps balance your body, especially with heavy lifting.
Deadlifts, for instance, primarily uses your legs throughout the exercise, but it’s beneficial for your whole body. In fact, it’s one of the unique workouts that train every muscle in the body. Plus, it also helps release growth hormones.
7. Check Your Weight Weekly
Weighing in every week might be a thing for those who are trying to shed some pounds, but it’s also an excellent way to monitor your bodybuilding progress. To get more accurate results on the scale, weigh yourself first thing in the morning after using the bathroom. Do it on the same day and time every week.
If you don’t see the scale move up the following week, then it simply says you’re not yet gaining any muscle. The goal is to increase around half-pound every week with a minimal fat gain. It also helps to look at yourself in the mirror and flex those muscles to see any improvement.