Everyone has a different body type, but very few people have well developed biceps, chisels thighs, tight glutes, and rock-hard abs without putting in at least a bit of work. Having great genetics absolutely helps if you want to become more muscular, but it truly doesn’t matter what body type you have if you are determined enough. Be realistic about just how ‘swole’ you want to become, but more importantly be patient with yourself. Gaining muscle is much like losing fat – major changes are not noticeable overnight. So, take things day by day, step by step, and discover these realistic ways to gain and develop muscle mass.
Determine What Your Body Type Is
There are mesomorphs, endomorphs, pear-shapes, apple-shapes, and more. While you are much more than your anatomy, knowing what your body type is can help you to gain muscle mass in the easiest way possible. For example, of the three official body types, ectomorphs generally have the hardest time gaining and maintaining muscle mass. Ectomorphs are generally long and lean, having fast metabolisms that makes it difficult for them to put on fat or muscle. When you know what your body type is, you can figure out what kind of foods are going to be best for gaining muscle as well as what exercises are going to develop your body best.
Make Better Use of Your Workout Time
Unless you work at a gym, you are only going to have so much time available to workout. Having the time that is needed to do weight training in particular is vital to the muscle building process. Remember, gaining muscle is not the same process as burning fat. A person that wants to lose a little bit of fat might be able to get up first thing in the morning and go for a jog a few times a week. By contrast, someone whose goal is to develop their pectoral muscles and build up their biceps and triceps is going to need to participate in a really targeted weight lifting oriented workout plan. Simply hitting the treadmill is not going to do when you want to bulk up rather than slim down. So, calculate how much time you can put into the gym per week. Divide up that time up so that you can focus on the areas of your body that you want to work on the most.
Focus on What You Want to Change
Believe it or not, if you perform certain targeted weight lifting exercises, you can make huge changes in certain parts of your body. For example, you can definitely head to the gym, work on your core, and end up with a chiseled set of abs after a few months. Look your body over and see what part of it you would like to work on the most. If you already have good upper body strength, you might want to target the glutes and quads instead. For those that struggle to do push-ups or bench-press a significant amount of weight, building up the chest muscles can be a major help indeed.
Evaluate Your Supplement Intake
There are a lot of valid reasons that people should consider taking supplements. Yes, it is true that you should try to get everything that you need by way of a healthy diet, but also consider the ways that you already supplement in unexpected ways. If you drink coffee or soda, you are supplementing your body with caffeine. Eating a sugary snack also counts as a supplement of sorts, especially when you use it as a pick-me-up at the end of a long day. Health supplements, dietary aides, and even energy drinks are all examples of things that people consume to feel better and perform at peak levels. In the event that you are already taking a few supplements, you should see if there is anything better on the market. If you don’t take supplements, consider testing a few out to see if you can push yourself even further when working out.
A lot of weightlifters depend on supplements to maintain peak performance levels. If you take a look at the Immunocorp website, you can view the different supplements that are available depending on what your health goals are. For example, if you’re looking to boost energy then you’ll be taken to a product such as Arctic Ruby Oil. It’s incredibly important that you take the right supplement for your needs, so do plenty of research before buying anything.
Protein Is the Key
If you are trying to get bigger and more defined muscles, then you are going to need to get more protein in your diet. This doesn’t mean that you have to walk around with your pockets full of protein bars, but you do have to increase whatever your protein intake is at present. Perhaps you can start doubling up on your portion of protein at dinnertime, eating a bigger piece of salmon, chicken, or lean beef.
For those that generally don’t snack throughout the day, eating more nuts, sipping on a protein drink, or munching on a protein bar can be very helpful. You need to look at approximately how much protein you are eating on a regular basis. There are all sorts of methods you can use to increase your protein by 20, 30, or even 50 grams per day if you are wanting to put on some more muscle. Remember that you are going to need to feed your body extra protein if you are looking to bulk up.
Gaining muscle can be a walk in the park or one of the hardest things you ever do. Then, actually defining that extra muscle by whittling away your body fat is even harder. Be happy about whatever progress you make and trust the process enough to know that you will eventually get as big and defined as you desire. Try to take in more protein whenever possible, get in a few extra intense workouts, and always remember where you were at the beginning of the process. Compare what you looked like when you first started to where you are now and you will instantly see all of the amazing progress that has been made. Some people have to work for years to make even modest progress.
Tags: build muscle, building muscle, gain muscle, lean muscle, muscle gains, workout
