Everyone wants to look well in the gym and on the beach, and a massive part of that is muscle building. Many people associate hard, defined muscles with lifting weights, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
Sure, bench pressing, squatting, and deadlifting are going to be a big part of what allows you to reach your fitness goals. However, it would help if you also thought about what to eat, when to eat it, sleep, rest days, recovery, supplementation, stress management, the list goes on. Getting shredded isn’t as simple as you might think.
So, we’ve broken down the five most important things anyone chasing the perfect physique needs to keep in mind.
Training
OK, we did say that training wasn’t everything, but it’s the most important thing along with nutrition and recovery. Unless you place stress on your muscles by partaking in resistance training, they’re not going to grow.
You should come up with a training program and stick to it. Most advanced lifters go to the gym between 3-6 times a week. It would help if you tried to use compound movements (lifts that engage more than one muscle group) in each workout, which will boost efficiency.
Many so-called “gym gurus” insist that their training program is the best and that no other exercise schedule will allow you to build muscle quite as quickly or reliably. However, this usually isn’t the case.
For instance, some people naturally have well-developed arms but lack strong legs, while the reverse will be valid for others. You should make sure your program targets your weakest points.
Recovery
Training breaks down your muscles, and muscle tissue can’t grow if it’s always broken down. Therefore, you need to make sure you’re giving your body a chance to regenerate itself after a heavy session.
The first thing to keep in mind here is sleep. You need to be getting between 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep a night; if you’re training a lot, you should probably be nearer the high end of that range.
You also need to train sensibly. If you’re taking on too much work in the gym, your body will stop progressing linearly.
Of course, if you want to give your body a helping hand in its battle to respond to training, some supplements can be of massive benefit.
Training breaks down your muscles, and muscle tissue can’t grow if it’s always broken down. Therefore, you need to make sure you’re giving your body a chance to regenerate itself after a heavy session.
The first thing to keep in mind here is sleep. You need to be getting between 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep a night; if you’re training a lot, you should probably be nearer the high end of that range.
You also need to train sensibly. If you’re taking on too much work in the gym, your body will stop progressing linearly.
Of course, if you want to give your body a helping hand in its battle to respond to training, some supplements can be of massive benefit.
Nutrition
If you don’t give your body fuel in the form of high-quality, calorie-appropriate food, you’re not going to see gains. The food you eat is ultimately what defines the make-up of your body, so you need to think carefully about your diet.
Firstly, are you bulking or cutting? To put on weight, you need to eat more calories than you burn; if you’re trying to shed pounds, on the other hand, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on the nutritional labels of your foods or getting anavar products, as well as counting the calories you expend in the gym (as well as in your everyday life).
You need to keep your protein intake specifically in mind. Protein is the macronutrient containing the amino acids your body needs to build tissues like muscle and bone. Unless your body has an appropriate supply of these amino acids, it won’t be able to add muscle.
If you don’t give your body fuel in the form of high-quality, calorie-appropriate food, you’re not going to see gains. The food you eat is ultimately what defines the make-up of your body, so you need to think carefully about your diet.
Firstly, are you bulking or cutting? To put on weight, you need to eat more calories than you burn; if you’re trying to shed pounds, on the other hand, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on the nutritional labels of your foods or getting anavar products, as well as counting the calories you expend in the gym (as well as in your everyday life).
You need to keep your protein intake specifically in mind. Protein is the macronutrient containing the amino acids your body needs to build tissues like muscle and bone. Unless your body has an appropriate supply of these amino acids, it won’t be able to add muscle.
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Avoiding Injury
This might sound obvious, but it’s something many people forget about. With all the talk of “going hard” in the gym, it can be easy to disregard the possibility you might hurt yourself.
So, make sure your form is right on all exercises, especially compound movements. If you’re feeling the pain that seems more severe than your usual delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), you should consider giving that muscle group a rest or visiting a physiotherapist.
Maintaining a Balance
This is another thing many gym enthusiasts end up neglecting. It can feel great to be laser-focused on the gym, and it can also be productive in the short run, but you need to keep balance in mind if you want to see consistent progress over the years.
Make sure to manage your stress levels, make time for your friends and family, and stay calm if things don’t go to plan in the gym on a given day. You should also enjoy a tasty cheat meal when you get the chance!
Staying Ripped in 2021 & Beyond
There’s a lot to remember for anyone trying to make progress in the gym. If building legendary muscles were accessible, everyone would have them! However, if you stay focused on the basics as we’ve outlined here, you won’t need to worry about forgetting anything important. Just work hard, be patient, and results will follow.
If you’re interested in seeing more informative content like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our social media pages.
Sources:
1. https://www.ebylife.com/blog1/10-things-you-need-to-know-to-build-muscle
2. https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/beginner-muscle-building-essentials.html
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/sleep-calculator#sleep-needs
4. https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/macromolecules/proteins-and-amino-acids/a/introduction-to-proteins-and-amino-acids
5. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness_(DOMS)
This is another thing many gym enthusiasts end up neglecting. It can feel great to be laser-focused on the gym, and it can also be productive in the short run, but you need to keep balance in mind if you want to see consistent progress over the years.
Make sure to manage your stress levels, make time for your friends and family, and stay calm if things don’t go to plan in the gym on a given day. You should also enjoy a tasty cheat meal when you get the chance!
Staying Ripped in 2021 & Beyond
There’s a lot to remember for anyone trying to make progress in the gym. If building legendary muscles were accessible, everyone would have them! However, if you stay focused on the basics as we’ve outlined here, you won’t need to worry about forgetting anything important. Just work hard, be patient, and results will follow.
If you’re interested in seeing more informative content like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our social media pages.
Sources:
1. https://www.ebylife.com/blog1/10-things-you-need-to-know-to-build-muscle
2. https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/beginner-muscle-building-essentials.html
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/sleep-calculator#sleep-needs
4. https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/macromolecules/proteins-and-amino-acids/a/introduction-to-proteins-and-amino-acids
5. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness_(DOMS)
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
As a rule, to maintain and build muscle, it is advised to consume 1.4–2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. And to make your workouts much more effective, you can always add an l-l-arginine supplement to your diet.
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