6 Bodybuilding Tips to Build Massive Muscles
No matter the level of dedication in your workout routine, you might reach a point where you are no longer gaining size. This calls for a change of tact by switching the way you exercise in the gym.
It’s not possible to get continuous growth if you stick to the same training program for long. Like most professional bodybuilders would advise, you have to change your exercises and advance your training techniques overtime to keep gaining. Here are 6 tips to help you build massive muscles over time.
1. Don’t Do Too Much Cardio
Cardiovascular exercises are highly beneficial to your health, but you shouldn’t overdo them if you’re focusing on gaining muscles. Experts recommend minimizing cardio workouts to 3 to 4 sessions of about 20-30 minutes in a week. Focus on simple cardio exercises such as walking, using a recumbent bike, or any other activity to keep your heart rate between 130 and 150.
Instead of going for 30-minute morning or evening runs, go for simplified exercises such as rebounding on a mini-trampoline for 10 minutes. Check out this review for the best exercise trampoline.
2. Balance Between High Intensity and High Volume Training
There’s been a constant debate on the training style that works best. The truth is that a combination of high volume and high-intensity workout provides the best gains. If you want to gain more muscles, you need high volume training to force your body to adapt through hypertrophy (increasing muscle cells by increasing intracellular nutrients).
It would be best if you also had a high-intensity workout to allow your body some recovery time after the high volume training. This alternation will allow muscle growth and the development of new strength in your body.
3. Vary Your Training Frequency According to Your Body Type
Just because your friend trains 3 to 4 days a week doesn’t mean you have to follow the same routine. Our bodies have different metabolisms, meaning you might need to train more days if you have a slower metabolism. For instance, if your metabolism is naturally slow, you need 5-6 sessions of workouts per week. However, a naturally skinny person doesn’t need as many training sessions.
4. Adapt to Your Own Training Schedule
This might sound obvious, but most people disregard the essence of choosing their own training schedules. Considering the many life commitments that people have, such as family and work, it’s not always easy to stick to certain training programs no matter how good they look.
If you don’t have enough time to follow a 5-6 days program, look for a schedule that will work for you and stick to it. Inconsistencies can ruin your body’s adaptation whenever you are trying to gain muscles progressively.
5. Change Your Resting Time Between Sets
Most bodybuilders maintain a specific rest time, say 3 to 4 minutes between sets, throughout their workout sessions. However, varying your rest between sets can enable your body to adapt easily. You can opt to rest for one minute after a given set, then three in the next, and so on. Your strength levels might suffer initially, but your gains will be better eventually.
6. Do Shorter Workouts
You might think that working out for three continuous hours will make you gain, but this is far from the truth. According to health experts, your cortisol levels begin to increase while your testosterone levels start to decline after working out for around 45 minutes. Since testosterone is responsible for burning fat and building muscles, working out beyond that limit will only have a negative effect on your gains.
Bottom Line
Gaining more muscles is not about how hard you work, but how smart you workout. Whichever program you choose, make sure you stick to it for consistency.
No matter the level of dedication in your workout routine, you might reach a point where you are no longer gaining size. This calls for a change of tact by switching the way you exercise in the gym.
It’s not possible to get continuous growth if you stick to the same training program for long. Like most professional bodybuilders would advise, you have to change your exercises and advance your training techniques overtime to keep gaining. Here are 6 tips to help you build massive muscles over time.
1. Don’t Do Too Much Cardio
Cardiovascular exercises are highly beneficial to your health, but you shouldn’t overdo them if you’re focusing on gaining muscles. Experts recommend minimizing cardio workouts to 3 to 4 sessions of about 20-30 minutes in a week. Focus on simple cardio exercises such as walking, using a recumbent bike, or any other activity to keep your heart rate between 130 and 150.
Instead of going for 30-minute morning or evening runs, go for simplified exercises such as rebounding on a mini-trampoline for 10 minutes. Check out this review for the best exercise trampoline.
2. Balance Between High Intensity and High Volume Training
There’s been a constant debate on the training style that works best. The truth is that a combination of high volume and high-intensity workout provides the best gains. If you want to gain more muscles, you need high volume training to force your body to adapt through hypertrophy (increasing muscle cells by increasing intracellular nutrients).
It would be best if you also had a high-intensity workout to allow your body some recovery time after the high volume training. This alternation will allow muscle growth and the development of new strength in your body.
3. Vary Your Training Frequency According to Your Body Type
Just because your friend trains 3 to 4 days a week doesn’t mean you have to follow the same routine. Our bodies have different metabolisms, meaning you might need to train more days if you have a slower metabolism. For instance, if your metabolism is naturally slow, you need 5-6 sessions of workouts per week. However, a naturally skinny person doesn’t need as many training sessions.
4. Adapt to Your Own Training Schedule
This might sound obvious, but most people disregard the essence of choosing their own training schedules. Considering the many life commitments that people have, such as family and work, it’s not always easy to stick to certain training programs no matter how good they look.
If you don’t have enough time to follow a 5-6 days program, look for a schedule that will work for you and stick to it. Inconsistencies can ruin your body’s adaptation whenever you are trying to gain muscles progressively.
5. Change Your Resting Time Between Sets
Most bodybuilders maintain a specific rest time, say 3 to 4 minutes between sets, throughout their workout sessions. However, varying your rest between sets can enable your body to adapt easily. You can opt to rest for one minute after a given set, then three in the next, and so on. Your strength levels might suffer initially, but your gains will be better eventually.
6. Do Shorter Workouts
You might think that working out for three continuous hours will make you gain, but this is far from the truth. According to health experts, your cortisol levels begin to increase while your testosterone levels start to decline after working out for around 45 minutes. Since testosterone is responsible for burning fat and building muscles, working out beyond that limit will only have a negative effect on your gains.
Bottom Line
Gaining more muscles is not about how hard you work, but how smart you workout. Whichever program you choose, make sure you stick to it for consistency.