Hello everyone. Today’s article is a guest post from Karl Young who writes for Powerhouse Fitness.
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The expression walk before you can run is often heard when looking to start building muscle through training. If you are serious about stocking up on some muscle and you’re a beginner, you need to be aware of the importance of having a solid foundation that can be built upon as you progress.
You will never forget the first time you walk into a gym. You walk in and you get nervous making your way over to the bench press. You are so nervous and excited that you often struggle to even concentrate. Being seen as a newbie will soon fade as you become a more frequent participant in weight training. Beginners often demonstrate a poor technique as they lack muscular strength and endurance. When you accompany this with poor posture, poor proprioception and weak connective tissue, you can spot a beginner right off. However, this should not discourage you from your goals.
Hitting the nail on the heads is crucial when it comes to building up muscle. A poor technique can lead to injury, which ultimately leads to less time at the gym and a potential waste of previous visits and efforts. Getting educated on the process can give you a head start as well as a heads up on any potential pitfalls of building muscle and overall body fitness.
Getting Started!
Before you look into a weekly routine, it’s advisable to condition your body with a full body workout routine. Your full body routine length and activities will depend on your current fitness levels and your diet. Ensuring you are fit and healthy in body will help improve proprioception, increase tissue tolerance for exercise, enhance function, improve posture and core strength.
You will find in many gyms around the world, people like yourself who may have been in your situation a few years ago. Asking fellow muscle enthusiasts about diets, supplements such as whey protein , equipment and routines will provide you with honest and unbiased reviews and advice. Most of the time the gym you signed up to should be able to help you with an exercise plan for free! If you see a fitness instructor do not be afraid to approach them and ask for advice on a full body workout routine to follow 3 times a week over a period of around 6 weeks.
Beginners Muscle Building Routine
Experts have advised beginners to undertake a 3 day workout each week when looking to build muscle. Splitting this across the week will ensure you have time to recover and you get the maximum results for your workout program. Try and split the days equally, giving at least 48 hours between each session, this will help avoid injury and give your body and muscles ample time to recover. Adequate recovery is planned within the 7-day cycle, as you will hit each major body part once a week.
The three day workout hits each muscle group with both compound and isolation exercises. The aim of the workout is to ultimately fatigue and stimulate as many muscle fibres as possible, although at the start of training, beginners should focus on the techniques they are using rather than the weights they are lifting.
Your three day workout should target your chest and biceps first, your back and triceps next then your legs and shoulders again two days later. Life can be hectic and if your life style does not allow you to train every two days you can just leave one days rest every now and then.
How to Warm Up
Before you begin your training sessions, it’s vital that you warm up correctly. If you are building muscle in your workout, follow the warm up session below:
• Warm up for a minimum of 5 minutes (increase heart rate/nose to mouth breathing)
• Perform 8-10 repetitions of dynamic stretching e.g. dynamic pectorals
• Allow for sufficient rest in between sets (1 minute should suffice)
• Cool down for a minimum of 5 minutes (lower heart rate/body temperature)
• Perform static stretches that target the worked muscles.
The Workout
A pyramid training method involves manipulating the load and repetitions over the course of multiple sets of the same exercise. This is a common training system that can enable a participant to see and feel results quickly. The concept within this workout involves progressively increasing the load (weight) and decreasing the repetitions with each successive set. Try and follow the workout if you have access to the equipment in your local or own home gym:
If you follow the workout you should start to see the result of your hard work very quickly. Remember that you’re warming up and cooling down sessions is a vital part of your routine. If you are struggling with the correct technique for any weights or equipment, simply ask someone or turn to Google. There are thousands of articles and forums discussing muscle building techniques.