Many want to have a beautiful and pumped up body. The cult of human beauty originated in ancient Greece, but the question of how to gain muscle mass is still quite relevant. It would seem that this is so complicated? You just need to systematically engage in the gym. If there is no way to go there, then how to gain muscle mass at home? The fact is that simply lifting various weights will not help to achieve great results. What do novice bodybuilders need to know?
The beginning of change
Before you gain muscle mass, you first need to be mentally prepared. Because bodybuilding is a whole system in which everything is interconnected. Thanks to many efforts, quantitative changes are born, which then gradually turn into qualitative ones.
To succeed, you need to know how to eat in order to gain muscle mass, how much to relax, especially sports supplements and much more. From this moment on, one's own life should be taken under tight control.
What are the body types?
Not all people are the same. The physique of one person differs from another in the number of muscle, fatty tissues and other features. According to some signs, 3 types can be distinguished. Each of them should know how to gain muscle mass, as there are some of its own nuances. By body type, people are divided into:
- ectomorphs;
- mesomorphs;
- endomorphs.
For the first, the question is relevant: how to gain muscle mass for a thin person. Ectomorphs are owners of long legs, narrow shoulders, a short body and thin muscles. It will be the hardest thing to pump up for such people.
Mesomorphs have a well-developed trunk, they have wide shoulders, thick bones and muscles. For such people, the main thing is not to get involved in nutrition, so that calories do not go into adipose tissue.
Endomorphs are wide in the shoulders and hips, they have a short neck and there is a reserve of adipose tissue.
How important is proper nutrition
For those who just want to keep themselves in shape and have a flexible body, there is no need to really puzzle over food. Bodybuilding is a completely different story. Here you can’t do without proper nutrition. During heavy physical exertion a lot of energy is spent. If it is not replenished, then it will be extracted from internal stocks. Is it possible to gain muscle mass when not enough nutrients enter the body? Of course not! Therefore, choosing the right food is the number one task.
Types of Nutrients
Any food consists of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Each of these elements is important for the bodybuilder. A full meal should contain a certain amount of these nutrients.
Proteins are the basic building blocks of our body. These elements are our blood, muscles, organs, enzymes. The latter perform an important regulatory function for the body. If you are interested in the question of how to quickly gain muscle mass, then the answer is quite simple - you need to eat more protein food.
But just eating a lot of meat is not enough. With only a large number of bricks, you can’t build a house. This is where carbohydrates come into play. They provide energy so that the body can create new tissues.
Carbohydrates are divided into fast and complex. Both the first and second should be present in the diet of a novice bodybuilder. Fast carbohydrates are not in vain called. Their characteristic feature is that they are very quickly absorbed and saturate the body with sugars. Therefore, they serve as a good source of energy. Fast carbohydrates are found in many foods that can be found even in your kitchen:
- baking
- sweets;
- fruit
- honey;
- ice cream;
- jam.
Anyone who is interested in how to properly gain muscle mass should constantly eat cereal. They contain a large number of complex carbohydrates. They will supply energy to the body over a long period.
You should never forget about fats. Many try to avoid them in their diet, but completely excluding them from their list would be a big mistake. The percentage of fats consumed per day should be between 10 and 15 percent of the total meal.
How many times a day to eat
In order to quickly gain muscle mass, as professional bodybuilders do, you need to eat a lot. And immediately you need to convince yourself that the usual three meals a day will not work. There is too much time between main meals. During hunger, a special hormone is produced, which leads to the destruction of muscles. To avoid this negative effect, trainers advise eating often, but little by little.
Daily routine of a beginner bodybuilder
07:00 - it's time to climb. So that the body can wake up normally, you can do a couple of simple gymnastic exercises or go for a little jog.
07:30 - breakfast begins. This meal should energize and replenish the balance of nutrients, which is significantly reduced during sleep. In no case should you skip breakfast, as this is one of the main meals.
11:00 - the time has come for lunch. At this stage, a small amount of calories enters the body, which will support the body between breakfast and lunch. Most often these are fast carbohydrates, which are then quickly consumed during operation.
14:00 - lunch. The second main meal. Most often, after lunch, proteins enter the body. Just in time for training, they will already be slowly assimilated.
16:00 - afternoon tea. It provides an opportunity to gain fast carbohydrates before training. Only here we must not go too far in order not to deal with a full stomach.
17:00 - training.
18:30 - a small snack. After heavy physical exertion, it is necessary to replenish energy reserves. You can eat something right after you finish your workout.
19:00 - dinner. The third main meal. Here you should not rush on some heavy food, so as not to strain the stomach.
21:00 - a snack before bedtime. Casein is best. This type of sports nutrition is absorbed for a very long time, so it will saturate the body with proteins all night.
22:00 - time to go to bed. In order for the muscles to recover normally, one must have a good rest. During sleep, processes that give muscle growth are included.
This schedule may vary in time depending on lifestyle and employment. But all points must be present in it.
Menu
Before you start practicing, it will be right to make yourself a nutrition plan. To correctly calculate your portion, you need to know the exact amount of calories in food. Careful monitoring of incoming nutrients is the main secret of how to gain muscle mass. Homemade dishes contain many useful elements. It is only necessary to correctly compose your diet.
During breakfast, the body is saturated with carbohydrates. Fast ones provide energy for awakening and getting started, while complex ones will energize throughout the day. A well-balanced breakfast is the basis for building muscle. What should the first meal look like:
- After waking up, you need to take fast carbohydrates. For this, fresh fruit juice will work well. If this is not, then simple tea with a bun will go.
- Breakfast should also consist of protein. Therefore, fried eggs will be an ideal option.
- Oatmeal is an excellent product that will saturate the body with complex carbohydrates.
Thanks to frequent meals in small portions, nutrients are absorbed gradually.
Lunch should contain from 200 to 400 kilocalories. It is advisable to include as many proteins as possible in this meal. The menu can be quite varied. A typical lunch looks something like this:
- 150 grams of fresh vegetable salad. Instead, boil asparagus or broccoli. Such food contains a lot of fiber.
- Half boiled breast. The skin must be removed.
- For dessert, you can take 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese.
Components can be changed. It’s better to paint yourself a menu for a whole week, so it’s easier to monitor the diet to gain muscle mass. At home, foods can go bad. Therefore, it is necessary to cook only with fresh ingredients. So that they do not deteriorate, it is better to purchase a special cooler bag. It is convenient to take healthy food with you to work.
Dinner can also be varied and consist of several dishes:
- boiled rice;
- Vegetable Salad;
- boiled fish or cheese.
Sports supplements
For some people, the word protein itself is worrying. This is due to unjustified stereotypes and rumors about sports nutrition. In fact, there is nothing to be afraid of. The same protein is just a protein that is obtained from ordinary products and turned into powder for ease of use.
Sports supplements help you quickly gain muscle mass at home. There are many varieties of them: protein, gainer, isotonic, creatine, amino acids and many others. Some of them are intended for professionals only. But the same protein can be taken at home.
Should I use sports supplements? Of course, you can achieve results without external intervention. But, most likely, the shifts will be small. It is possible to achieve relief and an increase of a couple of kilograms while observing a normal diet. Also, much depends on the type of physique of a person. You have to try very hard to gain muscle mass for a thin guy, as well as an endomorph too. In such cases, sports nutrition will be indispensable.
Protein
It is suitable to gain muscle mass for both a girl and a guy. This is not some miraculous way that will solve all problems. No one canceled the training. The human body can absorb a maximum of 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body per day. If you exceed the norm, then it simply will not be assimilated, and therefore there will be no benefit. For a person with a mass of 80 kilograms, the daily protein intake should not exceed 180 grams. And this is with all the food. That is why you need to tightly control your diet.
Protein is divided into the following types:
- Egg protein One of the fastest to master. It contains the highest quality amino acids. But such a pleasure is not cheap.
- Whey Very quickly absorbed. One of its positive aspects is its good compatibility with other components. Whey protein is easy to mix. It is also relatively cheap.
- Lactic. Also one of the good and inexpensive proteins. It is absorbed more slowly than the above. It has one drawback - it is not suitable for those who have lactose intolerance.
- Casein. It is most often drunk before bedtime, as it has a low absorption rate. This helps maintain the right amount of protein in the body while resting. But it tastes bad.
- Plant proteins. These include soy and hemp protein. Ideal for gaining muscle mass for both a girl and a guy. Soya for women is beneficial in that it contains elements that help fight osteoporosis and reduce the risk of getting breast cancer. In men, it helps in the treatment of prostate diseases.
- Fish protein is rarely used. It is absorbed even more slowly than casein.
Making protein at home
Since sports nutrition has recently become quite popular, a lot of low-quality and cheap fakes have appeared. To see what is put in a cocktail, you can prepare it yourself. There are many recipes for protein drinks. Many ingredients are in every kitchen.
Useful for creating protein shakes will be a kitchen blender in which everything is thoroughly mixed. For cooking you will need:
- a raw egg;
- a cup of fat-free kefir;
- a teaspoon of honey;
- some walnuts.
The contents are mixed and infused. Since the drink is made from fresh products, it can quickly go bad. Therefore, it is better to cool and refrigerate.
How to gain muscle mass for a man and a woman
A rational approach to everything is the main key to achieving success in bodybuilding. Not so important: to study in your apartment or in the gym. You can at home gain muscle mass for a man. The foundation is growing thanks to basic strength exercises. And they do not need expensive specialized equipment.
It is important to control every step you take, eating. To do this, some trainers advise to start a special notebook in which you need to write down all your changes.
The first few months, the results will almost not be visible. And this is correct, since the body is just beginning to get drawn into such a rhythm of life. To have the motivation to continue further, it is necessary to record each added gram.
It is very important to keep track of calories. There are special calculators that calculate the energy value of products. The advantage of a specially compiled menu is that you can clearly control the calories entering the body. Therefore, it is easier to calculate portions.
The obvious thing is that you need to completely isolate yourself from bad habits. Drinking alcohol and nicotine is harmful. Since physical activity is also not a gift for the body, it needs strength and relaxation in order to recover after each trip to the gym. Nicotine slows down the metabolism, which is so important in weight gain. In order not to spend additional energy on the elimination of toxins, it is easier to simply protect yourself from this all.
Also important for every bodybuilder is relaxation. Sleep should not be given less than 8-9 hours. For the body, which is constantly subjected to physical activity, time for rest is always required more. This is necessary so that the muscles can recover before the next workout. Otherwise, all their benefits will be lost. The break between trips to the gym should be at least 1 day.
In a dream, not only muscles are restored, but also the psychological state of a person. Systematic training requires total self-discipline. A lot of internal energy is spent on this. Good sleep helps to normalize your well-being and reduce stress.
Adhere to the drinking regime
In addition to proper nutrition and frequent training, do not forget about water. The human body is 70 percent fluid. Therefore, do not forget about drinking. Even protein will not help to pump up normally if there is a lack of water in the body.
If the cells do not have enough fluid, then they will slowly begin to break down. A real bodybuilder should never be allowed to. Therefore, you should accustom yourself to drink constantly.
Scientists advise taking 30 milliliters of water for every kilogram of body. That is, the average person needs to drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day. This will provide the muscles with the right water.
Too much weight gain can be caused by simple dehydration. Therefore, it is best for yourself to check whether there is a latent lack of water in the body. Fortunately, finding out is pretty easy. You need to drink 3 cups of water in a row with as little time as possible. If after such a procedure a person does not go to the toilet, then this is a clear signal that there is latent dehydration in the body. Then you need to solve the problem with improper hydration.
Isotonic
Drinking during exercise is very important. Here isotonic can come to the rescue. This is such a drink, which includes sugar and salt. It helps restore the balance of trace elements within the body. Together with then comes not only liquid, but also various minerals that are important for the life of the body.
Isotonic should be taken both during training and after it. There are different types of this product. They differ in the amount of dissolved salts and minerals, which affect the rate of absorption of this fluid.
In addition to the fact that isotonic can be bought in specialized stores, it is also prepared at home. A typical recipe consists of approximately such products:
- 2 glasses of water;
- 30 milliliters of unsweetened juice;
- a pinch of salt;
- 20 grams of honey or fructose.
All ingredients are poured into a shaker and mixed well. It is better to drink not too chilled so that the drink is easier to digest.