What needs to be done in order to have a beautiful and sculptured body? Of course, the first thing you need is to build a foundation from which the figure of your dreams will be molded later. Muscle mass training is the foundation that every bodybuilder needs to start with. There is no point immediately starting to dry - because in order to make the muscles beautiful and embossed, you first need to pump them up.
Weight Training Program must be performed subject to several conditions. It:
- A clear class schedule.
- Compliance with diet.
- Enough time to relax.
It is worth remembering that if you intend to engage seriously, then non-compliance with even one of these rules may delay you on the way to your goal. Let us consider each of them in more detail.
Lesson schedule
A weight training program implies a clearly defined class schedule. It should indicate the days of training and rest, as well as the system of exercises for each lesson. The most popular schedule for bodybuilders is a schedule that includes three workouts per week. This option is ideal for beginners and intermediate athletes. With this method of training, the muscles have time to fully recover for the next lesson. Weight training (3 days) allows you to evenly distribute all the basic (basic) exercises.
For bodybuilders of a higher level, it is possible to use a four- or five-day split. Such frequent training is necessary in order to carefully work out each muscle group.
Nutrition
In order for muscle mass training to bear fruit, you need to start eating right. And this is not only the exclusion from the diet of alcohol, fast food and other junk food. For a bodybuilder, proper nutrition has a slightly different meaning than for an ordinary person.
It is not necessary to say that it is necessary to eat correctly and often - at least 6 times a day. In addition, when gaining mass, it is important to drink plenty of water, especially during training.
Sports nutrition
In the world of bodybuilding, there are a huge number of various food products and additives. For a more effective weight gain during training, it is best to use the following types:
- Gainers.
- Proteins
- Amino acids.
Weight gainers contain large amounts of proteins and carbohydrates, and they are best suited for those whose body type is ectomorphic.
Proteins contain a large amount of protein and relatively few carbohydrates compared to gainers. They are ideal for building mass for people of all body types. Both gainers and proteins are rich in protein and carbohydrates, and also contain very little fat, which allows you to build lean muscle mass.
Amino acids are also suitable for people of all types. They accelerate muscle growth and recovery after training.
Relaxation
A mass workout program will not work without enough time to recover. The same muscle group should not be trained more than once a week - overtraining will help to ensure that classes will do more harm than good. If symptoms such as loss of appetite, a feeling of soreness, or weight loss are present, you need to temporarily suspend your workout.
Weight Training
Any fitness room provides a huge selection of all kinds of simulators and exercises. But for mass gain, not all of them are equally useful. Of course, each of them will have a good effect on your body, but still it is worthwhile to focus on basic exercises. Basic weight training includes those exercises that involve several muscle groups at once. These include:
- Bench press.
- Deadlift.
- Squat with a barbell.
Despite the schedule that you are working on, these exercises must be included in the program.
Bench press
The bench press is the simplest, but at the same time one of the most effective exercises. It can be performed in two ways - wide or narrow grip, but in this article only the first option will be analyzed.
In the first case, the main load falls on the pectoral muscles, the front deltas and triceps are also involved. The width of the grip is determined individually for each person. You should know that the wider the grip, the less the bar travels from the top to the chest, and the more the pectoral muscles are involved. But do not take it too wide, choose the optimal position from which you can do this exercise a set number of times. Despite all its apparent simplicity, there are several nuances in the implementation.
Firstly, this is the number of approaches and repetitions. For muscle building, the best option is to conduct 3-4 approaches of 6-8 reps. It is important to increase weight from approach to approach. With proper weight selection, the last reps should be done with a little help from the insurer.
Secondly, when performing a bench press, you can adjust the position of the bench. So, if the legs are above the level of the chest, the lower bundle of pectoral muscles will be involved. If, on the contrary, the chest is above the level of the legs, then the upper bundle is activated.
A prerequisite for performing a bench press is that the bar should touch the chest at its lower point. Only after this can you begin to squeeze it into its original position. It is also necessary that the feet and buttocks be tightly pressed and not move during the exercise.
Deadlift
No weight training program can be considered as such without deadlift. This exercise is the most comprehensive of the bodybuilder's arsenal. When it is executed, absolutely all muscle groups are involved, but this only works if the technique is correctly followed.
Many beginner athletes do not use this exercise in their classes due to the fact that supposedly you can injure your back. However, each exercise is somewhat dangerous, and you are more likely to get injured without performing deadlift. If you do not chase the maximum weights, follow the technique and use the fixing belt, then the risk of damaging your back is minimized.
When doing this exercise, many mistakes are often made. Moreover, they are performed not only by beginners, but also by experienced athletes. For example, it is important to know that the deadlift must be carried out from a low position. That is, you do not need to put the bar on any racks before starting the exercise.
The first rise from the floor is important to carry out, using the hips to push - lifting the bar, using only the back, you can easily get injured.
Another common mistake is that many do not consider it necessary to lower the bar to the floor. Remember - this is just as important as touching the bar of the chest while doing the bench press.
Squats
Squat with a barbell is the main exercise for pumping the lower body. It allows you to increase strength indicators and contributes to the rapid set of muscle mass.
The main mistake of all newcomers is that they just crouch down. When performing this exercise, it is necessary to divert the buttocks area back and slightly spread towards the knees. This reduces the load on the lumbar and makes exercise more effective and safer. It is also worth using a fixing belt.
Another common mistake, mainly among beginners, is the position of the neck. It is necessary to put the bar only on the trapezius muscles, otherwise you can easily earn a trauma to the cervical vertebrae.
For different people, the grip is configured individually. But mainly you need to keep your hands in a position slightly wider than your shoulders. This can be a problem for high-level bodybuilders with a developed shoulder region or for people with inactive joints.
Weight Training Workout At Home
At home, the process of gaining mass will be much more complicated and lengthy. Still, it is mainly necessary to study in the hall, but do not despair if this is impossible. Despite the fact that the progress from home training will require more time, this is offset by the fact that you do not need to go out anywhere and spend extra money on the gym. But also it will require much more motivation - at home it will be much easier for you to indulge yourself. If there is no problem with this, then some exercises for home training will be listed below.
Home workouts for mass gain are different from classroom activities, but you can still see some similarities. For example, the bench press can be replaced with ordinary push-ups. The bar in this case will be replaced with your own weight.
Push-ups can be done in several ways:
- Classic push ups from the floor. They will develop pectoral muscles and use triceps a bit.
- Push-ups on the supports. Hands are placed on some racks (for example, stools), legs should also be placed on some support. In this exercise, it is important to achieve maximum amplitude of repetitions. It studies the pectoral muscles in more detail.
- Pushups standing. This exercise is performed standing on hands, legs leaning against the wall. These push-ups work on the muscles of the shoulders.
- Push-ups with a narrow emphasis. Palms should be placed, almost touching each other. This exercise works well with the triceps of the hands.
There are several types of exercises that will help work out the lower body at home:
- Squats Classic squats will help pump up the area of the quadriceps legs, and will also involve a little biceps and buttocks. When doing squats, it is important to ensure that your knees are facing the same direction as your socks.
- Lunges . Great exercise that can be performed both in the gym and at home. It can be performed with dumbbells or using your own weight only. It works on the entire lower body - from the buttocks to the calves.
If you have a horizontal bar at home, then with it you can further develop the muscles of the arms and back. The usual pull-ups develop well the shoulder region and muscles of the biceps and triceps of the arm. The wider the grip during execution, the more the latissimus dorsi and the scapular region will be involved.
You can perform pull-ups with a reverse grip, then the biceps of the hands will receive the main load.