How to gain muscle mass using sports nutrition. How to gain weight: proper nutrition and training in autumn and winter Lost weight, what sports nutrition will help you gain weight

Speaking on the topic of gaining muscle mass, we immediately need to dispel the existing myth. It says that subcutaneous fat can be easily transferred into muscles. As you already understand, this is not true, it is not only not easy, it is basically impossible. Fat and muscle are completely different concepts, one cannot be converted into the other, moreover, before you build muscle, you need to lose weight and get rid of fat.

Otherwise, if you start with muscles and then lose weight, the muscles will disappear along with the weight.

Powerlifting, bodybuilding and other sports that help you gain muscle mass are not designed for weight loss and getting rid of fat. But to quickly and easily lose weight, you need to switch to proper nutrition. Gradually getting used to a new diet and a changed diet, along with exercises designed for weight loss, will help you lose weight and then switch to sports nutrition.

Sports nutrition is not much different from a healthy diet as such, but if you take a serious approach to sports, in order to build muscle you will have to conduct a more in-depth calculation and more closely monitor the amount of food eaten and the calorie content of foods. There is no particular difference in the nutrition of a person who is just starting out in sports and is already a professional athlete; the diet is equally suitable for anyone.

Remember just one thing: you shouldn’t suddenly switch to a diet that is radically different from your usual diet. Changing your diet is stressful for the body, which means that in order to reduce it and ease the reaction, you need to give yourself and the body the opportunity to adapt to innovations.

The main thing in proper nutrition

More calories

The first thing you need to learn to gain muscle mass is to try to eat more high-calorie foods. It should make up two thirds of all food eaten per day. Fruits and vegetables are healthy, but if you need to increase muscle mass, they should not be frequent guests on your plate. Due to the fact that they contain a large amount of fiber, this interferes with the digestion and absorption of high-calorie foods.

How much to eat per day

You will have to determine the required amount of food to eat yourself; this is quite simple to do. Gradually increase the amount of calories you eat. Weigh yourself three times a week and when you gain about 700 grams per week, it means that the optimal amount of food has been found, you need to stop there. Take your time, this will be a long process, it will take from three weeks to a month.

Most of the measured daily intake should be eaten before 4 pm. Afterwards you need to eat lighter foods in small quantities. Do not allow yourself to eat sweets and fatty foods at night; it is at this time of day that it is best to eat something vegetable or fruit. Dairy products (kefir, yogurt, fermented baked milk and others) are good for evening meals.

In order for nutrients to be well absorbed and to nourish the body and muscles with energy throughout the day, you need to eat often. The optimal amount is 6 times a day, with this regimen the incoming minerals and proteins will have time to be absorbed. By reducing the amount of feeding, the body becomes lost at the moment of a large influx of nutrients, does not know what to grab onto, its eyes wander, and it does not have time to grab what it needs.

Fat is not our friend

As mentioned earlier, fat will not help you gain muscle mass, which means you need to avoid foods that contribute to its accumulation. First of all, eliminate all fast carbohydrate products from your diet. Sweet tooth, now I am addressing you first of all. Less sweet, quickly digestible confectionery also quickly transforms into fat. Bakery products also belong to this group, which means you need to reduce their consumption.

But don’t be too upset, if you want something sweet, I advise you to eat it after training, then the muscles can neutralize glucose, which tends to turn into fat.

Fatty foods should also be reduced to a minimum. It is also quickly deposited in the form of fat on the sides and abdomen, covering the muscles that you so strive for with a reliable thick blanket.

There is never too much water

Everyone knows that everyone needs to drink more water every day, but few people follow this. Self-motivated athletes, you can't ignore fluids. Drink an average of 3 liters per day, this is the optimal amount for intense exercise. Don't let yourself get thirsty.

Before and after training

Now let's talk about what you need to eat immediately before training. I think you understand that going to the gym hungry is absolutely not our option. For training you need energy, which means foods containing slow carbohydrates (buckwheat, brown rice, not very sweet fruits, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, tomato juice and others) are good.

But after playing sports you need to eat well. The post-workout meal should be the most voluminous. Many nutrients will be involved in restoring energy to the muscles. In the period after physical activity, the body is disposed to extensive absorption of foods. Eat proteins and slow carbohydrates, you can indulge in sweets.

Dietary supplements and sports nutrition

The described nutritional regimen may be compatible with taking special sports nutrition and steroids.

I’ll say right away about steroids, if you use them, then the only thing that should be changed from the above is the daily amount of food eaten. Calculate it based on your weekly weight gain of one or one and a half kilograms.

It will be good to take special vitamins, since the consumption of vegetables and fruits is reduced. This point needs to be compensated, otherwise diseases may appear due to heavy stress and lack of vitamins.

Creatine and gainer are best consumed after training, and they can be mixed together for better absorption of creatine. But consume protein more often, after meals, after workouts, as well as immediately before bed and immediately after waking up.

Healthy products for those who take care of themselves

• Meat
  Of course, a healthy product with a high protein content. But you need to be careful when eating it, not all meat is healthy. It is better to eat poultry (breast is especially healthy), rabbit meat and veal (you need to be especially careful with it, choose younger and leaner pieces). When preparing it, try to get rid of fat as much as possible.
• Eggs
  No matter what, eggs are very healthy. It would be good to eat 1-2 eggs a day along with the yolks; you can eat more whites separately. Yolks contain amino acids, so 2 yolks will be useful, but no more, because they contain fat.
• Dairy
  Healthy and protein-rich foods should always be in the refrigerator for those who practice sports nutrition. A large selection of products will allow you to diversify your diet. Cottage cheese is especially useful; it contains a large amount of protein.
• Fish
  Perhaps the richest product in protein, it must be included in your menu. All kinds of seafood also fall into this item. The variety is great, from regular cod to crab meat. Everything is rich in protein, so choose according to your taste.

Proper and healthy nutrition is the key to success in any endeavor, so before you start losing weight, getting fat or gaining muscle mass, look in your refrigerator and put things in order.

People who want to gain weight can, and sometimes even need to, include sports nutrition in their diet, of which there is a great variety on the market now.

Let's figure out which sports nutrition for weight gain is most suitable for our goals:

1. Protein
2. Amino acid complexes

In this article we will look at the first two: gainers and proteins.

What you lack, and how much it will take to quickly gain weight.

1. Gainers for weight gain.

Gainers in sports nutrition are high-calorie protein-carbohydrate mixtures, which may additionally contain mineral supplements, vitamins and creatine.
Their main task is to quickly gain body weight and replenish burned calories.

Approximate composition of the mixture:

Who is the gainer intended for first of all?

For people suffering from fast metabolism, who burn fats like in an open-hearth furnace. Who eat for three, but the arrow on the scale does not move. Gaining weight is not a dream come true.

It is also very convenient to use, you can add it to your regular diet, or as an emergency, to close a missed eating window.

How to prepare the mixture to gain weight?

It is best to dilute the mixture with milk, thereby increasing the calorie content of the drink, which will help you gain weight faster. Sports nutrition is the most important aid in gaining weight.

How to take a gainer to quickly gain weight?

If you train or visit the gym, then it is best to drink the mixture after training within the first 30 minutes, when the so-called protein-carbohydrate window opens. This allows you to stop the destructive processes in the muscles and recover quickly.

Don't look at people who are overweight, you need to Take the gainer up to 4 times a day. Add one serving of the mixture every week until you gain a weight of 700-1000 grams per week.

Representatives of gainers:

But, we must not forget that our goal when using sports nutrition is not only weight gain, but also building a beautiful and healthy body, and for this we need protein, i.e. – protein.

2. Protein – Sports nutrition for weight gain

Protein is a chain of amino acids that forms a polypeptide. It is proteins that are involved in building muscle fibers. In sports nutrition, concentrated protein is used to rapidly increase skeletal muscle mass.

It is advisable to take protein supplements in cases where you work out persistently and systematically in the gym. When your muscle volume is not enough protein from regular food. There is an opinion that these are professional athletes.

And so, if you regularly train in the gym and take sports nutrition to gain weight, make sure that the protein level is 3.4 grams per kilogram of weight per day.

And so, in order to quickly get healthy, you need to train to take gainers and fast protein (whey protein isolate or hydrolyzate), this is the protein that is recommended for weight gain for people prone to thinness.

One of the best isolates:

The most expensive form of protein on the market is hydrolyzate. The protein is partially broken down by enzymes for rapid absorption. It promotes the production of insulin, a well-known hormone with an anabolic effect.

One of the best hydrolysates

from sports nutrition for weight gain:

Summarize:

To gain weight quickly, you need to use sports nutrition and work out in the gym, or you risk slowing down the process or gaining more fat tissue.

Let us immediately note that this article is not of a medical nature and the way to gain weight with the help of sports nutrition is only at your own peril and risk. This topic was often discussed on specialized forums.

What you need to gain weight with sports nutrition

1. Make sure that you are tolerant of all components that are included in the gainer.
2. To make sure your low weight is not caused by any disease, you must be sure that your health is in order.
3. You need a gainer to gain muscle mass.
4. You need a shaker for sports nutrition, it is important that the nutritional mixture is homogeneous and without lumps.
5. You need to follow the regime and timing of taking sports nutrition.

How does sports nutrition affect the body?

In order to understand how sports nutrition works and what happens in the body when it is taken, let’s look at what a gainer is.

Gainer is a food supplement containing carbohydrates and protein. First of all, a gainer is necessary for people who need to gain muscle mass by doing strength training, since carbohydrates are necessary for physical activity, and protein, as mentioned earlier, is necessary for muscle growth and muscle mass gain.

The complex carbohydrates contained in the gainer are needed by the body in order to produce the necessary energy during long-term workouts. The gainer cocktail is recommended for athletes with a thin physique, or, in scientific words, ectomorphs, in order to increase body weight in a short time.

To begin with, professionals recommend purchasing a trial pack of gainer to understand which flavor suits you (there are a large number of them on sale), and the trial pack will also help you understand how your body reacts to the gainer. Some people experience diarrhea after taking the formula. Please note that the gainer gives full effect if the mixture is diluted with milk.

Take sports nutrition strictly according to the instructions written on the package. It is important to take the nutritional shake at the same time to acclimate your body to ensure that the nutrients are fully absorbed by your body.

Proper nutrition

If you thought that weight gain would be limited only to sports nutrition, then you are mistaken. Sports nutrition is a food supplement; you cannot give up a good diet, as it is the basis.

Diet (it is important to follow a routine).

In the morning- more healthy carbohydrates. To ensure performance (both during the day and during strength training), you should eat a significant amount of carbohydrates for breakfast - but not just bread and jam or corn flakes (i.e. fast carbohydrates), but rather regular oatmeal with the addition of moderate amount of honey or pieces of fruit.

Dinner- main meal. You should eat the largest amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at lunch - and not at all for dinner, as many are used to. This minimizes the process of deposition of excess calories (and without excess calories, muscles simply will not grow) into fat reserves.

During the day- a healthy snack. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, eat some nuts and dried fruits. If your goal is to gain weight as quickly as possible, fry an omelet from three eggs.

Dinner- light protein products. The basis of dinner should be lean meat (or fish) with as many seasonal vegetables as possible, stewed in vegetable oil (preferably olive). Buckwheat should be a source of carbohydrates - the basis of an athlete’s diet.

How long does it take to feel the effect?

With proper nutrition in combination with regular use of gainer, within a month after starting to take sports nutrition you will notice weight gain. It would be a good idea to weigh yourself on an electronic scale once a week to control your weight.

If after a month you have not noticed the effect and the weight has not increased even minimally, then it’s all about accelerated metabolism. People with a fast metabolism cannot quickly gain weight due to the specifics of their body. If you have a fast metabolism, try to increase your weight by gaining muscle mass, training in the gym will definitely help you with this.

Of course, you won’t be able to turn into Hafthor Bjornson in 4-5 months, but you can please yourself and surprise others with a pumped-up body. Gaining weight is very easy, an order of magnitude easier than losing fat and forming a model-like figure. Now we will explain how to do this.

Nutrition

Muscle grows as long as you consume more calories than you expend. That is, you need to eat more. No other way.

This problem is especially relevant for people prone to thinness, scientifically called ectomorphs. They seem to be eating normally and, having read about the principles of weight gain, increase their caloric intake. For example, they eat an additional chocolate bar or add two eggs to the breakfast menu. But there is still no growth. Why? Because the actual increase in calories needed is much greater than they imagine.

A good rate of weight gain is considered to be an increase of about 700 grams per week.

Sometimes for growth it is enough to increase the calorie content of the daily diet by 15%, but more often it is necessary to receive 30, 50 or even 100% more energy per day. How can you force yourself to eat twice as much? In fact, you don't need to do this. Doubling calories does not mean doubling the amount of food consumed.

Food can be different, but you need to choose high-calorie food, giving it 70% of the place in your daily diet.

High calorie protein foods

• Lean meat, especially poultry.
• Fish and seafood. The most important source of healthy fats.
• Low-fat dairy products like cottage cheese and cottage cheese.
• Eggs. You can eat 6–8 eggs including yolks per day.
• Legumes. Lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans are good sources of plant protein, and the first two products contain a decent amount of essential amino acids BCAA, which is also good. Do not get carried away with soy, because it negatively affects male hormonal levels.
• Nuts.

High calorie carbohydrate foods

• Buckwheat, pearl barley, oatmeal, rice, corn, wheat, millet porridge.
• Pasta made from durum wheat.
• Black bread.
• Vegetables as a side dish for protein foods. Potatoes, carrots and beets contain a lot of starch, and therefore you should not lean on them.
• Fruits. Grapes, pears, bananas and persimmons contain a lot of sugar, and therefore it is better to limit their consumption.

Proportions of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the diet

• Proteins - 30–35%.
• Carbohydrates - 50–60%.
• Fats - 10–20%.

• Count calories and weigh yourself every 3-5 days.
• If you gain less than 700 grams of weight each week, increase your caloric intake. If growth is faster, then it is better to reduce calories, otherwise the excess will go into fat.
• Try to eat more often. Divide your daily diet into 5-6 meals.

Sports nutrition

Ordinary high-calorie food is not a panacea. Eating so much every day is still difficult, and often simply impossible due to work, lack of time to cook, and so on. Sports nutrition successfully solves these problems.

Sports nutrition is actually a pure concentrated beneficial substance. Maximum required in minimum volume. The vast majority of athletes, be they weightlifters, bodybuilders or crossfitters, take sports nutrition, and beginners and amateurs should do the same.

Whey Protein

Protein sports nutrition helps you meet your daily protein intake, which averages 2 grams per kilogram of body. It is recommended to get 50% of protein from regular food, and the remaining half from sports nutrition. Whey protein is the most effective. Take it 3-5 times a day: in the morning, immediately after sleep, and between meals.

Popular brands:

Gainer

If there is no weight gain, that is, if there is a lack of calories in the diet, a gainer helps - a super-calorie mixture of carbohydrates and proteins. Take it immediately after training, and if you are unable to have a normal breakfast, take it in the morning.

Popular brands:

Pre-workout complex

Pre-workout supplements are supplements that help you exercise more efficiently. They include products to improve blood supply and muscle nutrition, substances that promote the growth of muscle strength and volume, vitamins and microelements.

Popular brands:

Creatine

Creatine is one of the most studied sports supplements with proven effectiveness in promoting muscle growth and strength. Take it on rest days, that is, when you do not train, 3-4 grams.

Popular brands:

Vitamin-mineral complex

A lack of vitamins and minerals is harmful in itself, and specifically when gaining weight, it additionally negatively affects muscle growth.

Popular brands:

Workout

Living organisms, and the human body in particular, are the result of millions of years of evolution. Do you know what distinguishes us from all our ancestors? In their life there was little food and excess physical activity, but now the opposite is true.

But the body still works in the old mode. It is very economical and does not build muscle if there is enough existing muscle, but it happily accumulates fat, because frequent and prolonged fasting is the most common thing for it. More precisely, it was ordinary, but several decades of a well-fed life had no effect on the biochemistry of the human body.

It turns out that even a person who has overcome a calorie deficit in the absence of physical activity will gain weight, but not in the form of muscles, but in the form of fat on the stomach, sides, and so on.

Any physical activity in the absence of a calorie deficit will give some kind of muscle gain, but we do not need “some”, but the maximum. To do this, it is important to choose the right training strategy.

Basic principles of training for mass gain

• Perform only basic exercises that involve large muscles and several muscle groups at the same time.
• Perform exercises with heavy weights and low reps per set.
• Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.
• Warm up thoroughly.
• Carefully study the technique of performing the exercises correctly.

Pay attention to the last two tips. They are extremely important and will help you avoid health problems. It’s better to spend a few minutes on them than to spend six months recovering from an injury.

The best exercises for gaining mass

1. Total weight: deadlift and classic squats

There is a popular opinion among gym regulars and professionals that a beginner needs to do just three exercises to increase mass and strength: squats, deadlifts and bench presses. It's worth listening to them.

2. Chest: Dumbbell Bench Press

The classic barbell chest press uses the anterior deltoids to a greater extent, thereby taking the load away from the pectoral muscles. Therefore, for more effective chest development, it is recommended to press dumbbells.

3. Back: pull the upper block to the chest with a wide grip

There is a misconception that the best exercise for widening the back is a wide row behind the head, but in practice, it is the row to the chest and wide grip pull-ups that have proven to be the most effective. Next come rows and pull-ups with a reverse grip.

4. Quadriceps: Front Squats

Shifting the weight forward takes the load off the hamstrings and glutes, transferring it to the quadriceps.

5. Hamstrings and glutes: Romanian (dead) deadlifts

The Romanian deadlift differs from the classic deadlift in that it is performed on straight legs from the middle of the knees. Roughly speaking, this is the final phase of the deadlift with the exception of the exit from the squat, when all that remains is extension of the body due to the work of the hamstrings and buttocks.

6. Triceps: close grip press or dips

Triceps are relatively small muscles, and therefore isolation here, unlike the same chest and dumbbell press, is not needed. The more complex the exercise, the better.

7. Biceps: standing straight bar curl

You'll read about basic exercises, but you'll still be pumping your batsukha, right? If so, do it right. The EZ bar is more comfortable, but it works the biceps unevenly. Only a straight bar loads both bundles of the biceps biceps muscle equally well. Most likely, you will have to reduce your current working weight by 5-10%.

8. Shoulders: standing or seated dumbbell press

The width and roundness of the shoulders is given by the middle bunch of deltas. When you perform a standing or seated barbell press from the chest or even from behind your head, the emphasis inevitably shifts to the front bundles. Dumbbells allow you to perform a press along the axis of the body, including the middle beams as much as possible.

Sometimes workouts seem monotonous, and some exercises cause discomfort. In these cases, remember the words of Paul Dillet:

Among the dozens of exercises, there are those in which it’s great to overcome a lot of weight. You grow from them.

Simply put, try new things, find your exercise routine, and listen to your body.

If you want to make your muscles grow, then you should resort to regular exercise and proper nutrition.

In this article you will learn how to gain muscle mass.

For muscle growth, 3 very important conditions must be met:

1. Get a large amount of calories, that is, you need to consume more calories per day than you expend.
2. The body must have a need to build new muscle fibers, then increased physical activity is needed.
3. The body must fully recover after exercise, that is, you should always give the body a good rest. Namely, you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day.

Each of these conditions contains a lot of subtleties and nuances. And if you really want to know how to gain muscle mass, then read our 16 tips.

If you are reading this article, then you probably want to build muscle and increase your body size. And it doesn’t matter what exactly you want – sculpted biceps or just extra muscle mass. The tips in this article will add several new tools to your arsenal. These tips are a summary of information received from top athletes.

Tips for gaining muscle mass

Add a couple of these strategies to your daily arsenal and watch the inevitable growth of your muscles!

1. Focus on eating more

James Pulido

You probably know that nutrition plays a key role in sports. It helps to showcase the beauty of our body after working hard on it. Well, if we are talking about muscle growth, then nutrition is fundamentally necessary - in order to grow, you need to eat. And don't be embarrassed by talking about counting calories.

Want to know how many calories to consume? James Pulido, MuscleTech athlete and Superman fan, gives his answer: “The best option for an athlete is to multiply his weight in pounds by 20. So, a 180 pound athlete multiplying his weight by 20 would get a result of 3,600. This is the number of calories an athlete should consume daily.” For example, I weigh 105 kg, convert the weight into pounds (type in Google "105 kilograms in pounds", instead of my weight of 105 write yours), I get approximately 231 pounds, multiply by 20 and get - 4620 calories.

(Please note that multiplying your body weight in pounds by 20 depends on the quality of your caloric intake. Multiplying by 20 is the maximum you can give your body. The minimum limit is multiplying by 15. You can be conservative and multiply your weight at 16 – 18.)

To start, Pulido recommends dividing your meals in terms of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. For every pound of your weight (about 500 grams), you should have 1.5 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrates daily. Everything else - which is about 15-35% of the daily diet - should be dietary fat. "Fats are essential for hormonal balance, including testosterone production, and testosterone is critical for muscle growth," says Pulido.

1. Plan your workouts carefully

You want to grow, but it's important to plan your workouts and not attack the gym like a crazy Banshee. The first thing to do is organize your workouts so that you are not training the same muscle group every day. In addition, muscles grow not only in the gym. They grow thanks to properly calculated rest time and proper nutrition.

“Targetedly stretching and injuring the same muscle groups for two days in a row will not provoke further muscle growth in that area,” says Jesse Hobbs. “If your muscles are sore from yesterday's workout, you won't get the best results from today's workout.”

Jesse Hobbs

Unless you are following an advanced training course. But even in this case, the muscles must be given 36-48 hours of rest before starting training again. So, if you work your chest and biceps hard on Monday, give your muscles some rest on Tuesday and Wednesday.

1. Prioritize evenly

A carefully planned program will ensure maximum results without repetitive repetitions of the same exercises or too heavy intensity training. When creating a training program, pay attention to the difference between the main and peripheral muscle groups.

"Major muscle groups are the largest muscles (chest and leg muscles, for example) that don't need to be trained more than once a week," says Hobbs.

“Peripheral muscles such as biceps, triceps, trapezius, calves and abs can be trained more than twice a week and will recover fully in a short period of time.”

If you want to build muscle in your arms or get killer abs, train these muscle groups twice a week. For example, if you are training your biceps, then start doing it on Monday. On Tuesday, move on to triceps, and around Thursday, start training both of them at the same time.

1. Add basic exercises

If you want to grow muscle, lifting weights is one of the important steps towards this goal. And basic exercises such as squats, bench presses and deadlifts allow you to increase overall muscle mass, become stronger and lift more weight in isolation exercises. Frankly, if you're not squatting and bench pressing, you're missing out.

"I strive for natural movements in the exercises," explains Pulido. “Using compound exercises causes a hormonal surge in the body and allows me to lift even more weight the next time I train.”

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Nick Twam, a personal trainer, always focuses his attention on deadlifts. In his opinion, deadlift is one of the best exercises for growing and strengthening muscles. It is ideal for gradual but sure muscle growth. The deadlift will help develop a broad back, strong legs and forearms, and a toned, round butt while working the shoulder muscles and trapezius muscles.

1. Choose nutrient-dense foods

The amount of food consumed is, of course, important. But you should focus not only on quantity. Aim for nutrient-dense foods. They will give strength to the muscles.

Ed Honn, a regular bodybuilding competitor, calls these products his best buddies. "Eat a variety of nutritious bodybuilding foods; these are the only foods that will help you gain serious weight and size," he says.

His favorite foods are chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole grain bran bread, avocado, almond butter, and coconut oil. When it comes to a personal diet, Ed makes sure that the level of protein in foods is always stable, reducing fats and carbohydrates as necessary.

If, for example, it is necessary to build a large amount of muscle in a short period of time, then he will increase the amount of fat and carbohydrates he consumes.

1. Vary the number of repetitions in exercises

If you're lifting the same number of times every workout, then it's time to think about making changes to your established program. Within one workout, you can easily afford a varied number of approaches and repetitions and different intensities. “I like to perform basic exercises like squats, presses and deadlifts 5-8 times per set,” says Honn, “then I move on to additional exercises, which I need to do 8-12 reps per set. "

Lindsay Capotelli

This system allows Honn to achieve stable growth in both volume and total weight and achieve optimal results. For those who are already almost close to the result, the number of repetitions can range from 15 to 100 repetitions. It all depends on how you planned your exercise system and what kind of result you need.

Girls, please note: you also need to work using a system of changing the number of repetitions. “A trend I've noticed with most women who train is that they get stuck in the 10-15 rep range,” says personal bodybuilding trainer Lindsay Cappotelli. “And I used to do the same thing until I tried short sets of 5-8 reps. That’s when the first results appeared.”

1. Pay attention to the importance of recovery after training

"It's stupid to train harder and harder every day," advises Honn. “If you’re a little under the weather or just don’t have the energy, it’s better to rest for a couple of days, take a short break from your training system.”

Listen to your body. If I have a training day planned and I'm feeling really crap, I don't go to the gym and focus on getting through the day by eating right. Rest, chosen at the right moment, really leads to positive results. After all, if you think logically, muscles get injured in the gym. And to build muscle on this basis, you need to eat right. And there is no point in carrying yourself to the gym in a tired state - one way or another, this will lead to even more serious and dangerous injuries.
To facilitate recovery, Honn focuses on sleep, good nutrition and gentle stretching exercises. “Of course, you can train hard, but can you recover from such training as quickly?” he asks. Consider this question before you begin creating your training program.

Elissa Martis

Elissa Martis, a professional bodybuilder, also enhances the effects of her workouts by using stretching exercises and even incorporating regular massage. “I believe that gymnastics is a winning option for maintaining the elasticity of muscle tissue.”

1. Keep track of your training sessions

Lindsay Cappotelli says she makes constant progress thanks to the entries she regularly makes in her training journal. “I like to write down everything I do on paper—the weights I lift, the number of reps I do, and everything I do between rest breaks. This way I always know exactly where I am,” she explains. “Since muscle growth is a constant change, I will make the workout more difficult by adding extra weight, lowering the number of reps and adding more sets.”

Lindsey likes to plan her classes 4-6 weeks in advance. In this way, it constantly progresses without getting stuck at one point. You don't always have to train harder, the key is to do it smarter.

1. Regularly adjust and supplement your workouts with new little things

To avoid a dead phase in progress, natural bodybuilder Justin Robbins recommends changes in training. This does not mean that you need to completely abandon the old program and start a new one. But some changes can be made.

Justin Robbins

"Never do the exact same exercise two weeks in a row," says Robbins. “Change the equipment, change your grip, change your hand position, or add one exercise to train the part of the body you want to improve.”

1. Cook your own food

If you still haven't started preparing your meals in advance, then you're still losing out on building muscle. "If you always have the right food on hand, you won't be tempted to stray even a little from your diet," says Robbins. “Never skip meals or you will seriously slow down your progress.”

Instead of preparing meals every day, try preparing for the week at a time. For most people this is very convenient on Sundays. Go to the store, read a book with healthy recipes, stand near the stove. Every morning before leaving for work, you will know for sure that you won’t have to come up with anything for the evening.

If you are fluent in English, check out this resource - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/healthy-recipe-database.html. There are a lot of really healthy dishes here. And if you don’t know English, but want to learn these recipes, subscribe to site updates; translations of these recipes will be published soon.

1. Know your rhythm

Another key point in growing muscle is tempo. "Your muscles should be under constant tension the entire time you're training," says Robbins. “When in doubt, slow down and think about the quality of the exercise, especially if it is the most difficult exercise of all.”

If you decide to do fewer lifts but more constant tension, simply count to five slowly as you lower the bar. This will cause serious muscle damage, which is what you are aiming for. And these damages will lead to rapid growth.

Irene Goley

Don't fuss while doing the exercises. Focus on HOW you do them. “Mental control of muscle growth is important to me on every set,” says Irene Goley. “Focus on the quality of the reverse movement in the exercise and tense your muscles to the maximum limit and hold under this tension for as long as you can stand it.”

1. Distribute nutritional supplements wisely

The pre-, during- and post-workout periods are great times to take supplements designed to enhance muscle performance and speed up muscle recovery.

"I'm a firm believer in using supplements before, during and after training," says Nick Twam.

Caffeine is one of the main pre-workout supplements. As a rule, in the form of natural, brewed coffee. "Caffeine jumpstarts the nervous system, so it's ideal for kicking off tough workouts. It will help you feel focused and energized," says Twam.

He also likes to use a few grams of citrulline malate to help keep muscle activity high. 5 grams of creatine monohydrate and a small serving of carbohydrates to increase energy and the rate of muscle glycogen recovery.

During training, Twam drinks cocktails with added branched chain amino acids (BCAs). “RCAs are essential for reducing catabolism and increasing protein synthesis,” he explains. Nick adds 10 grams of RCA, often paired with additional carbohydrates, to keep his muscles at their full strength.

Post-workout, Twam finishes with NitroTech+ with up to 50 grams of extra carbohydrates for even faster recovery and extra glutamine and creatine if needed.

If you don't want to use supplements individually, try choosing a complex preparation. Trainer Jason Dwarika, for example, recommends the MuscleTech Nano Vapor to get the most out of your workouts.

1. Stay true to a healthy lifestyle

Daniel Beausoleil

When Danielle Beausoleil is asked about her success, she begins to describe her special approach.

“Many people mistakenly believe that to achieve a decent result you need to devote 70% to diet and 30% to fitness, or something like the opposite,” she says. “It really requires you to be 100% committed to both diet and exercise.”

Without endless dedication to your nutrition plan and training plan, your results will be extremely difficult to achieve. Of course, this has long been a hackneyed cliché, but it is true - consistency is always the key to success.

Danielle's advice is simple: choose only the type of activity that is ideal for your specific needs.

1. Take a multivitamin

While it's always best to get your nutrients from whole, natural foods, sometimes you simply can't get all the micronutrients you need because you're following a diet and dietary restrictions. "Vitamins and minerals are good for anyone, even those on a healthy diet," says Nice.

She focuses on high-quality multi- and omega-3 supplements, and also supplements with magnesium and zinc, as this increases the intensity of her workouts.

1. Know your weak points

As you gradually progress in gaining muscle mass, pay attention to muscle groups that are lagging behind the rest. If there is a part of the body that you want to pay special attention to, then it would be a good idea to develop a special, separate training plan for it.

Trisha Ashley

"If there's a specific muscle group that I need to focus on, I like to lift a little more weight than usual and work it out for about six sets of six reps each," explains fitness model Trisha Ashley Gutierrez. “Then, if I realize that this muscle group really needs work, then after three days I return to working that area of ​​the body using even more intense repetitions for the isolated muscle group.”

By adding weights to exercises for isolated muscle groups, you can easily balance lagging muscles with the rest. Increase the frequency of training only for the lagging muscle group and you will get the desired volume.

1. Start understanding sports nutritional supplements

Don't think of nutritional supplements as just a way to increase overall body performance. Nutritional supplements help the active athlete stabilize his caloric intake. “If you want to build muscle and find it difficult to consume enough calories to do so, then a muscle building supplement will benefit you,” says Pulido.

High-quality weight gain supplements include protein, carbohydrates, some fat, and additional micronutrients and ingredients to help improve overall performance. Pulido recommends the Mass-Tech series, which he himself has used when he needed to consume more calories than usual for extra energy and improved performance. And if it is not possible to go to the gym, then you can always equip