How to Double Your Muscle Gain

23:51 / Posted by kreid / comments (0)

A fitness program should be customized to your body type in order to get positive results. You have to remember that your body is different from other people. You have a different metabolic rate to the next guy and you also have a different body structure that will require an altered body building program. If your friend is using a muscle building routine that is working for him, the same program may not necessarily work for you.


One mistake that most people make when it comes to muscle gain or fitness programs, is that they stick to a program that clearly doesn't work for them. Remember, if you see that your body building program is not working, why should you keep on doing it? Bit of a waste of time and energy (and money if you go to a gym).


Give any new training program 2 or 3 weeks. You will be able to see if there are any improvements or not; a great program will show clear improvements in your body within this short time. Don't continue with an exercise program for months if you don’t see any positive results after the initial three weeks.


Here are some tips that will be able to maximize efficiency when you work out and also maximize your body building exercises.


Initially, you need to remember that half reps will not cut it. Do only full reps even if it is strenuous. However, you have to avoid over-training at the same time. Always remember that in muscle building, recuperation is the key. Try to rest for at least a day between times. This way, you will be able to give your muscles the rest they need in order to grow.


Also note that muscle training is actually damaging your muscles. You are injuring your muscles in order to make them grow. Your body adjusts to your actions and grows stronger and bigger muscle tissue. This is what actually happens when you gain muscle mass.

If you are overweight, then you have to remember that the best way to reduce fat is by incorporating cardiovascular exercise into your muscle building program. Cardiovascular exercises are known as aerobic exercises, since they burn fat. They are able to do this since they take place over a relatively long period of time and force your body to use fat as fuel. In contrast, weight lifting is anaerobic exercise, as it involves short bursts of hard exertion, and therefore only burns sugar (glycogen).

Correct execution of the individual exercises is also very important in promoting muscle growth. One common mistake is to perform exercises too fast. Another is to allow the weight to drop once it has reached its highest point. Going slow on each repetition is better. Imagine you are doing barbell curls - lift the barbell up until you fully tighten your biceps and slowly lower it down to the starting point. The smooth lowering action is highly efficient at boosting muscle growth, it is just as important as the upwards movement.

These are just a few tips on how to increase your rate of muscle weight gain. Always remember that with the proper diet, good form while doing your workout, and plenty of rest, you will be able to get the results you want faster.
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Muscle weight gain tips

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Muscle-up your diet

22:32 / Posted by kreid / comments (0)

Just came across some great tips from Men's Fitness magazine on how to Muscle-up Your Diet. I'm going to to try the one about Branched Chain amino Acid (BCAA) powder and the Green-tea tip.
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FitnessForRealMen - muscle and body building routines; fitness and nutrition tips

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How Drinking Can Harm Muscle Weight Gain

22:52 / Posted by kreid / comments (2)

Drinking significant amounts of alcohol is one of he principal factors behind many men's loss of muscle tone and definition. Unfortunately, despite what nutritionists say, many people still drink excessively and wonder why they can't build muscle the way they would like. If muscle gain is not what you want, then this is ok; but if you are looking to build muscle then this article will give you the lowdown on the relationship between alcohol and muscle weight gain.

We've already established the need to be careful about your alcohol consumption if you want to get a six-pack (pardon the pun), but why exactly is this - what does alcohol do to your body and muscle mass?

1. Alcohol raises estrogen and decreases testosterone

Testosterone is the hormone that basically is the key to building muscles. If protein is the fuel for building muscle, then testosterone is the gas pedal. Guys with a lot of testosterone can build muscle faster than guys with less testosterone. Estrogen is another hormone, but one that you definitely want to minimise, as it can cause you to develop female characteristics (in other words, man-boobs!).

2. Alcohol lessens your ability to break down protein

Protein synthesis will be decreased by up to 20% in heavy drinkers. This means that you will not be converting protein into muscle, In other words, your hard workouts and body building routines will be wasted.

3. It removes key minerals from your body

Alcohol increases the excretion of natural vitamins and minerals inside your body. WWhen you drink a lot, the alcohol can remove some of the important chemicals that our body needs namely Vitamin A, B, C, zinc and calcium. These elements are lost quickly which can affect your body's natural balance. Maintaining a high level of minerals and vitamins inside your body will hugely improve muscle growth and quality mass gain.

4. Alcohol will dehydrate you

You can get dehydrated by drinking? Yeah right! That's a common response. But stop and think... have you noticed that every time you go out drinking you order water or soft drinks to quench your thirst? This is because alcohol is a diuretic - it increases the production of urine. And as you may have guessed, each time you go for a number one, some of those important minerals are lost down the John. If this goes on, the water in your body can’t satisfy the demand from your muscles - which are, believe it or not, composed of about 65% water.

5. It triggers fat storage

Most drinkers develop "beer bellies". This is because alcohol chemically trigger the storage of fat by your body. Alcohol has about 6-8 calories per gram and can therefore make you fat quickly, leading to a bloated look.

Maintining a moderate level of alcohol consumption is important, particulary if you are focused on muscle mass building. Drinking in itself isn't totally out of the question, but it must be controlle; otherwise you will struggle to gain muscle quickly and get the body image you want.

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FitnessForRealMen - muscle and body building routines; fitness and nutrition tips

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Muscle Weight Gain - Free Weights or Machines?

22:46 / Posted by kreid / comments (3)

There has always been argument over whether free weights or resistance machines are better for building muscle. If you don't know the difference - free weights are handheld weights that you lift on your own whilst resistance machines typically have an adjustable weight stack that is pulled up using wires controlled by your muscles.

Free weights give the exerciser much more freedom in their body building routines, and also give a more demanding workout for muscle weight gain. This means that they are typically better at building muscle mass. The key to this is the fact that you are forced to control and balance the weights, which is a much more natural body building routine when compared with using a machine to perform muscle isolation exercises. In this way, dumbells, barbells, and other free weights can enable muscle weight gain together with a more natural look.

Your Core muscles are the ones that you use to balance the heavy free weights that you lift during your strength training routines. Machines make life easy for you, because they take away the need to use these muscles. Next time you exercise, compare the weight you can lift on the Smith Machine with the same weight on the free barbell benchpress. you will quickly see that the free benchpress is much more difficult. So, to see the greatest muscle weight gain, and to develop real strength, you need to work your core muscles.

In addition to strength training, there are those who want to get a ripped muscular look, in addition to strength. Once more, the core muscles come into play. A strong core helps your main muscle groups to get bigger and stronger. You need to remember that in order for you to see significant muscle gain.

This is not to say that there isn't a place for machines. There certainly is - as a complement to free weights. I recommend that you run through your free weight workout to completion, before using any machines. This helps give that extra blast to specific muscles. It also helps in that it gives you a break from free weights, which need to require a lot of exertion and can be tiring.

So, are you ready to hit the free weights next time you are at the gym, or perhaps buy free weights for home use? Just make sure you start off nice and easy - get your technique right before adding more weight. A good technique involves a smooth, seamless action from the start, to the top of the lift, then back to the start position.

Some like to push the weight up hard and fast and explosively, then lower it back down gently - but do whatever you enjoy.

Focus on exercising your core muscles until they can comfortably control the weight you are lifting, and only then move on your body building routine proper.

To continue to see significant muscle weight gain, keep on increasing your standard weight, so that you continue to lift with the same effort as you get stronger. Ideally, no matter what exercise you are doing, you should do around 3 sets of 16 repetitions. If you can easily do 16, the weight is too light for you; more, and it is too heavy (I call this weight, the "16 weight" and it is different for everyone).

That's really all there is to it. To summarize the main points:
  1. Strengthen your core muscles before beginning the bodybuilding routines in your training program.
  2. Use machines to complement free weights.
  3. Keep your technique smooth.
  4. Keep trying to increase your "16 weight".
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Muscle Weight Gain - How Fast Can I Improve?

00:29 / Posted by kreid / comments (1)

Those uneducated in the ways of fitness probably imagine that muscle mass building is extremely straightforward and formulaic. Wrong! I can tell you now that this is not the case, not by a long shot! :-) ... Big improvements in muscle mass and strength take weeks or months. On top of this, you must balance a number of factors if you want to see your muscle mass build up.
  • Most importantly, you need to eat very healthy and wholesome foods to help your body build more muscle fibres.
  • Second, you need to work at your limit, and always try to increase that limit. Tough physical exertion literally shocks your body enough to build mass - your body is literally trying to protect you, by building your muscles to help you cope with the harsh demands you are subjecting yourself to.
  • Third, simply put, is luck. Everyone can build a great body, but it's the luck of the draw as whether you can get really big - whether or not you are predisposed to this is down to your genes and your body type. This article will help you identify the kind of body that you have and consequently, the best exercise program to suit your body type and your requirements to gain muscle mass.

Here are the three main body types along with their primary features to help you identify yourself:

1. Endomorph

Endomorphs typically have round faces and a larger frame with wider hips. Endomorphs put on fat easily due to their slower metabolism. On the flip side, they also have the advantage of naturally fast muscle weight gain and tend to be naturally strong. Endomorphs usually find it hard to achieve the "ripped" muscular look - even though the muscle may be there, their tendency to easily store fat can hide it. So Endomorphs have to be especially strict in their diet, cutting down their fat intake significantly.


2. Ectomorph

Ectomorphs are naturally slim and skinny with little natural strength. If this describes you, then you can probably identify wih being able to eat pretty much anything you want without gaining much fat. This is due to a fast metabolism. Unfortunately, this also means that you will find it harder to gain muscle too. Ectomorphs typically also have small appetites. If your are an Ectomorph and you are already muscle strength training techniques and body building routines to try and gain mass, but you are seeing little progress, don't worry. This is common for your body type - and the most important advice for you is to remember to eat regularly, even if you don't feel hungry; this is the secret of weight and muscle gain for Ectomorphs. Protein drinks and other supplement are highly recommended for Ectomorphs, since these are easier to consume than normal meals.


3. Mesomorph

Mesomorph have a v-shaped body with wide shoulders and narrower hips. They tend to be naturally muscular and athletic, with normally a lower percentage of body fat than Endomorphs. These genetic advantages mean that Mesomorphs can see very fast muscle weight gain compared with Endomorphs and Ectomorphs.


You may find yourself fitting exactly into one of these categories; but more likely you will have a mix of body characteristics, with a leaning toward one of the three types. If you don't have Mesomorph characteristics, it's not the end of the world - there are many other factors that influence the rate at which you can build muscle mass. Therefore, an understanding of the type of body you have will help you immensely in creating a plan for the ideal workout routines and nutritional programs that will help you to build muscle mass and strength.
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Teen Body Building

01:00 / Posted by kreid / comments (0)

Your teenage years are full of changes, both physical and psychological. Surely one of the most important is the interest you begin to tae in the opposite sex (Don't worry - this isn't going to turn into an awkward sex education lesson). Teenaged boys will go to great lengths to make a good impression on the girls. And, since the teenage years are relatively stress free, many teenagers have thought about using their spare time to hone a nice body by pumping iron, lifting weights as part of a bodybuilding routine.

If you are no longer a teenager, perhaps you can still remember those days of comparing muscle gain with your buddies. Some things never change! But as body image becomes more and more important (whatever the reasons), the fact is that working out to gain a toned, muscular body is now becoming common among teenage boys.

Parents normally rightly support this practice - wanting their teenager to be fit and healthy and develop high self esteem and confidence. Having a healthy and muscular body can do wonders to a teenagers self belief.

However, as is the case in adult muscle building, some boys try to cheat by taking steroids, hoping to gain muscle fast or with little effort. If you are considering this, remember that, apart from the danger of seriously messing up your hormones at this important growth period in your life, you will also lose the satisfaction and self belief gained from having to work hard in the gym to see muscle gains.

The old fashioned body building routines have proved time and time again to be unrivalled - this includes a healthy diet and a regular weight training schedule. the furst step in deciding on your diet and nutrition is to work out whether you are too heavy or too skinny (use this Body Mass Index calculator to get a rough estimate) If you are overweight, you need to begin by doing mostly cardiovascular work, like cycling, swimming or running, to burn off the excess fat. After this, you can start increasing the amount of weights you are lifting.

Your diet should cut down significantly on fat and carbohydrates (bread, pasta, etc); while increasing your intake of protein (meat, fish, nuts, etc). If, on the other hand, thing are a little easier, since you can start immediately with weight exercises for building muscle, combined with a protein-heavy diet for fuelling this growth.

Remember that since you are still growing and probably haven't done any body building routines, you need to gradually ease yourself in to this weight training program. Go go all out straight away, but give your body enough time to adjust to the rigors of resistance training. Always make sure that you get plenty of rest, and your body will do the rest by repairing and growing muscle for you.

Perhaps most importantly of all, make sure that you have the right attitude before you start working out. You will not see instant results, and therefore must be prepared to be patient for a couple of months. If you are committed to putting in the hard work, you will definitely see big improvements over time.

Of course, these aren't the only points to contemplate, but they are a very good start. Essentially it all comes down to having the willpower to succeed. If you have this, then get out there and make a start!

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - muscle and body building routines; fitness and nutrition tips

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How to get ripped like a superhero

13:07 / Posted by kreid / comments (0)

40 year old Hugh Jackman needed to bulk up and get super-ripped to play the role of superhero mutant Wolverine. Find out what he did and learn how you can do the same.

Jackman surely owes a lot to his personal trainer, Mike Ryan, who has been helping him train since they met at a small gym in Jackman’s native Australia. ‘I call him my masterpiece,’ says Ryan. ‘He just keeps getting better and better over the years. We’ve got a bet to see if we can both get to 50 and still have a six-pack.’

To work around his filming schedule, he and Ryan are usually in the gym at the crack of dawn. ‘Research suggests that people who train in the afternoons consistently do workouts of far less intensity than those who do train in the morning. When Hugh has a 6am filming start, that means we’ll be in the gym by 4am’, says Ryan.

Jackman usually starts his workouts with a cardio warmup, which varies between running and swimming. This helps warm up and stretch his muscles to prevent injury. He also finishes with another 15 minutes of cardio work.

The main workout is 60 to 90 minutes, and is based around big compound weight-lifts and traditional resistance exercises, like bench-presses, squats and deadlifts. These work to increase overall muscle bulk. To emphasize particular muscles, each day’s session is split between muscle groups, with isolation exercise sets like flyes paired with compound sets, like squats. The compound exercise of the pair keeps every muscle working, while the isolation exercise squeezes a particular muscle to failure. ‘I believe in controlled overload,’ Ryan says. ‘To push the muscles to failure by the last set, we’ll superset compound moves with isolation ones – for example, go from a dumb-bell bench press straight into a flye. By the last set you need a spotter to help you squeeze out those last couple of reps., says Ryan.

While the fundamental training principles are based on the core body-building moves, the same workout can be done ten different ways by making small changes, like changing the angle of the bench; the weight, the tempo; or the rest time.

One look at Jackman’s physique proves that these training methods work, so give his plan a try. We can’t guarantee making you the next x-man, but it will get you ripped and ready for action.

Summary:
- Warm up first with 15 minutes of cardio.
- Do pairs of the exercises as supersets, performing one set of the first exercise, then moving immediately on to a set of the second exercise.
- Take enough time to rest between supersets.
- Choose a weight that you can manage with perfect technique for the whole set, but which leads to muscular failure by the end of the final set.
- Take one second to lift the weight, pause for another second, then take two to three seconds to lower it down.
- Train in the morning where possible.
- Work on “progressive overload” – always keep increasing the weight.
- Keep a training diary to record your progress.
- Focus on muscle activation rather than simply aiming to finish the set.
- Work with a trainer to help your motivation.
- Get plenty of sleep – 7 to 7.5 hours a night.

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Building an attractive, ripped body

13:39 / Posted by kreid / comments (2)

Most people know that they need to lift weights to build muscles. But many guys want to have muscle tone and an attractive body, without looking huge, so they just lift light weights with high repetitions.

Unfortunately, this is not going to work. Getting a ripped body is a two-step process. First, build up your muscles with intense training. Second, cut fat from your body to shrink-wrap your muscles, giving that striated, ripped look. That's really all muscle tone is - you are able to see the shape of the muscles throught the skin.

To get nice muscle tone and build an attractive muscular body, you need to commit to a regular training routine, with good nutrition before and after the fat-burning phases. Here are some muscle building tips that you can incorporate into your workouts. (Before you commence weight training, remember to warm up and as well as doing some stretching exercises.)

Train Muscle With Free Weights

Machines have their uses, but for a start, concentrate on free weights. That means working almost exclusively with barbells and dumb bells. Free weights force your body to use many stabilizing muscles for balance and coordination. That means you will work a larger overall area than the "big" muscle groups. This is essential to giving you a balanced, symettrical, sexy look. In other words, it will give rise to little bumps, striations and definitions all over your body instead of one big lump of muscle on your intended muscle. Because of the extra nutrients created, your muscles will grow faster too. (Why else do you think all professional body builders almost exclusively use free weights?)

Train With Compound Exercises

Incorporate as many compound exercises as possible to your exercise schedule. Compound exercises are exercises that involve 2 or more joint movements. They utilize more joints, which means greater muscle mass is involved. Using more muscles means you can lift heavier weights. This in turn encourages greater muscle growth - enhancing your muscle tone even further.

Some excellent compound exercises are Squats, Lunges, Deadlifts, Dips, Pull ups, Bench press, Barbell Press, Bent-Over Barbell Row. I'm thinking of writing about each one of these exercises in future posts - let me know if that's what you'd like to see.

High Intensity Training

Intense, hard training is key to muscle growth. Try to do more reps than your previous session, or lift more weight.

Every time you train hard, you give your body time to recover and rebuild itself bigger and stronger. Your muscles grow when you rest, particularly during sleep (not in the gym). So get enough sleep. Do not train every day or work the same muscle group more than once or twice a week. For vigorous, intense exercise, do no more than one hour per session.

Try not to do cardio work on the same day as your weight lifting work, as aerobic exercises are not conducive to muscle growth. You can increase your cardio work at the fat-burning phase, cutting this fat is key to getting ripped.

Technique And Form

Poor technique not only compromises your muscle growth; it will also make you prone to injury.

This usually happens when people try to lift weights that are too heavy, whether out of vanity or ignorance. As a guide, always lift with strict focus on the muscle you intend to work on for that exercise. Feel it contract and relax. Lift the weights smoothly and slowly without jerking. Never swing your weights up especially when doing bicep curls or the military press.

To Build Muscles Fast You Must Perform Lower Body Exercises

Your lower body makes up 60% of your muscle mass. If you don't train these muscles, not only will you look chicken-legged, your entire body will not grow as quickly and as large. Don't think that you can hide those skinny limbs in pants! Most people do not train their legs because squats, dead lifts and lunges are grueling exercises. But it is precisely because of such intensity that you will produce more growth hormones when you sleep and overall muscular development is stimulated. Your body shape will also be more balanced and therefore more attractive.

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

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Unconventional six pack ab training

20:52 / Posted by kreid / comments (0)

One of the most desired bodily features is a toned set of abdominal muscles. Six pack abs can really improve the look of your whole body. There are two main ways to tone your abdominal muscles. First, you can do abdominal exercises such as crunches and situps. Secondly, you can use machines such as the balance ball or rowing machines.

However, the traditional regime of situps and abdominal crunches is monotonous and uninspiring. In this article I outline a number of unconventional exercises that can help you achieve a toned stomach area whilst having fun at the same time.


- Number one. The Bicycle. This is a great abdominal exercise. To begin you lay down flat on your back. You then place your hands behind your head with your fingers laced together, bring your knees to your chest and rotate them at close to 45 degrees (like you are peddling a bicycle). As you do this touch your right elbow to your left knee and vice versa.

- Next, another great exercise is Hindu Pushups. You begin on your hands and knees with your legs spread wide and your rear end pushed up. Next you bend your elbows (like you are doing a pushup) and bring your back down in an arc. Then straighten your arms so your back arches upwards with your hips just above the ground.

Both of these exercises should add some variety to your usual adominal exercise routine. However, if you are still looking to spice up your abdominal workout you could try implementing some machines. Below are a number of ideas for using machines to tone your abdominals:

- The Balance Ball - highly versatile and improves your core stability. This exercises both your stomach muscles and the rest of your body. To stay balanced on the ball your abdominal muscles need to remain tight, a task which is often a lot more difficult than people think. Try spreading your feet on the ground for balance, leaning back on the ball and doing half-crunches. Do chest presses while sitting on the ball - you will find it difficult to balance, but it's easy to pick up and really strengthens your core muscles. Ankle weights can make it easier to keep your feet on the ground if you find the balancing diffcult.

- The Rowing Machine primarily works your shoulders, forearms, biceps, triceps and legs. However, due to the position you have to maintain whilst seated on the machine it also gives your abs a great workout and helps tone and strengthen them.

- The Red Exerciser is a relatively new piece of equipment which keeps the upper body still, allowing you to oscillate the lower body using your abdominal muscles. If you train with the Red Exerciser frequently you will start to notice impressive results.

However you decide to exercise your abdominal muscles I hope that this article has proved useful to you. Variety in your abdominal workouts is a good idea because it prevents you from getting bored with your routine. Also, doing different exercises will keep working your abdominal muscles in different ways and help give them more tone and definition.

Remember to also try and eat healthily, incorporating lots of vegetables, fibre and protein-rich foods into your diet. Also try to consume plenty of water. Finally, make sure that you perform some cardiovascular exercise. Doing this will reduce your body fat, allowing your stomach muscles to stand out more. Keep it up and you will have the abs you've always dreamed of in no time at all.

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

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The Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle

00:09 / Posted by kreid / comments (0)

How to win the battle for the body you've always wanted.


The biggest mistake when building muscle is imitating Pro Bodybuilders. Most of them are genetically predisposed to producing muscle. And after all, they didn't start out training like they do now, so copying their routines won’t make you build muscle fast.

It's clear then, that Joe Six-pack (you and me) needs a different approach. We need a methodology that builds muscle fast and prevents physical & mental fatigue from attempting too much, too soon. So here it is: the Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle.


1. Strength Training. More strength is more muscle. Strength training is the ultimate toolkit for building muscle. If you aren't in a gym, you can use your own bodyweight with exercises like push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. Weight-lifting adds more of a challenge, in that it allows you to keep on adding weight as you progress.

  • Weight Lifting. Start out with a weight that you can smoothly lift for 4 sets of 10. Next time, add a little more weight. Make sure you learn proper technique.
  • Calisthenics. Push-ups, pull-ups, reverse crunches, dips, etc. Switch to harder versions or add weight when they get easy.


2. Use Free Weights. Stay away from machines. Free weights are more challenging, since you must balance when using them. You can lift the heaviest weights using barbells and dumbells. More weight equals more stress, thus more muscle.

  • Safe. Machines force your body into performing unnatural movements which can cause injuries. Free weights replicate natural motions.
  • Efficient. Free weights force you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines, which balance the weight for you.
  • Functional. Machines give you a false impression of your real strength. No machine balances the weight for you in real life.
  • Versatile. You can do hundreds of exercises with just 1 barbell. Saves a lot of money and space.


3. Do Compound Exercises. Don’t imitate Pro Bodybuilders by doing isolation exercises. Isolation is fine once you’ve built enough strength & muscle mass. But if you’re starting out, exercises that hit several muscles at the same time are better.

  • No endless Biceps Curls - instead, do pull-ups, chin-ups and barbell rows.
  • No Triceps Kickbacks - instead, do Bench-press and Overhead-press and Dips.
  • Definitely no Leg Extensions - instead, do Squats and Deadlifts.


4. Train Your Legs. Squats not only train your legs, they work your whole body, they’re a very important exercise. You'll feel like superman once you can squat your own bodyweight. That’s a free weight Squat with hips coming lower than knees.

All your muscles tense when doing Squats or Deadlifts. Your body effectively works as one big lever, allowing you to lift heavier weights. Don’t lose time with Bicep Curls. When you can Squat & Deadlift heavy weights, your strength and muscle size will snowball.


5. Get Rest. Professional athletes workout over 5 times per week; but they didn’t start out that way. They added workouts as they got bigger and strogner. If you try to exercise like an athlete of powerlifter, you'll burn out. Rest and Recovery is just as important as lifting big.

  • Rest. Muscles need rest to grow. Start with 3 full body workouts per week and focus on the intensity of your workout, not on the length.
  • Sleep. Growth hormone releases when you sleep. Aim for 7 hours sleep minimum. Nap post workout if your lifestyle allows.
  • Hydrate. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration and helps muscle recovery. Drink a glass or two of water / protein-shake with each meal, and sip water during your workout.
  • Eat. Eat regularly and well. Blasting your muscles is futile unless you give them the materail to repair and grow. More on this below.


6. Don't eat processed food. Try to stop eating food coming from a box. You’ll achieve a lower body fat, so the muscles you’ve built show better. The natural vitamins and minerals will help recovery. Eat whole foods 90% of the time.

  • Proteins (muscle fuel). Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, ...
  • Carbs (for energy). Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, …
  • Veggies (vitamins). Spinach, broccoli, onion, carrot, …
  • Fruits (vits & minerals). Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, pear, …
  • Healthy Fats (oils & minerals). Olive oil, fish oil, nuts, flax seeds, …


7. Eat More Frequently. Eating many small meals throughout the day boosts your metabolism, helping fat loss. Never feel hungry, this makes your body store fat.

  • Eat Breakfast. Get calories from the first hour. Read healthy breakfast recipes here.
  • Eat Post Workout. Get proteins & carbs post workout to help muscle recovery & replenish energy stores. Try a whey protein shake mixed in water.
  • Eat Every Often. 5 or six small meals every day will give your muscles a steady intake of amino acids, speed up muscle repair & recovery and increase your energy levels.
  • Eat BW in lbs x 18kcal. You need at least your bodyweight in lbs x 18kcal to maintain weight.


8. Gain Weight. No matter how low you body fat %, you'll never impress the girls on the beach by looking like a marathon runner. Check the post on how to gain weight and muscle for skinny guys. Here are the essentials.

  • Eat Calorie Dense Foods. For example, 100g of raw spinach contains 24 calories, but the same of brown rice contains over 300 calories. Eat pasta, oats, olive oil, mixed nuts, etc.
  • Get Stronger. Increase the weight in stepped increments, a small amount each time. Before you know it you'll be lifting like a pro. More strength is more muscle.
  • Drink Milk. If you aren't bothered about gaining some fat initially, drink a pint/liter of semi-skimmed or whole milk every day on top of your current food intake. If you combine this with a session of squats and deadlifts once per week, you can gain weight very quickly.


9. Get Protein. Protein is broken down by digestion into the amino acids that repair and build muscles. You need 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily to maintain muscle, more to build muscle. That’s 180g of daily protein if you weigh 180lbs/82kg. Eat natural proteins with each meal.

  • Red Meat. Beef steaks, deer, buffalo, …
  • Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey, duck, …
  • Fish. Tuna (squeeze out the oil), salmon, sardines, mackerel, …
  • Eggs. Scrambled, poached, fried (in law-fat oil substitute).
  • Dairy. Milk, cheese, low-fat yoghurt, whey powder, …

If you weigh 180lbs: 1 can of tuna at lunch, Chicken salad sandwich as an afternoon snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 180g protein. You can also get this from a couple of protein shakes, which is more convenient for many people (including vegetarians).


10. Record your progress. If you get discouraged, it can really lift you when you are able to look back at how far you've come. Keep a record of your progress and persist until you’ve built the muscles you want. You’ll see a clear change in your physique after following this guide for 2 months. Never give up.


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website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

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