Which exercises to focus on, what to eat and how often to train are questions that bother most people at the beginning of their fitness journey. There are three most important points to focus on - nutrition, training and muscle recovery.
In this blog, find out how to get the desired results with proper nutrition, cardio and strength training, as well as rest.
Increase muscle mass with compound exercises
To build muscle, prioritize weight exercises and perform compound exercises. Compound exercises use several muscle groups at once. For example, the squat uses the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves and abs at the same time.
Some of the compound exercises are:
- Squat: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves and core.
- Bench press: Pecs, shoulders and triceps.
- Lunge: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves and core.
- Shoulder press: Shoulders, pecs, traps and triceps.
Kako kontinuirano povećati mišićnu masu, ali i snagu?
To increase muscle mass and strength, it is useful to start with weight exercises because you need the most energy to perform them at the beginning of the training and leave cardio exercises for the end.
To improve, change your routine every 6 to 8 weeks. For example, increase the weight you lift (no more than 10% at a time), increase the number of repetitions and decrease the rest time between sets.
How many repetitions are enough? You should be lifting enough weight that the last two or three reps are very challenging.
Why is recovery important?
Lifting weights stimulates the muscles, but growth happens while you're recovering. So make sure you have enough time for rest. The best post-workout recovery means using different strategies to help your muscles heal.
For example:
- Complete stop of exercising or passive recovery is synonymous with complete rest. How much recovery your body needs depends on a number of factors, including your current fitness level and exercise intensity.
- Active recovery means that you include a low-intensity, generally lower-impact exercise at your next workout that stimulates blood flow and tissue repair without additional stress on the body.
- Cross training means that you change the exercise you do from workout to workout, so that you are always tiring different muscles of the body. For example, one day you exercise only your legs, the next day only your arms and so on.
Calorie surplus - what is it and how to achieve it?
The best way to build strength and muscle is in a caloric surplus, where you eat more calories than you burn. For the best results, aim for a balance in the intake of carbohydrates, proteins and fats to provide enough "fuel" for exercise and physical activity.
As a rule, if you enter an additional 500-1000 calories a day (approx),, on top of your current food intake with the help of healthy and nutritious foods, you should see a difference in your muscle mass. But, keep in mind that daily intake is different for each person depending on various factors such as your lifestyđš+le, genetics and fitness goals. Also you can seek the help of a nutritionist.
Don't be afraid to start your fitness journey
Apart from our tips that you just read in our blog, perhaps the most important tip is not to put off exercising because you are afraid or don't know how to start. Read our tips and simply go for it, also for any additional questions you can always ask our employees at our Gyms4you gyms or arrange a consultation with our coaches at Coach4You.
