Working out and building muscle seems like a daunting task before you start. Sometimes it might even seem like an impossible task. But I am here to tell you that it isn’t as insurmountable as you might think. I’ve put together this guide to walk you through the basics of building muscles as a total beginner.
Change Your Diet
The biggest mistake most people make when they start their workout journey is to not correct their diet. That isn’t to say you’re eating unhealthy right now. But you have to consume food in a different way when trying to build muscle.
The first thing to consider is your caloric intake. When we exercise, our body burns calories into energy. We naturally need roughly 2000 calories a day just to function. But when you work out you need to consume more. Enough to replace the calories you burnt off. This might seem counterintuitive, but it is necessary as your body needs to use these calories to help your muscles grow.
Secondly, you need to get more protein. This is the substance that is directly responsible for healthy muscle growth. Foods such as white meat, nuts, fish, eggs. These are all things you should get more of in your diet.
The Workout Regime
Next comes the activity that will actually build the muscles. Working out. Most beginners aren’t aware of the fact you need to do a variety of different exercises to build different muscle groups. For example your lats and delts need different exercises. And it is advisable to focus on a specific muscle group during any singular session. Unless you are doing a full body workout such as climbing.
There are hundreds of effective workout regimes online to choose from. Just make sure you pick one that is suited to beginners. It is also wise to track your progress during your sessions. Seeing how much weight you lifted one session. Then slowly adding to that value in the next. But don’t over exert yourself. And the most important thing is this: Remember to Stretch!
Supplements
Sometimes diet and exercise isn’t enough. The human body is a complex machine and each person is built differently. Genetic differences can impede your muscle growth journey. Especially if your body is low in testosterone.
Testosterone is the growth hormone that helps muscles grow. Our bodies naturally produce it. But you might need to boost your levels. You can buy a lot of over the counter supplements that help boost your levels. But sometimes you might need something stronger like testosterone enanthate. If you don’t know, testosterone enanthate is often prescribed for low testosterone. A doctor can check your body’s testosterone levels and give you the right dosage straight away. So it is always wise to go for a check up before you start your work out journey.
You might also consider vitamin supplements. In recent years people have become deficient in important vitamins such as Vitamin D and C. Both of these help the body stay energized and are important when working out, as you will expend a lot of energy. There are many natural ways to get more of these vitamins, but a supplement is also a valid method.
A Positive Mindset
The most important part of building more muscles is to keep a positive mindset. Chances are you won’t see results straight away and it can be discouraging. You need to remember that hard work pays off. If you stick with it and think positive thoughts, you will get better results. Set yourself a goal in a realistic time frame. Give yourself lots of positive affirmations. And remember, you are doing this to better yourself.
