Make a workout schedule that hits every muscle group twice a week. Developing an effective workout schedule is not something you need a trainer to do. There are several simple, easy to remember guidelines to follow that will allow you to get the most out of your workouts, building muscle quickly and safely.
- Allow 1-2 days of rest between similar workouts. If you work out your chest on Tuesday, don't work them again until Thursday or Friday.
- Group similar muscle groups for workouts. For example, since many chest exercises also work out your triceps, group these exercises on the same day.
- Provide 1-2 rest days where you go for a short run or avoid hard physical activity. Your body needs time to rest and recover to build muscle.
- Focus on great form, not extra repetitions, to gain muscle quickly and safely. Doing ten proper push-ups is far more effective than fifteen bad ones. You want every exercises motion to be smooth, fluid, and slow, not herky-jerky and awkward. While each exercise is different, some general tips include:
- Inhale as you come up, or relax. Exhale into the exercise.
- Keep your spine straight, not curved or bent, as much as possible.
- Hold each exercise for 1-2 seconds at the apex, then slowly move back to resting position.
- Do yoga to stretch muscles with a full-body workout. Yoga is another option for working out larger muscle groups, as it helps you strengthen your muscles and gain flexibility. Easy, calm sessions are great for rest days, and you can push yourself with harder workouts to mix up your routine. If you're struggling to find exercises that you enjoy without gym equipment, yoga might be the simple answer.
- Youtube contains a treasure trove of yoga workouts for any skill level, so don't feel intimidated if you're new to yoga -- you can practice in your own home with little equipment.
- Push yourself so that the last 2-3 reps of every set are difficult, but not impossible. If you really want to gain muscle, you're going to need to push yourself. Your own body is the best indicator of your workout, so keep working the muscle until it is tired. You should be struggling slightly at the end of each set, and the last 2-3 exercises you do should require full concentration and effort.
- Make goals in advance. If you decide to do three sets of twenty ahead of time, you're more likely to finish the set while you're sweating. Then, if it is too easy, you can always add more.
- Pushing yourself is different from courting injury. If your joints, bones, or muscles hurt, as opposed to just feel sore or tired, you should stop and rest
- Eat a balanced diet that is heavy on protein but low on fat. This doesn't mean that you need to be pounding protein shakes every day or cutting out every dessert. A good diet is a balanced diet, focusing on whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins like chicken, fish, eggs, and beans.
- A glass of low-fat chocolate milk is an excellent post-workout snack.
- Switching from white bread and pastas to whole grains is a great way to immediately eat healthier.
- Avocados, nuts, olive oil, and eggs all contain healthy fats. The ones to watch out for -- butter, cream, lard, etc. -- are almost always the foods you already know are unhealthy.
- Consider buying some basic home-gym equipment if you're serious about working out. There is a large variety of equipment that can help you perform new exercises and challenge yourself further, but you don't need expensive machines to do it.
- Resistance bands are adaptable, come in a variety of "weights" and can be used for thousands of exercises.
- A basic set of dumbbells is a cost-effective way to add some weight to your workouts.
- Pull-up/chin-up bars are designed to fit safely into most door frames, and many models can be used for dips and incline push-ups as well
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