It’s been months. Everyday you’re hitting the gym hard, working every muscle you can. You’ve completely dialed in your nutrition, with your meal plan looking more like a chemical formula, 300 C, 160 P, 85 F, than an actual meal.
Even after persistent determination and perseverance, your goal of being more ripped than the wrapper of the protein bar you just ate only seems to get further and further from achievable. You aren’t any leaner, any bigger, or even any stronger. You're doing everything right, but nothing is working, or at least it seems that way. This tiring and endless cycle is very common among beginner lifters.
I want to build size and strength
In regards to the first goal, building size and strength, there are many areas in which beginner lifters fail to address. These areas are program, types of exercises, and nutrition. Each component plays a vital role in seeing results.
Firstly, if your goal is to build size and strength, do not just enter the gym and copy what everyone else is doing. Do your research. Find a program that is geared towards building size, and stick to it!
Most beginners believe that building muscle takes only weeks or maybe a few months; this couldn’t be further from the truth. At the fastest rate, beginners to the gym can gain 2 pounds of muscle per month.
If limited progress is seen after this time, then it is ok to switch programs. Switching before this would be switching before results would even be visible!
READ How to Avoid Sore Muscles after a Workout - and What to Do When Muscle Pain Occurs?
What type of exercise should I choose?
The type of exercises will play a critical role in how quickly you will build muscle. If your goal is to build as much strength and size as possible in the shortest time, it is vital that you focus on compound movements like the bench press, shoulder press, and deadlift, etc.
These lifts target multiple muscle groups and allow you to add weight in a relatively short period of time, which is the driving force behind adding strength and size.
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What about nutrition when building muscle?
Finally, the third area to focus on is nutrition. When building muscle there are only two aspects of bodybuilding nutrition you need to focus on: calories and protein. It is beneficial to eat in a 200-500 calorie surplus everyday, in addition to eating between .8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Although it is necessary to eat a sufficient amount of carbs and fat, you do not need to track them, just make sure they are in your diet. Follow these guidelines and progress is sure to follow!
Why You Aren't Losing Fat
For many first stepping into the gym, the goal is to build muscle. For some however, the goal is to first lose fat. If you’ve had limited progress on this goal I don’t blame you. With all the health fads that have been circulating, it can seem impossible to decipher what works and what doesn’t. Should I do a lot of cardio? Should I cut out all carbs? What about fats? Do I have to eat 6 small meals a day to lose weight? These may be just some of the questions you’ve been trying to figure out.
Luckily, the answer is much, much simpler
The truth has been so obscured over the past several decades, it’s no wonder people spend years trying to lose just 15 pounds. Because only counting calories and a caloric deficit, not actual macro nutrients like fats, carbs, and protein, causes weight loss, it means that you can
1) eat whatever and whenever you want as long as you consume enough protein to retain muscle, and
2) not have to waste hours upon hours a week doing boring, exhausting cardio.
READ Caloric Restriction May Increase Longevity
At your target weight? How to find your maintenance caloric intake, and eat to stay there or lose weight
To achieve this, you must first find your maintenance caloric intake.
For example, a 150 pound person would eat in a deficit of: 150 lbs x 15 = 2250 calories → 2250 calories x .8 = 1800 calories.
Pay attention to protein intake
While the right deficit is critical to weight loss success, consuming sufficient protein is also very important. One should aim for a consumption of about 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight in order to retain as much muscle as possible.
In addition to nutrition, weight lifting will certainly aid in the weight loss process, and you should incorporate exercises or programs that are similar to the ones described in the first paragraph.
What about cardio?
Lastly, even though cardio is not at all necessary for weight loss, it could help results appear faster. The best cardio to incorporate into your exercise regimen is a simple brisk walk a few times a week for 30 minutes to an hour. This will help increase your caloric deficit, without making you extra hungry and want to eat more!
Weigh yourself everyday!
Following these methods, you should be able to lose weight at a rate of about 1-2 pounds per week, so it’s also vital that you weigh yourself everyday (ideally in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating).
Enjoy! Fitness is meant to enrich your life, not detract from it!
Ultimately, whether your goal is to lose weight or put on mass, it is important to remind yourself that results take time, and that you should enjoy every step of the way; fitness is meant to enrich your life, not detract from it!
Sources & Links
- Inforgraphics by SteadyHealth.com