How to gain muscle mass in just 2 weeks

Muscle building and mass gaining is a top priority when it comes to physical improvement. Having a well-developed muscle not only makes you look fantastic and boost confidence but also has a great deal of health benefits. These health benefits include stronger bones, better and faster metabolism and also an improved hormonal balance. Well, let’s not say that you’ll be able to gain 7 KGs in 7 days, but yes, by following the right steps you will be able to gain some major muscle. These steps not only include workouts or other heavy weight exercises but also a balanced diet which includes all the necessary proteins and vitamins.

The biological term for muscle gaining is ‘Muscle Hypertrophy’ In simpler words it is the amplification of muscle tissue due to expansion of previously existing cells. Muscle Hypertrophy basically works by damaging the already existing muscle cells just enough after which the muscle builds back up stronger via the help of right proteins. It is suggested that in order to gain more muscle mass, strength and to gain weight, you must adapt a workout strategy which is specifically designed to work on strengthening different parts of the body which in turn will increase overall mass. Along with the workout you might also want to consider the intake of supplements which will promote bigger muscle and make you faster and stronger.

The golden rule for gaining muscle mass faster is ‘70% Diet and 30% Exercise along with proper rest’.

Consider the following steps in order to increase your body weight or muscle mass quickly

• Exercise

Exercising for muscle growth is for sure important for building muscle mass but the thing that is more important is doing the right exercises in the right way. A lot of sportsmen and athletes are under the impression that increasing the weight and lifting intensively heavy weights is the key to proper mass gain but alas! That is not true. The key is basically to go lighter on the weight and intensifying the volume. The science behind this strategy is to push your muscle towards failure to lift so that your body realises that there is a requirement for it to make the muscle bigger in order to adapt. This also does not mean that you keep on lifting the same weight throughout. The point here is to gradually increase the weight as your body gets used to the previously lifted weight. This phenomenon is known as the principle of progressive overload.

The ideal way is to increase weight with every rep which will cause more stress to the muscle which will promote its remodelling. This particular technique is known as ‘Train to Failure’, which means doing an exercise until you cannot physically repeat it one more time.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is to work out in the correct training form and posture. If you don’t, you will risk injuring your muscle.

For beginners, keep these tips in mind in order to effectively gain muscle mass without injuring yourself

• For difficult exercises it is suggested that you start with a reduced range of motion. Increase the range gradually and once you reach full range of motion you may also increase the amount of weight.
  • Do the right exercises. The rule is to perform 3 sets of 3 to 5 compound exercises and 3 sets of 1 to 2 isolation movements in a workout. Compound workouts are the exercises that focus on multiple muscles at the same time with its target at the large muscles such as ‘Squats’ and ‘Bench Press’.
  • Make sure to work-out in the correct posture. The way your spine is placed during a workout has a huge effect on your body and the kind of weight that can be lifted.
  • When it comes to weight lifting, feeling the muscle is most important. Be it biceps curls, triceps press-down or leg extensions, squeezing for at least a second or two helps in muscle growth.
  • Always learn from your mistakes. Remember that you are a beginner and not an expert. Make sure to pay attention to these mistakes and not repeat them.

Top Exercises to build muscles

• Kettlebell Squats

Add zing to your normal squats with kettlebell and notice more progress. It will not only build muscle in your lower body but also work on your upper body and core.

• Free Weights

Strength training is technically the first and the best workout that comes to mind when you think of building muscle. For shoulders, try ‘rows’ and ‘overhead presses.’

For arms go in for ‘triceps extensions’ and ‘bicep curls’ and for your legs try ‘leg presses’, ‘squats’ on the Smith Machine along with ‘lunges’

• Skipping Rope

Jumping rope or skipping rope works on your calves, hamstrings, forearms, glutes back and shoulder at the same time. It is a great exercise to increase your balance and brain-muscle coordination.

• The large muscle group exercises are said to increase the levels of testosterone and other muscle building hormones. These other exercises are ‘pull up’, ‘plank pull’, ‘dips’, ‘deadlifts’, ‘jump squats’ and ‘sled work.’

For all the exercises, it is suggested that you utilize low repetition counts of maximum 6. Along with that make sure that the weight is heavy but not heavy enough that you can lift all six repetitions with it easily.

• Rest

As much as you train your muscle you won’t get the required results if you don’t give your muscle the time to recover post working out. It is suggested that for full recovery of your muscle you should get at least eight to ten hours of sleep every night. The process of protein synthesis only takes place while you are asleep. It is only this time that maximum of growing and repairing takes place.

Let me take you through the importance of taking rest while on the mission of increasing of muscle mass.

• Firstly, it allows your muscle to recover. As you might be thinking right now that rest days are time to get lazy on the couch but no its this time that all your efforts of workout finally show on your body which in turn gives time for muscle growth. The science behind this is that when you exercise the muscle tissues tend to have microscopic tears. But when you take rest after a hardcore session of working out, cells known as fibroblasts get their time to repair those tears. Resulting in healing, growing and stronger muscles. It also gives your body time to store back the energy you perished during your last workout session.
  • Taking rest during regular intervals also reduces your risk of injury. If you overwork your body the chances of it falling out of form and weight loss are more likely to happen. You might also experience muscle pain and joint pain. Rather than increasing muscle mass and weight gain you might get the opposite results. Also, if you overtrain and stress your muscles chances of injury are more likely to happen and the number of rest days tend to increase automatically.
  • Even though exercising improves your sleep, taking rest is also as beneficial. Taking adequate amount of rest and better sleep will also help you normalize and balance your otherwise disturbed hormones.
  • Based on a study from 2011, people who slept for only 5 hours on an average per night had less than 60% low muscle mass than those people who slept for more than eight hours on an average. Adding to this those sleep deprived people showed a massive decrease in muscle strength.
  • Rest is very important in order to avoid fatigue caused by excessive exercising. This kind of soreness is caused as exercising also depletes the glycogen level in muscles. If you take proper rest those glycogen levels are replaced and muscles function better.

The correct way to utilize rest days

The way a person makes use of their rest days varies from person to person. It depends on the frequency and intensity of workout along with the lifestyle. Activities like just walking or slow dancing or sometimes cardio is set to be the best ways to give your muscles rest. An important aspect to keep in mind while muscle gaining is to assign a day for each body part. For example, you assign Monday for chest workout, Tuesday can be biceps or triceps, Wednesday legs and so on and so forth. Resting will allow rebuilding and growing your muscles in a better manner. The more muscles you gain the more calories you tend to burn during rest and once your body is well rested the energy levels are refreshed resulting in better exercise regime.

Here are some signs that will help you in deciding when it’s time to give your body rest:

• Unbearable pain in your joints and muscles.
  • Sleeping issues
  • Fatigue and extreme levels of physical and mental exhaustion
  • Soreness in muscles
  • Lack of progress in muscle development

• Diet

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT’’

The kind of food you eat will in turn give you the kind of muscles you dreamed of. No matter how much you work out or the time you spend in the gym sweating in those rigorous exercises you will not reach anywhere near your goal if you don’t eat right. Your muscles require energy, fat, carbs, and proteins to function in an adequate manner. No matter you want to gain weight or muscle or you want to get slimer there is a specific diet plan designed especially for that very purpose. Every type and quantity of nutrients that you consume has a distinguished effect on your muscle gains. That being said you eat to grow, it’s not always about what you do at the gym.

Nutrition has a huge impact on your results. Paying attention to micro nutrients like protein, carbohydrates and fat; calories and times that you consume your meals will give you more serious gains in weight and muscle mass.

There is a “Rule of 100” which is considered as the best way to make sure you are consuming the right number of calories. This rule states to consume 15-20 calories per kilogram of your body weight for a period of one month. If you notice no gains then increase the calorie intake by 100 calories and if you see more of fat development cut down your calorie intake by 100 calories a day.

Let’s discuss a balanced diet that will help in building muscle mass and effective weight gain.

• Stop avoiding fat

There are two types of fats, good fats which your body requires and bad fats which it doesn’t. It is said that around 25% of your calorie intake is supposed to be in form of fat. Most people back in the day did not realize the importance of adding good fat in their diets but now as times have progressed and people have become more aware of their eating habits, they have come to realize that good fats such as nuts, olive oil, omega 3 derived from fatty fish and ghee play a vital role in effective body functioning and mass gain. Good fats are important in maintaining your testosterone levels which ultimately effect muscle building. The right exercises are also fat burning.

• Importance of Protein in diet

Amino acids which are used as blocks that build muscles are attained through proteins. According to a recent research people who are training to increase muscle are required to eat around 1.8grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Protein makes up around 50-60% of your body’s muscles. Your health will inevitably suffer if you do not consume sufficient amounts of protein on a daily basis.

Here are some protein abundant foods for muscle building:

• Eggs: It consists of important nutrients like vitamin B and high quantity and quality protein.
  • Chicken Breasts: They contain good amount of Vitamin B, B6 and niacin which are necessary if you are active. A serving of 85 grams provides you with almost 26 grams of healthy protein.
    • Soyabeans: You take in 16 grams of protein by consuming almost 86 grams of well-cooked soyabean. It provides your body with Vitamin K, phosphorous as well as Iron which is an important element used in storing and transporting oxygen through your blood and muscles.
    • Beans: Beans are an amazing source of plant-based protein. Popular beans like Kidney beans (Rajma), Black and Pinto gives the body about 15 to 18 grams of protein per 175 grams. It is an excellent source of fibre and B vitamins.
    • Other sources of protein include brown rice, milk, chickpeas, almonds, tofu and peanuts.

• Include Carbs

It is advisable to consume almost two to three grams of carbohydrates per kg of your body weight daily. After protein, carbohydrate is the second most important nutrient to add in your diet for an effective muscle growth. It acts as the fuel that helps your body run adequately. In order to get lean muscles do not avoid carbs from your meal. Carbs give you more fuel for intense workout sessions and heavy weight lifting.

Here are some carbohydrate rich foods you can consume for muscle gain

Consider avoiding the following food items if you are on a muscle gain diet

Important supplements for weight and muscle gain

What you don’t get from your natural you get it in the form of supplements. A supplement is a nutrition which is available in form of a capsule, a pill, powder or a drink. It helps in better sleep, weight gain, weight loss, pain relief etc.

• Creatine

It is a naturally produced molecule in your body which provides strength and energy for tissues and muscles. It promotes muscle gain by increasing exercise performance and giving a positive effect to your muscle cells. It also improves muscle strength. If your muscles are stronger, you will perform cent percent better during workouts. One of the most important benefits of creatine is that it increases water content in your muscles and promotes its growth. It also has a hand in decreasing the breakdown of proteins in muscles.

• Protein supplements

Protein is an ultimate source of muscle growth. Your muscle is made of protein the most.  While a lot of people may derive protein from a natural source and their regular diet, a few may struggle to do so. That is where protein supplements come in. Some of the most talked protein supplements available in the market are Whey, Casein, Soy protein and others in isolated form from eggs, rice and hemp seeds. There are many sorts of protein powders, protein bars available in the market to substitute your daily protein requirement if failing to fulfil it from your regular diet. They are also an amazing source of mass and weight gainer.

• BCAA (Branched-chain amino acids)

BCAA makes up for about 33-35% of the amino acids in your muscle. It is an important supplement to gain muscle and prevent any muscle loss giving your body a better and quicker recovery. However, it is only essential for weight or muscle gaining. A weight loss programme should have BCAA deficient diet for effective results.

Supplements don’t guarantee muscle gain or better performance if you lack proper nutrition and exercise. Your body responds well to any supplement provided only if your exercise regimes, calories intake and proper rest to recover are all in check. Miss one and your results might not show.

Tips for better women health and muscle gain

Women are required to focus tat bit more on their workout routine and diet in comparison to what men require in order to get similar results. Some helpful techniques such as persistence, an exercise schedule and a healthy diet are sure to help women build a strong and lean physique.

No matter what your body type is be it skinny, lean, chubby or any other will directly or indirectly affect the nutritional requirements and intensity of your workout. For example, a lean woman will be able to gain more muscle and easily in comparison with someone who is skinny.

• Diversify the workout regime:

It is important to split your days and allot specific days to each body part. Start with a regular work to develop your cardio vascular health and then move on to basic body weight exercises before getting on to lifting weights. Keep in mind the importance of rest period for each muscle group after training it. A 48 hours rest period is advisable after training a specific muscle group. Keep increasing or decreasing the weight or the number of sets or the repetition according to your body’s progress and don’t hesitating in experimenting.

• Nutrition

As compared to men, women need to keep a closer check on their nutrition. Your body is what you feed it. First step towards it is to know the calorie intake and calorie burned during a workout and the difference if it is in surplus or deficiency. On an average a woman requires around 1500-2000 calories a day for maintaining good health. A diet comprising protein carbohydrates and good fat is the optimal diet which results in better metabolism. Rely on smaller meals throughout the day. Go for a calorie surplus diet for muscle building and weight gaining.

• Positive mindedness

It is a journey that you embark on so the results come to those who work towards it patiently with a positive mind set. Good things happen when you are happy and positive and notice the small achievements that lead you to the bigger goal. A never give up attitude goes a long way in pushing you through the hard times.

• Stay hydrated

About 70% of our bodies is made up of water. You are required to drink plenty of water during the entire day for your muscles too stay hydrated. This is way too important as if your muscles are dehydrated, the risk of injury is more. Keeping that in mind, you are required to make sure of drinking enough water in order to gain muscle mass.

• Science of progressive overload

Gradually adding more and more weight to your exercises in order to make sure that you are on the correct way of making progress and building strength is known as progressive overload. If you stick to a consistent weight, it will hamper the growth of your muscle.

• Resting and giving time to recover

As discussed earlier, it is not secret that resting after a rigorous workout session is mandatory. Its gives time to your muscle to heal adequately. A recovered muscle will give your better and brighter results as compared to overworked ones. Sleep for almost eight to ten hours every night in order to maintain muscle strength.

Helpful tips to lose weight and gain muscles at the same time

BODY RECOMPOSITION is a scientific term given to the process of gaining muscle and losing fat. This particular statement is quite contradicting as in order to gain muscle you are required to go on a calorie surplus diet and on the other hand to lose weight you are supposed to do the opposite, that is, go on a calorie deficit diet. Well lets just clear out the science for you and clarify the concept.

Today, in order to have a healthy life of wellness you are required to add on muscles while losing weight. This being said, a learner body and muscle is said to burn more calories as compared to fat. Your resting metabolic rate will be higher if you have more muscles. This goal can only be achieved by following a very healthy diet plan along with a workout routine that is effective. Consumption of protein and carbohydrate helps in the process as it provides your body with more energy to burn at the gym.

• Dietary changes

Going on a calorie deficit diet helps. If you burn more calories than you tend to consume, it will boost your metabolism and promote your required goal. The trick to doing this is to pick the food items that gives your body more energy and acts as a fuel for working out. Consuming whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes is effective as they consist of less fat and sugar compared to processed food. Another point to this is that it will ease the process is to elevate the amount of protein intake. Healthy Protein like, chicken, eggs, tuna and dairy, helps in muscle building.

• Strength training

Strength training, also known as resistance training is the most effective form of muscle building. It pushes your muscles to reach past its limits. This phenomenon is known as metabolic stress. This provides your muscles with kind of energy it requires in order to adapt to the weight that you are lifting. Once you push your muscles to a level that they get damaged and tear, the healing process starts that causes your muscle to in turn grow. Here consulting a personal trainer is beneficial since if you do all of the best of exercises in an incorrect form it will give you more damage that gain and all your efforts will go down in the drain. Resistance training three times a week for alternate days for 45 minutes is assumed to be the best routine to start building muscles. It is advisable to include exercises for legs in each workout regime. Leg exercises for your quadriceps, thighs and hamstrings is beneficial. These exercises include deadlift, squats and more. In order to work up core and abdominal muscles, include core exercises like planks and knee raises. At the end of each workout make sure to stretch well for at least five to ten minutes in order to prevent injuring any muscle. Stretches like toe touches and stretching your arms at shoulder level help a lot in increasing the mobility of muscles.

• A good warm up

Warming up for at least three to five minutes and then easing into the workout will give you an extra edge for your workout session. Some effective warm up exercises include arm circles and swings, swinging your leg forward and backward, jumping rope and more. It is also beneficial to do two to three HIIT workouts per weak for at least twnty to thirty minutes on alternate days.

• Giving time for your muscle to recover and build is also very important. You should give at least 48 hours of rest to your muscles before getting to the grind again. An adequate amount of healthy sleep pushes your muscle to repair on its own. In case you are not able to get enough night sleep catabolic hormones like cortisol is released which in turn slows down your muscle growth. A good way for muscle building is also the art of managing stress.

To sum it all up your desired body is a combination of a well followed diet plan, proper nutrition, effective exercising regime, rest and recovery and proper supplement on a regular basis. It requires discipline and dedication to do this every day without a break till your goal is achieved. Your body is much stronger than you think. All you have to do is push your brain in believing that it can be done. Once you are dedicated to your work outs, keeping a check on your nutrition the results are inevitable. Once those results show up, the confidence level gets a boost and body language improves. The fitness industry does not leave even a single chance to make you believe that you cannot reach your desired goal and increase your muscle without the use if special equipment and a personal trainer. To shatter that illusion, I would like to tell you that if you follow these tips and keep an eye on what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat, along with proper posture in every exercise and beneficial supplements, you will be able to see the required results in a short time span. Patience, persistence, positive mindset and dedication are some elements that bring you close to your goals every day.