I see 90% article, blog and videos focusing on Fat loss and six-pack abs. Having six pack or just focusing on dropping fats doesn’t mean you are fit. There are many other components of fitness which shall be explained in different blog that derives your level of fitness. It’s been years I have been experimenting and doing research on different techniques and diet pattern just to understand which module works the best. Though we know every individual body reacts differently to each workout techniques and diet pattern, I tried my best to categories some of the below key points which are considered as a Fundamentals for Muscle Growth.
1. Focusing on Lifting Heavy weights:
When I talk about lifting heavy weights, it doesn’t mean you jump on to the squats rack, load 100kg and start perform 6-8 repetition in your first set. If you are one among them who get inspired by people on YouTube and try to demonstrate the same in the gym, chances are you can be on bed for next few days with injury. What I meant was in case you aim to lift 100kg load and perform squats for 6-8 repetition, then start working by loading 30%-40% of the weight for your first 2 sets and slowly increase the weights by 50-60% of weights on your next sets. Remember having an aim of performing 100kg squats is good but you need to keep moving slowly day by day towards it. Make sure to implement the concept of Progressive Overload, where you keep a track of number of weights you lift on current week and try to go 10-15% more the next week. This way you not only achieve your goal of lifting heavy but also would be able to lift without any injury.
2. Challenge your Limitation:
In previous point we talked about lifting heavy weights, however I see people performing single muscles per day which is also known as BRO SPLITS for long period. Bro Splits is a technique used to hit single muscles group per day and it’s good for beginner to use this splits for few days in order to learn the form and technique of performing particular exercise. For eg: let’s say you perform exercise for your biceps on Day 1 , by implementing BRO SPLIT for few days you end up learning the technique and forms in holding the weights , focusing on the movement of the muscles and its contraction, and soon . However studies have shown performing BRO SPLIT on long run doesn’t help you to build muscles to its best. Studies shows the more frequently you train particular muscles in a week , the more it grows, So it’s always important to implement different methods of training like Superset, Giant Sets, Pyramid Set ,Fullbody, Tri-Sets and so on. This way you not just beating the muscles more than once per week but it also let no other choice for your muscle rather than to grow.
3. Focusing on Compound Exercise:
Talking about compound exercise, it’s where you use more than one muscle group to perform particular exercise For eg: Chest press, Push up, Squats, Deadlift, Overhead Press, Barbell Row. When it comes to compound exercise people get confused between focusing on build muscles (bodybuilding) and Power Lifting. Body building is where you lift weights focusing on the ROM ( Range of Motion), feeling the muscles you hit , focusing on the form of lifting and so on , whereas in powerlifting your main aim to lift the max weight which might lead you to arched back when lifting , having leg drive, short range of motion etc. So if your aim to build more muscle then lift the weights where you focus on destroying the muscles you want to work on without compromising on the form and technique, Now once you are good with compound exercise, you also need to work on isolation exercise, focusing on hitting the one joint movement like bicep curls, triceps extension, lateral raise and so on.
4. Choosing Right type of endurance:
Lifting weight help you to build muscles and performing endurance help you to lose excess fats what you gain. This means choosing right type of endurance training help you to preserve your lean muscles and also work on different type of muscle fibre. We see people being on treadmill, elliptical for 2 hours and ending up losing muscles or looking thin. Studies shows that the longer you do endurance training or cardio the more muscle you lose, so basically you are building muscles on one side through weight training and losing the same on other side by doing extreme cardio. So the best way to save your muscle and perform cardio or endurance training is by implementing HIIT (high intense interval training) in which you give your best of your HR within 10 -30 sec (i.e if you aim for 10 sec of HIIT you need to be in a stage of breathless after 10sec or when we say 30 sec you should feel your done with your body after 30 sec).
5. Preventing Injuries:
When we talk about hitting per muscle twice or thrice a week, it doesn’t mean every time you go on lifting heavy weight and go for 5-6 repetition. For eg: if you have done heavy weight squats with 6-8 repetition on day 1 of the week and also planning to do the same exercise on day 4 of the week , make sure you lift moderate weight on day 4 where you are able to hit 10-12 repetition with 60 sec break, just to stimulate the muscles. This way you not only work on the muscles you wish to, but also be able to work out without any injuries. Remember once you are hit with an injury it take several months for you to have complete recovery from it and get back on track.
6. Eating enough amount of Carbohydrates:
We have been hearing from our trainers, eat more protein if you want to build muscles. Of course it is true proteins are building block of muscles. However what most don’t focus is, not having enough amount of carbs. People feel eating carbs makes you gain weight/ fats, but that’s not the facts, it’s the sedentary lifestyle what make you gain unwanted body fats. Carbs are the main source of fuel for your body, you need fuel or energy to lift heavy weights. Your body use the glycogen stored in muscles and liver as initial fuel to perform any movement, and if your body does not have enough glucose it may lead to glycogen depletion. Hence your lean muscle and fats are used as source of energy in this stage. However the worst part is you end up losing lean muscle and also Fat takes longer to convert into energy when compared to glycogen. SO if you want energy during work out make sure to have good amount of carbs.
7. Proper Rest and Recovery:
Inspite of eating well and lifting heavy, if you are not giving importance for good rest, chances are you might end up giving extra load on your CNS (Central Nervous System), muscles and also fall sick. Your muscles repair the damages you make during workout only when you give adequate rest and good nutrition to it. It’s during your sleeping hours the process of detoxification and repair of muscles take place. The better the muscle repair and recover, the better you will be able to perform the next day. Make sure not to overtrain your muscles as this can also lead to improve recovery of muscles.
Having said that, every person has different goals and make sure to work on your goal rather than trying to implement what your friends or others around you demonstrate. If your goal is to lose body fats or to gain muscle, be flexible, or to run marathon, perform those exercise which can help you reach that goal. Remember every person has different body type and trying to copy what others do and repeat the same is just a waste of time and can lead you to several injuries. So it’s always better to set a long term goal, design a plan and work accordingly.
