Most people who go to the gym are completely lost by the science and jargon which often surrounds training and diet. In fact, we lose count of the number of times people ask us how to build muscle on a daily basis. As fitness instructors this is probably our second most popular query behind only how to lose weight and keep it off. We get to see just how many people out there are struggling to get results.
The two rules in this article will help you get some results fast.
Whether you are a pretty experienced gym goer or a complete newcomer to the world of fitness, you will find the foundations of solid training here today.
* Sort out your diet
* Supplements are useful but not essential
The fact is most people neglect the basics in favor of searching for a miracle solution to their problems. By failing to nail down the basic, proven foundations of building a better body, however, you ruin your potential and actually hold yourself back considerably.
The first thing to do is sort out your diet. That's right, even when you are trying to gain size you need to diet. Most people think they can just eat whatever they want when they are trying to add weight but this is incorrect. Remember you don't just want to add weight, you want to build muscle.
There is no one 'best' way to diet. Despite all the trainers out there trying to sell their 'best ever plan' to you, there are numerous ways to get results in the gym. You simply have to get the basics right and that's what we're going to show you today. One of the best diets around is known as the 3-5-2 plan. To work out how many calories per day you need to pack on some size, multiply your target weight (in pounds) by fifteen. So a 180 pound guy would require around 2700 kcals in total.
The important part is knowing how to split those calories up and establish how much should come from protein, carbs and fats respectively. This is simple and often over complicated. The 3-5-2 simply means 30% protein, 50% carbs and 20% fat.
Multiply your 2700 calories by 30% and you will see how many of your daily calories come from protein. In this case it's 810. To work out carbs and fat simply do the same equation with the relevant percentages.
To convert your protein calories into grams so you know how much to eat, just divide that 810 by four. This gives you 202g. For carbohydrates, take your carb calories and divide by four. When it comes to your daily fats, take your fat calories and divide it by nine. This will give you a complete breakdown of how many calories to eat per day and how much of it needs to come from protein, carbohydrates and fats respectively.
Secondly we will discuss supplements. People often put too much emphasis on bodybuilding supplements and not enough emphasis on the rest of their diet. We know many people at the gym who do this, they train hard and take their protein supplement but they don't look after the rest of their diet at all and they refuse to admit it, often kidding themselves that they don't know why their training isn't working.
The only supplements you require when starting a muscle building program are protein and creatine. Everything else can be added in at a later date if necessary. They keyword to remember here is supplement, keep it basic. It's meant to be an add on to your diet, not a replacement.
Having now got the basics of both supplements and diet, you are now in a much better position than most when it comes to knowing how to build muscle in the gym. In fact, the next time you hear somebody at your local fitness center complaining at their own lack of results you could probably lend them a helping hand.
The two rules in this article will help you get some results fast.
Whether you are a pretty experienced gym goer or a complete newcomer to the world of fitness, you will find the foundations of solid training here today.
* Sort out your diet
* Supplements are useful but not essential
The fact is most people neglect the basics in favor of searching for a miracle solution to their problems. By failing to nail down the basic, proven foundations of building a better body, however, you ruin your potential and actually hold yourself back considerably.
The first thing to do is sort out your diet. That's right, even when you are trying to gain size you need to diet. Most people think they can just eat whatever they want when they are trying to add weight but this is incorrect. Remember you don't just want to add weight, you want to build muscle.
There is no one 'best' way to diet. Despite all the trainers out there trying to sell their 'best ever plan' to you, there are numerous ways to get results in the gym. You simply have to get the basics right and that's what we're going to show you today. One of the best diets around is known as the 3-5-2 plan. To work out how many calories per day you need to pack on some size, multiply your target weight (in pounds) by fifteen. So a 180 pound guy would require around 2700 kcals in total.
The important part is knowing how to split those calories up and establish how much should come from protein, carbs and fats respectively. This is simple and often over complicated. The 3-5-2 simply means 30% protein, 50% carbs and 20% fat.
Multiply your 2700 calories by 30% and you will see how many of your daily calories come from protein. In this case it's 810. To work out carbs and fat simply do the same equation with the relevant percentages.
To convert your protein calories into grams so you know how much to eat, just divide that 810 by four. This gives you 202g. For carbohydrates, take your carb calories and divide by four. When it comes to your daily fats, take your fat calories and divide it by nine. This will give you a complete breakdown of how many calories to eat per day and how much of it needs to come from protein, carbohydrates and fats respectively.
Secondly we will discuss supplements. People often put too much emphasis on bodybuilding supplements and not enough emphasis on the rest of their diet. We know many people at the gym who do this, they train hard and take their protein supplement but they don't look after the rest of their diet at all and they refuse to admit it, often kidding themselves that they don't know why their training isn't working.
The only supplements you require when starting a muscle building program are protein and creatine. Everything else can be added in at a later date if necessary. They keyword to remember here is supplement, keep it basic. It's meant to be an add on to your diet, not a replacement.
Having now got the basics of both supplements and diet, you are now in a much better position than most when it comes to knowing how to build muscle in the gym. In fact, the next time you hear somebody at your local fitness center complaining at their own lack of results you could probably lend them a helping hand.
About the Author:
Author: Russ Howe PTI is the UK's most subscribed personal trainer who teaches people how to build muscle and how to lose weight. Check out his free guide next to kickstart your progress in the gym.
