You probably know that gaining muscle is more complicated than lifting a few weights and eating a "see food diet," Following the points below will ensure you gain results while you train to make your efforts worthwhile.
- Number one rule is protein! Eat at least two grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. Eg if you weigh 80kg you need to consume a minimum of 160 grams of protein per day.
- Eat every three hours.
- Eat protein with every meal to boost muscle mass by means of protein synthesis.
- Eat high carbs and high protein after a weight training session, the carbs will restore your muscle glycogen which is necessary for the muscles to grow and recover.
- Eat healthy fats like avocado and nuts as these are required for good hormone function.
- Drink lots of water during the day. Your muscles are 79% water so keep the body well hydrated.
- Make sure your diet consists of whole foods and not processed foods.
- Make sure your macros are in a calorie excess and not a calorie deficit.
- Incorporate compound movements in your training routine to stimulate muscle growth of the larger muscle groups.
- Rest is just as important as the workout itself. Do not overtrain as overtraining will decrease muscle size in order for the body to recover.
- Train 3 – 6 days a week. 3 is the bare minimum to see any results in a bulking phase.
- Keep cardio to a minimum. If you do lots of cardio the effect it has on the body is the opposite of bulking. Your body will burn muscle before it burns fat if all the steps above are not followed.
- Most importantly ….. HAVE FUN!!
Below is a 3 day split, designed training program for individuals who want to build lean muscle. The 3 day split is designed for optimal results for individuals with busy time schedules.
Muscle groups are grouped together and you can choose to do extra workouts during the week, 3 workouts is the minimum, you can do up to 6 per week, just keep rotating through the program.