Exercises to gain muscle mass. Program for effectively gaining muscle mass Perform complex physical exercises

Guys with a thin build are not attracted to the female sex, since everyone wants to see a muscular man next to her who can stand up for himself. The presented needs are largely stereotyped, so young people strive to gain weight by any means possible. It's not difficult if you know exactly how to gain weight for a skinny guy.

To do this, you will have to work hard in the gym, adhere to the basics of proper nutrition with a predominance of protein in the diet, and also drink special energy protein shakes. They contain protein and protein - a building material necessary for muscle growth. Only complex “therapy” will help achieve the goal of improving body definition. Next, the features of weight gain for very thin guys will be presented in detail.

In order for a guy to gain weight quickly, he needs to listen to the following recommendations:

• regularly eat healthy foods - calorie content should be slightly increased, but through the consumption of complex carbohydrates and vegetable fats;
• the calorie content should be greater - the daily calorie content should exceed the energy consumed per day;
• It is important to include easily digestible foods in your diet;
• Regular training - strength exercises under the close supervision of a trainer - is mandatory for weight gain.

Young people of thin build should not neglect one of the rules presented.

You should also understand that results cannot be achieved in 1-2 weeks, and without regularly following the rules, muscle mass will quickly disappear.

Please note: It is important to strictly follow the basics of proper nutrition so as not to provoke the formation of a fat layer.

Gain Weight Fast Healthy Ways

When it comes to how to gain weight for a man at home, it is impossible to limit yourself to eating high-calorie and junk food - this will only provoke an increase in cholesterol, disrupt the functioning of internal systems, the liver and intestines, and provoke endocrine problems.

Therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to undergo an examination and determine what weight is suitable for the pimples in this case.

To do this, doctors and skinny guys themselves should use the body mass index correspondence table.

If a guy needs to increase weight, it should be through muscle mass.

To do this you need:

• observe the ratio of carbohydrates - 4-5 g per 1 kg of human weight, more than half should contain complex carbohydrates in the form of cereal porridges, bread and durum wheat pasta, the rest comes from fruits and vegetables (you can add low-fat sweets);
• proteins are an essential building element, which is consumed daily in the amount of 2-2.5 g per 1 kg of weight; not only meat and chicken are included in the diet, but also protein, whey isolate and other additives;
• Fats will help you gain weight at the rate of 1-2 g per 1 kg of a guy’s weight; preference is given to butter, peanut butter, and sour cream.

Proper nutrition with a balanced combination will help a thin man gain weight quickly and effectively. A guy's diet should include only healthy foods.

During the process, it is necessary to monitor the acceptable indicators presented in the table.

Correct calculation

Eating correctly means correctly calculating the ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fats, for which the following calculation technique is followed.

For example, for a guy weighing 70 kg who wants to gain 12 kg:

• counting carbohydrates for gaining muscle mass - 1 g of carbohydrates contains 4 kilocalories, taking into account the standards presented above, a man should consume 350 g per day of complex carbohydrates, ¼ of which can be light carbohydrates;
• calculate proteins - the young person’s given indicators should include 175 g or 700 g of protein, which is expressed as 0.7 kg of meat or fish;
• counting fats - in this case you will need 140 g of fat or 1260 kcal, it is allowed to use butter to gain weight, where 100 g are added to cereal porridges, and the remaining 40 g are spread on bread;
• As a result, the total daily calorie intake for a young person is 3360 kcal per day.

You won’t be able to gain weight just by consuming the calories presented - it is important to provide your body with regular strength training to gain muscle mass.

Approximate diet

Taking protein supplements is necessary to pump up faster in the gym. Otherwise, you will have to be content with just a toned body.

In the first half of the day it is allowed to eat desserts or sweets, but with a low fat content. Dark chocolate, marshmallows, Turkish delight, marshmallows and others are great.

Since adding auxiliary components from protein is an important condition for increasing muscle mass, it is necessary to bring the most effective and useful products for gaining muscle mass

For training in the gym

Gaining weight without steroids is only possible with hard work in the gym. But even in this case, you will have to face difficulties, namely the lack of relief.

You can gain the necessary kilograms without chemicals if you follow the following recommendations:

• it is necessary to resort to complex training - working out all muscles;
• training three times a week is required;
• perform squats and one of the deadlift variations - these are effective exercises for achieving the goal;
• the training program should include pull-ups, standing presses with a barbell;
• pay attention and time to aerobic training;
• classes should be conducted with a trainer - in the first few training sessions it is necessary to develop a comprehensive program that can then be performed without the presence of a specialist.

Among other things, they begin to use medications and supplements in accordance with the instructions for use.

If strength training is prohibited due to health problems, you should consult with a trainer and your doctor. Together, they should create optimal workouts to increase performance and achieve goals.

Working on the body requires an integrated approach - the guy needs to give up bad habits and give preference to a healthy lifestyle. Regular walks in the fresh air are recommended; you can ride a bicycle or roller skate. It is advisable to exercise daily if you need to gain pounds of muscle mass quickly.

Strengthening the cardiovascular system and increasing muscle tone. Unlike other exercise machines, the stepper has its own advantages for training aimed at losing weight and strengthening the muscles of the legs and buttocks. Important not only exercise correctly, but also choose the right exercise machine.

Features of the stepper simulator

The simulator simulates climbing stairs; a hydraulic or magnetic load system allows the pedals to work alternately, creating the necessary resistance when stepping, loading the muscles of the legs and buttocks. The pedals are lowered by the pressure of the body weight, thus forcing the muscles to work, providing a constant lifting of the legs, as if on a ladder.

How to exercise on a stepper correctly

• An important condition for training is continuous movement, in which the feet do not come off the pedals.
• To ensure an even load on the muscles, The heels must not be lifted off the pedals and raised onto the toes..
• Also It is not recommended to fully straighten your knees to protect the joint from excessive stress.

What muscles work on the stepper?

The main work is aimed at the muscles of the legs, buttocks and lower legs. When performing the movement, the quadriceps and biceps femoris muscles are activated, as well as the adductors. With the correct position of the foot, the gluteal and calf muscles are exposed to load. Static load The abdominal and lower back muscles are exposed if you train on the classic model.

If you train on, you can additionally connect the oblique abdominal muscles and deep spinal stabilizer muscles. In models with expanders, you can work out all the muscles of the shoulder girdle, performing swings for the deltoids, as well as flexion and extension of the arms for the biceps and triceps.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits of a stepper

• Strengthens the cardiovascular system.
• Increases the body's endurance.
• Increases the tone of all muscles of the body.
• Helps reduce weight, reduce subcutaneous fat and body volume.
• Safe for training at any age, at any body weight.
• Does not overload joints and spine.
• Suitable for training during rehabilitation after injuries.

Contraindications and disadvantages

• Exercise is contraindicated in case of heart disease or high blood pressure.
• Most models for home use are unable to support weights exceeding 100 kg.
• Some models do not provide adequate resistance to obtain the required load.
• One of the disadvantages may be the lack of support for the arms, which provides the load in only one position.

What types of steppers are there?

According to load system Steppers are divided into 2 types:

• Mechanical– the load is created by the user’s movements due to the hydraulic resistance of the cylinders. These steppers are inexpensive and also have displays that show time, number of steps and calorie counts. Models come with or without handles (mini-steppers), expanders to increase the load on the shoulder girdle. These models are suitable for training at home.
• Electromagnetic– the load is created by magnetic resistance. These models are professional exercise equipment designed for fitness clubs. The dimensions and cost of simulators are several times higher than mechanical ones. The exercise machines are equipped with a display that displays time, steps, and calorie consumption. The program also creates an individual load in which you can set your own parameters - gender, weight, age. Such simulators contain several levels of loads and types of programs for muscle tone, weight loss and strengthening of the cardiovascular system.

Depending on the type of movement and principle of operation The following types are distinguished:

1. Classic. Mechanical or electromagnetic steppers of various sizes, simulating classic stair climbing.

1. Mini steppers. The most compact models on the market, specifically designed for home workouts. Such simulators may include only pedals, or additional handles for support and expanders. There are also several types:

1. with expanders– the design with expanders is designed to load the muscles of the shoulder girdle; they can also have a display showing the duration of the workout and the number of steps;

1. balancing– such a simulator has a pedal stroke that is dependent on the user’s efforts; the movement of the simulator occurs due to rolling from foot to foot. Thus, coordination is additionally trained.

1. Rotary with rotating handles. The exercise machines are designed for additional training of the abdominal and lower back muscles, when performing side crunches (twists). Designed for home use.

1. Stairs. Modern professional models are specially designed for fitness clubs. Such state-of-the-art simulators simulate climbing exactly like an escalator, and accordingly, they cost much more than their predecessors. Equipped with a huge amount of functionality, from displaying any program of various levels to multimedia and entertainment applications.

How to exercise on a stepper for weight loss

The optimal training duration is 40-60 minutes.

• If you are training on a machine with a hydraulic system, select a sufficient level of resistance at which the muscles receive a noticeable load, but are able to maintain a sufficient pace. For these workouts, you can use resistance bands or light dumbbells to ensure multiple repetitions on all muscle groups.
• For training on electromagnetic simulators choose an interval load in the fat burning mode; for this, the program itself will select an individual load and heart rate zone depending on your personal parameters (weight, gender, age).

Techniques for increasing the load on the buttocks

In order to emphasize the load on the buttocks, professional exercise machines are needed that provide support in various positions. Such models provide horizontal or inclined handles on which you can place your forearms. Thus, tilting the body will provide greater load on the buttocks, excluding the help of the lumbar muscles. The resistance load can be more intense and the pace slower.

How to choose a stepper

• Please note the maximum user weight what load the simulator can withstand.
• For home use, choose exercise machines with handles or expanders for additional stress on the muscles of the shoulder girdle.
• Choose independent pedal travel, in which you can select several load levels.

Main manufacturers

Model HS-5027– classic stepper for home, and mini stepper K0710A from an American manufacturer with a hydraulic load system, designed specifically for home use, powered by batteries. Withstands maximum load up to 100 kg. Equipped with a computer showing workout time, number of steps and calorie consumption.

The brand offers professional electromagnetic exercise equipment for gyms. The model has independent pedal travel, providing biomechanical correction of movements. Includes functions for changing speed, programs and loads. Withstands up to 180 kg.

A classic stepper with a mechanical loading system with handles and expanders. The Polish manufacturer has developed a home line of exercise equipment that can withstand loads of up to 100 kg. The display of the simulator shows the distance, number of steps and duration of the workout.
The professional line of electromagnetic steppers with independent pedal stroke offers a classic model with a color display, heart rate sensors and load indicators. Compatible with iPod and Polar.

Bradex Cardio Twister

Rotary stepper model with seven load levels for home use. Withstands up to 110 kg. Soft grip rotating handle, non-slip pedals, durable construction.

Conclusion

In the case of steppers, the more expensive and professional the simulator, the more effective the load, and therefore the better the result. Electromagnetic simulators are capable of maintaining any body position in which you can easily develop speed while maintaining stability and safety of movement. Step height and various levels of programs help you quickly lose weight without unnecessary stress on the spine and joints. When choosing available mechanical exercise equipment, choose a model that has parameters close to professional ones.

How to use a stepper in video format

Skinny guys and men often say that they can eat whatever they want without gaining weight. They are sure that their high-speed metabolism is manna from heaven. They often say something like this: “My metabolism makes women just wildly jealous. I can eat any junk food without gaining an ounce of excess weight.”

How can you gain weight

The truth is, you're simply not eating enough. It seems to you that you are overeating, but in most cases this is not the case. Now let's figure out what a skinny guy can do to gain weight.

1. Track your calorie intake

Skinny guys often overestimate what they eat. Pay attention to food labels, use a kitchen scale, and carefully track your daily caloric intake. In order to get the approximate amount of calories you need, you need to convert your weight into pounds and multiply this figure by 20. Only under this condition will you begin to gain weight.

1. For every centimeter of cross-sectional area of ​​your body, you should weigh one kilogram of weight.

If you weigh less, you will still look thin. A sample minimum norm for a combination of height and weight looks something like this:

1. How to eat right to gain weight?

Eat every 3 hours.

1. Eat nutrient-dense foods

100 grams of rice – 380 Kcal. 100 grams of spinach – only 25 Kcal. It will be easier to get enough calories in a day if you eat nutrient-dense foods. Best options:

• Pasta and spaghetti. 100 grams of pasta is about 380 Kcal. It is easier to digest such a product than 100 grams of rice. Whole grain pasta is much healthier, but takes much longer to digest. Skinny guys can eat pasta and pasta made from premium white flour.
• Whole milk. If a little body fat doesn't bother you, drink 1 gallon (about 3.7 liters) of whole milk per day (milk is not part of your daily calorie requirement). I have several guys I know who, thanks to milk, managed to gain about 30 kilograms of healthy weight in a year, subject to regular training in the gym three times a day.
• Nuts. 100 grams of mixed nuts and peanut butter represents 500 kcal. These 500 kcal contain approximately 50% healthy fats and 25% protein. Use mixed nuts for snacks and spread peanut butter on sandwiches you take to school and work.
• Olive oil. Helps with heart disease and prevents cancer. You can simply drink it, add it to tomato paste and salads. One tablespoon – 100 Kcal.

1. Get stronger

If you want to quickly transform from skinny to muscular, and not from skinny to fat. Do strength training. More strength - more muscles. If you don’t know where to start, go to the gym and see an experienced trainer. But here are some more tips:

• The weight of sports equipment can be varied. Start with light weights and focus on exercise technique and correct movements. Only after this start increasing weight.
• Complex exercises. Do exercises that will use your entire body. Squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, bench presses, pull-ups, bent over barbell presses.
• Squats. Exercises that involve the legs automatically work the entire body. Regular squats with weights will get rid of your bony body forever.
• Rest. Muscles grow while you rest, not while you exercise. You shouldn't exercise every day. Get enough sleep, drink two liters of water a day and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

1. Follow the plan

Failure to comply with a plan is tantamount to planned failure. Don't have time to prepare your own meals regularly and food at school and work is of poor quality and too expensive? Prepare food in advance and take it with you.

• Go shopping regularly. Don't skip meals. Calculate in advance on the weekend how much food you need for the week and buy everything at once.
• Prepare ahead of time. Prepare lunch immediately when you prepare breakfast. All this will take about 40 minutes and you won’t have to waste time during the day trying to figure out something healthy to eat.
• Don't complicate things. Prepare double portions ahead and take uneaten portions with you to work. Don't try to constantly invent something new, don't waste time.
• Take food with you. Containers of ready-made food for work and school, nut mixture for the cinema, protein shakes for the gym.

1. Track your progress

Success breeds success. If you know for sure that you will never go back to your skinny physique, you continue to feel confident and motivated. Track all your actions.

• Watch your calories. Calculate everything and write it down in your diary. Strictly adhere to the scope of the plan.
• Weigh yourself weekly. Are you gaining weight? Don't change anything and continue with the plan. Not gaining weight? Increase your daily caloric intake by 500 kcal.
• Take pictures. The mirror is subjective. But photographs rarely lie. Take photos a couple of times a month. This way you can objectively evaluate your progress from the outside.
• Don't forget to make your strength training more challenging. If you can hold 1.5 times your weight while squatting, you will never be skinny again.

Diet for weight gain

This is a sample 3500 kcal diet for lean guys weighing approximately 81 kilograms (180 pounds). So if you weigh about 61 kilograms (135 pounds), this diet might not be right for you (unless you're working out at the gym every day). Any diet is individual and should be based on your needs.

• Breakfast: 100 grams of oatmeal, 50 grams of raisins, one serving of yogurt.
• Snack: 100 grams of mixed nuts or one liter of milk or a canned tuna sandwich.
• Lunch: 200 grams of premium white flour spaghetti with Bolognese sauce and Parmesan.
• Snack: 100 grams of nuts or a liter of milk or a tuna sandwich.
• Post-workout shake: 1.5 cups of whey + 60 grams of oatmeal + milk + banana.
• Dinner: 200 grams of premium white flour spaghetti with Bolognese sauce and Parmesan.
• Before bed: cottage cheese, berries, flax seeds, fish oil.

Numerous visits to bodybuilding-related sites convince me that one of the most relevant topics and the subject of active discussions on them is questions rapid weight gain and muscle growth, which concern not only beginners, but also quite seasoned athletes. Although this is not surprising - it’s worth looking at yourself from the outside in those days when our main tasks were exclusively building huge muscles, gaining maximum mass, adding volume to the biceps, expressiveness of the chest or width of the back.

Reading articles about weight gain found on the Internet, I came to the conclusion that there is catastrophically little high-quality information on this topic on the Internet, one might even say that there is none at all, well, maybe, with the exception of only some very simple truths, and even then, unfortunately, not all of them. Having come across similar questions on the Internet more than once about the same beginners in bodybuilding, I decided to write a series of articles in which I planned to include detailed materials on the training program, nutrition, and sports supplements. Today we will talk about a training program aimed at effectively gaining muscle mass.

Let's touch on the fundamental truths, without which high-quality muscle building is impossible:

• It is necessary to do a warm-up before the main workout, which includes heavy weight gain. The athlete must warm up well so that his joints and ligaments have time to warm up, and for this I would recommend that the athlete use a walking machine, running at an average pace for ten minutes will prepare the body for subsequent heavy exercises. Then you need stretching, aimed specifically at those areas of the body that are most “problematic” for you, for example, elbows or shoulders - these are the ones that need to be carefully and thoroughly kneaded first.
• Before each main working set, you need to do one or two warm-up approaches, using light weight, which should be about 40-50 percent of the worker's weight. Warm-up sets allow the athlete to also get a feel for this exercise.
• Don't go to the gym for too long– intensive work for an hour is quite enough. And remember a simple truth: In training, the main thing is not its duration, but only the intensity.
• The end of the workout should be a short cool-down to stretch the muscles and joints.. A good option is swimming in the pool.
• During mass training, you should not be distracted by extraneous matters.. The observed pictures of what often happens in the gym are depressing: someone is enthusiastically talking on the phone, someone is playing with a new toy in their iPhone, someone is talking to a neighbor and the like. That is, people who train do not understand why they came here and waste time in the gym, allotted specifically for training, and then receive, as a natural result of this, the absence of any, even small, progress in bodybuilding. Make it a rule: since you came to the gym to train and your goal is to gain weight, then train without being distracted by extraneous matters or absolutely anything else.
• The key to success- this is to work in a working approach until the very last repetition, performing it too. It is the last one or two repetitions, done through overcoming, that become the most effective in the training process and it is thanks to them that muscle mass is effectively built up.
• It is necessary to adhere to a nutritious diet, on which success in bodybuilding is half dependent. I can subscribe to every word I say and responsibly declare that without high-quality nutrition, weight gain is impossible and you will never be able to build decent muscles. My next article will be devoted to this - it will be convenient for you to follow the news using the newsletters of this blog.
• Adequate rest before the next workout is also important.. Don’t be surprised or scared now - the goal of bodybuilding training is precisely to injure muscle fibers, however, in the safe sense of the word - during heavy loads, our muscle tissue receives microtraumas, which the body then strives to heal and due to this, tissue growth occurs. So, for this restoration of muscle fiber, the body needs several days and therefore daily training is absolutely contraindicated for the average bodybuilder.

In this list, I have listed the rules that should be followed during training aimed at gaining mass. Now you can proceed directly to the training program itself.

You will have to exercise three times a week: on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday - whatever is convenient for you, and here the main condition is a mandatory break between workouts of at least one day.

As a rule, athletes separate the chest, legs, shoulders, triceps and biceps into separate muscle groups and, accordingly, each of our workouts will focus on pumping a specific muscle group.

Three day training

Monday: work on the abdominal muscles, chest and triceps

The exercises in this workout are aimed at pumping up the pectoral muscles and triceps. First, five approaches are performed, the goal of which is abs. To do this, take any exercise to work the abdominal muscles. In any case, pumping the pectoral muscles is also associated with working the triceps (triceps muscle). The triceps are fully worked through bench press and incline press.

• . Two warm-up sets are followed by four working sets of 8-12 repetitions. This exercise most effectively works the pectoral muscles, increasing their volume and mass.
• After one warm-up, four working sets of 8-12 repetitions follow. In addition to gaining muscle mass, this exercise allows you to give your muscles a beautiful definition and a good athletic shape.
• After the first warm-up, four working sets of 8-12 repetitions are performed. When doing presses, don't forget about your partner! The exercise is effective for working the triceps and inner pectoral muscles.
• in four sets of 8-12 repetitions, but only after mandatory warming up of the muscles of the shoulder joint to reduce the risk of shoulder injury. This exercise perfectly works the muscles of the upper chest.
• in four sets with the maximum possible number of repetitions in each approach. This exercise is an excellent workout not only for the triceps, but also for the entire shoulder girdle.

What was done: The exercises allowed us, first of all, to pump up the pectoral muscles through a heavy load - bench press, and thereby we launched the mechanism of their growth, and also worked on their shape. All triceps bundles have been fully worked out to stimulate its effective growth. After such training, you need a cool-down and the best option here is the pool - swim for your health for 10-20 minutes.

Wednesday: back and biceps work

This workout is aimed at the back muscles, which should become wider and more powerful as a result, as well as pumping up our beloved biceps. Don’t forget about the mandatory warm-up before training and five sets of abdominal exercises.

• – perform five approaches for the maximum number of times. If you can’t do pull-ups, you can use a pull-up simulator or a block exercise machine with the handle pulled to your chest. But my advice is this: since there is nothing better for the back muscles than pull-ups, try not to use exercise machines, but do pull-ups in the classic way - on the bar and believe me, it works much more effectively.
• , doing four sets of 8-12 reps after two warm-ups. This is the most effective exercise for biceps.
• 8-12 times. The deadlift is a basic and highly effective exercise for both the back muscles and the whole body - in the process of performing it, a large amount of anabolic hormones are produced that stimulate muscle growth. A prerequisite is a thorough warm-up of the back before deadlifting, especially the lumbar region, in order to avoid injury during the exercise.
• in four sets, sitting, 8-12 repetitions. This exercise perfectly shapes the biceps, emphasizing its relief and increasing its height.
• . After one warm-up, perform four sets of 8-12 repetitions. The exercise effectively outlines the back muscles, giving them a beautiful shape.

What was done: Thanks to pull-ups and deadlifts, the muscle growth mechanism was launched, all the back muscles were worked to the maximum, which will now make it grow. Pumped up your biceps with the most effective exercises. Now it's time to cool down and stretch.

Friday: shoulder and leg work

The emphasis of this workout, the squat with a barbell on the shoulders, is on the entire surface of the leg muscles. We will also pump up the shoulder girdle.

• in four working sets of 8-12 repetitions after completing two warm-up ones. Before training, it is necessary to thoroughly stretch the shoulder joints, given that the shoulder is the most vulnerable place in the bodybuilder’s body in terms of injury.
• . The squat is a heavy arsenal exercise and there is nothing heavier than it. And here, more than anywhere else, the athlete must be as concentrated as possible and have perfect technique. Before performing this exercise, it is necessary to especially thoroughly knead the knee joints, ankles and lumbar spine. Having completed all four approaches and giving maximum effort, the athlete feels a real pumping. After performing just one squat during a leg workout, I usually have no energy left for anything else.
• in four working sets of 8-12 repetitions after three warm-up. When performing this exercise, there is also a high risk of injury to the shoulder joint. It is necessary to perform lifts of the barbell behind your head with maximum concentration, without jerking, and always in the presence of a trainer or someone who can put the barbell on the rack after completing the exercise.

What has been done

The training worked on the leg muscles and gave a good impetus to their growth. The shoulder muscles also worked. Now we move on to cool down and stretching.

So, here I have given the entire weekly training cycle that works to gain muscle mass. An athlete can devote at most two to three months to it, and then he must make radical changes. This is done so that the body does not have time to get used to and adapt to monotonous loads. In my next articles, I will talk about and provide an overview of types acceptable to an athlete that help gain muscle mass.

This article is dedicated to people who can no longer be considered a beginner, but have not yet matured into a fitness professional.

To be more precise, it will be very useful for a beginner, because the most important issue in training will be addressed - which exercises are best suited for gaining muscle mass.

After all, it is their choice that will determine how well you work certain muscle groups, and therefore what further progress will be.

Principles and Basics of a Massive Training Program

An important rule that all athletes who gain weight adhere to: you need to spend fewer calories than you take in!

Therefore, when gaining weight, you can forget about cardio training, that is, running, cycling and other activities during which the athlete loses a large amount of energy.

Your exercise should be limited to exercises with free weights, and the number of repetitions should not exceed 8-10 to avoid catabolism (destruction of protein in muscle fibers), which leads to inhibition of mass gain.

Training when working on weight should last no more than 1-1.5 hours. In this case, there should not be many exercises, literally 1-2 exercises for each muscle group that you planned to train that day.

The principle is very effective “dropset”. It consists of pushing the muscle to failure at the very end of the workout by gradually reducing the weight you are working with.

For example, you lifted 15 kg dumbbells for biceps, and on the last approach you felt that you couldn’t do any more repetitions. Then you take 10 kilogram dumbbells and do them as many times as possible.

It is believed that it makes no sense to perform such manipulations with the scales more than three times.

When working on weight, rest is very important. After all, the program is designed to load the muscles as efficiently as possible, destroying the fibers. Therefore, it takes a lot of time to restore damaged muscle fibers.

On average, you should rest for about two days. If you feel that you haven’t recovered even after 2 days, and this happens after hard workouts, for example when doing deadlifts, then you can safely extend your rest.

The most common mistake made during intense training is insufficient rest and, as a result, overtraining. The latter is a whole list of unpleasant symptoms, such as weakness, reluctance to exercise, depression, loss of muscle mass.

Therefore, it is better to skip a workout once again, spending another day on recovery and sleep, than to overtrain, which will stop all progress.

7 Best Exercises to Gain Muscle Mass

Perhaps almost everyone knows about the three pillars on which strength training rests, namely: the deadlift, the squat and the bench press. Heavy compound exercises affect not only muscle fibers, but also testosterone levels.

A huge number of stabilizer muscles are used that could not participate in exercise on simulators. In addition to these exercises, there are several more that will greatly help in gaining muscle mass; let’s look at these main seven in more detail:

This exercise is often unfairly avoided by beginners for fear of injury. Some people motivate their refusal to squat by the fact that “you can’t see your legs under your clothes,” but we all know how ridiculous a man with a developed torso and matchstick legs looks.

And, conversely, how impressive and impressive well-developed legs look. Moreover, in addition to the legs, this basic exercise also develops the back muscles, which act as stabilizers.

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This exercise, along with the deadlift, is considered the best for increasing testosterone levels, which not only directly affects muscle growth, but is also very important in everyday life.

Another pleasant consequence of squats is improved blood circulation in the pelvic area. Therefore, men who perform this exercise regularly enjoy enviable popularity among the opposite sex, because they are not at risk of any diseases associated with the reproductive system.

Before performing, you should warm up very well, and during the execution you need to carefully monitor the technique. The back should be straight or slightly bent forward, the barbell should be held on the trapezius muscles.

Do not place it on your neck under any circumstances! At the initial stages this will not be a fatal mistake, but over time the working weights will increase, and then there will be a real risk of a neck injury.

There are several options for performing a squat with a barbell: “to parallel” and a deep squat. From the names it is clear that the first is performed until the moment when the back of the athlete’s thigh becomes parallel to the floor, and the deep squat ends at the lower stage with the buttocks almost touching the floor. If you have problems with joints, then it is better to go with the first option.

Don't forget to use a belt when performing squats with heavy weights, this will help avoid lower back injuries.

Bench press

This phrase is the first thing that comes to mind for many people when they hear the verb “pump up”.

And this love for such a simple and, one might say, native exercise is completely justified. This type of bench press is the main and main way through which you can become the owner of impressive pectoral muscles.

But this is not the only good thing about this exercise. It, like the squat, promotes the production of testosterone, the role of which has already been described above. The deltoid muscles and triceps are included in the work during the execution.

There are 2 options for the bench press: with and without a bridge.

The bridge press is more suitable for people involved in powerlifting, since this technique allows you to bench press much heavier weights. But for fitness and bodybuilding, a bench press without a bridge is best suited, since the load will fall directly on the pectoral muscles.

The deadlift is one of the most spectacular exercises you can do in the gym.

The role of the deadlift in gaining mass is no less, if not more, than in the two previous exercises. After all, it is in this exercise that the heaviest weights are used and the most muscle groups are loaded.

But it is very important to monitor the technique. There are mainly 2 types of deadlifts used: classic and sumo.

With classic traction your hands hold the barbell with a wide grip, your feet are shoulder-width apart. When performing the movement, be sure to keep your back straight or slightly bent forward; stooping during traction can cause very serious injuries. In this case, the load falls more heavily on the lower back, so people suffering from back problems are better suited to the second option.

Sumo deadlift performed in a very wide stance. Feet stand as far apart as possible (the limitation is the weight plates on the barbell), hands shoulder-width apart clasp the barbell. The back should be held in the same way as in the previous version, the load will fall more on the hamstrings.

The grip is also important when doing this. To further develop grip strength and increase the strength and size of the forearms, you should hold the barbell without straps, placing your palms on one side.

There is such an option as a “different grip”, it helps to hold heavy weights.

As with the squat, the use of a belt is highly encouraged.

This multi-joint exercise is considered the main way to increase the size of the triceps.

When performing this exercise, the pectoral muscles, as well as the deltoids, are additionally included in the work.

This exercise is deservedly valued among athletes, when it becomes too easy for you to do push-ups on the uneven bars with your own weight, you can always hang the plates with a chain, this will allow you not to stop your progress.

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Pull-ups are the main exercise for developing the latissimus dorsi muscles. Therefore, they are taught to men from childhood, starting from school.

Often an athlete can do more than 10 pull-ups with his own weight, in which case, to properly work the latissimus muscles, he should use pull-ups with additional weight, which is suspended on a chain. Therefore, in this exercise you can progress in the same way in working weight as in the previous ones.

The overhead barbell press puts the greatest stress on the deltoid muscles, or to put it simply, the shoulders. It can be performed both sitting and standing.

This exercise is very famous, it was previously used in triathlon in weightlifting, but now only the clean and jerk and snatch remain. The execution technique is also very important here.

If you want to get massive and prominent shoulders, then under no circumstances use your legs during the press. It is very difficult to neglect this movement, which helps to get past the sticking point at the very beginning, but by cheating you nullify the effect of this exercise.

You can help a little with your legs; if you are doing the last approach, then you can push with your legs and lower the barbell slowly, using only the deltoid muscles.

At the same time, your back should be kept slightly bent forward. The chest should be pushed forward so that when moving the bar upward you do not have to go around your head with it, and the trajectory of the bar movement is straight.

Lifting barbells and dumbbells for biceps is the most effective exercise for increasing the size of your arms.