When it comes to your fitness, you might have one or a few goals. Maybe you’re looking to lose or maintain your weight. Perhaps you’d like to tone up and gaining muscle. Everyone is different and their reasons for working out are just as varied. However, if you’re wanting to improve your muscle development, you’ve come to the right place. Developing your muscle mass can help you gain weight and feel stronger. There’s no one way to achieve it, so if there are some aspects of exercise you don’t enjoy, you can work around them. For some, cardio rules. For others, it’s crossfit. I know quite a few people who prioritize weightlifting over everything else.
Regardless, if you’re looking to improve muscle development in fitness, then there are certainly a few tips that can help. We’ve gathered a handful of the most useful suggestions to get you started.
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Set a Goal
What’s your goal when it comes to improving muscle development? Are you aiming to get into bodybuilding? Perhaps you’re looking to simply add muscle to your body frame or you want to feel physically stronger?
When it comes to exercise and fitness of any kind, you should set a goal. They’re great to boost your efforts and provide you with that much-needed direction when you step foot into the gym or any environment where you’re working out. Additionally, taking photos of your progress can also help motivate you to continue your journey.
Start Lifting Weights
To help with muscle mass and muscle development in general, you need to start lifting weights. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re starting off small, weightlifting can end up being a lot more enjoyable and manageable.
When lifting weights, try not to overdo it the first time. Find a comfortable weight that you can lift and complete a full set, which is roughly 10-12 reps. Reps, short for repetition, are a single exercise action. If you’re struggling with the weight for one rep, let alone three, then you should lower the weight you start with. Generally, a good weight for you will start to feel more challenging around the seventh rep in your set. Lifting weights shouldn’t be immediately challenging, but should take reasonable effort. That’s how you begin to build that muscle!
Work with Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are a great way to improve muscle development, especially because they’re affordable and easy to get used to. They’re also a great alternative to weights if you’re not into weighted workouts just yet. Resistance bands work against you, and have different levels of tension. Some are more slack and others are tighter. Because of that, it’s definitely worth getting a few to add to your exercise routine.
Start with a mix of workouts using resistance bands alone. They can be incorporated into squats, lunges, and more. They’re also not just for use with legs exercises; they can be adapted for use over the entire body. However, be mindful of your use of resistance bands. Like elastic bands, they can snap back and it could be painful if you’re not being careful enough with them.
Don’t Forget to Do Cardio
Cardio is just as important as weighted workouts for building muscle mass. In fact, both are necessary to create a balance within the body. Cardio builds endurance, which helps you lift those weights over and over again. However, not everyone enjoys cardio, just like some people do not enjoy weights.
On the plus side, there are plenty of cardio workouts that can be fun, depending on your preferences. From swimming to cleaning your home from top to bottom, you’ve got plenty of choices for cardio. Try to do at least 20 minutes of cardio per day, and mix up the type to keep it interesting.
Introduce Supplements
For some, muscle gain is a lot harder due to the hormones in their body and genetics. Therefore, there are supplements that enhance muscle growth. They might be just what you need when it comes to boosting your muscle mass.
If supplements interest you, do diligent research of the different types and only go for those approved by your medical health experts. You don’t want supplements impacting any other medication you might be taking or causing you some severe side effects. That being said, supplements may be an option if you’re struggling to develop muscle mass with exercise alone.
Push Your Body Gradually
When it comes to lifting weights, don’t go all out on your first session. You don’t want to overdo it with heavy weights and strain yourself. Also, be careful when upgrading your weights to heavier options. When pushing your body, do so this gradually, such as every other week or month. Unless you’re on a strict timeline, add weight to your workouts at a reasonable pace so your body can adapt rather than struggle to keep up with such a dramatic change.
Target Different Muscle Groups Between Sessions
To improve the efficiency of your workouts, try to focus your weighted workouts on different areas of the body. This is especially helpful if you’re short on time. For each session, focus on specific muscle groups of the body. For example, leg day or back and shoulders day. Giving individual focus to each area will help make your workouts more detailed when it comes to introducing weights. You’ll learn a lot, too!
Header: John Arano
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