Whenever you set out to do something in your life, it would help you a lot to focus on a specific goal (or set of goals) instead of having a generalized view of what you want to achieve. For example, setting your goals on having a million dollars in your bank account after a year is much better than setting your goals on becoming rich someday. And things are no different when it comes to building muscle. The thing is, the clearer your goal is, the better your chances are in actually achieving your goal. And once you’re there, once you’ve reached your goal, you’ll know for sure that you’ve succeeded.
So, before you start your workout, make it very clear to yourself what your goal really is. Write it down if you have to so that you won’t forget about it. The goal you set will dictate how you should plan your training program.
But what kind of goals are we talking about here?
Well, things like how much weight you want to lose, how much fat you want to shed, how much muscle you want to build, and stuff like that. Just make sure that your goal is realistic and that it is actually attainable.
If you’re thinking of gaining 20 pounds of muscle in 6 months you will surely end up getting frustrated. Gaining 20 pounds of lean muscle within 6 months is actually more of a fantasy than a real goal. In case you don’t know, a regular person can only gain as much as 5 pounds of muscle in a year. If you are gifted with the good genes, you may be able to gain a couple of pounds of muscle more than that, but that is it. No one can gain any more than that.
So, before you go into setting your goal, it would be best if you take some time to get to know at least some of the facts. Read books, search the web, ask your doctor, ask somebody who knows about muscle building stuff. It doesn’t matter what you do, just get down the facts. Knowing the facts is the only way you will be able to set realistic and achievable goals.
To help you get started, I’ll give you some examples of goals that you can set and what you need to do to achieve them.
Example Goal #1 – Gaining maximum muscle mass.
You can add in there your target weight if you want. You’re probably saying, “that doesn’t sound like a specific goal.” Well, it is. What is not specific is saying that you want to grow big.
Allow me to expound on that…
The look and size of the muscle you build largely depends on three things–the kinds of exercises you perform, the weight you use, and the food you eat.
If you want to increase muscle mass, you should focus on doing compound exercises. These are exercises that involve your major muscle groups like your quads, glutes, hamstrings, pecs, triceps, biceps, lats and upper back, and shoulders. Examples of compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups (or rows).
When it comes to food/diet, you need to consume much more protein than what the standard daily requirement prescribes. With regards to how much protein you need to take in, a good rule-of-thumb to use is to have at least one-and-half grams of protein for every pound of your body weight. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to have 300 grams of protein every day (including your rest days).
So what foods should you eat?
Well, chicken breasts, fish, beef, and egg whites are your top best choices. In case you can’t have them for some reason, you can also supplement your protein intake with powdered protein drinks.
As for weights, you need to use heavy weights in your exercises, as heavy as you can handle. A good way to find out if you’re using the right amount of weight is when you are forcing the last rep and you are just barely able to do it, and that last rep is somewhere between rep number 8 to 16.
Another thing that you must do to gain muscle mass is to get lots of rest and sleep. The main reason behind this is because muscle development and growth only occurs when you allow your muscles to rest and recover after subjecting them to high levels of stress. That’s why it’s better to train on alternate days so that you can get the much needed rest on days when you are not working out. As for sleep, you need to have at least 8 hours of sleep every single night.
Example Goal #2 – To lose weight and build more muscle.
A more proper way to put it is to lose fat and build more muscle.
As I’ve already discussed in the first example, you need to do compound exercises to be able to build muscle. In addition to that, you also need to use heavy weights in your workout.
For your diet, you will still need to consume high amounts of protein. In case you don’t know, protein is what enables your body to repair and build your muscles. But, you have to make a conscious effort to minimize your carbohydrates, sugar, and fat consumption. Just be careful not to go to low on carbs as it supplies the energy you need for your workout as well as your other daily functions.
As for fats, stay away from the bad kind of fats. What you need to consume are the good fats. Essential fatty acids (which are typically found in nuts, seeds, avocados, and fish) is a good kind of fat. And you need to consume high amounts of it. Dietary fats play an essential role in hormone production, which in turn is responsible for growth and strength increases. A low-fat diet has been linked to lower testosterone levels, and you don’t want that when you’re trying to gain weight and muscle.
Additionally, you need to include cardiovascular exercises in your workout program as these are what will help you shed the fat off.
As you can see, your goal largely dictates what you need to do. And so long as you follow through with your plans, you are very sure to reach your goal in the end. So, in case you haven’t set a specific goal yet, now is the best time to have one.