Let’s face it. Deep down inside we all want to look super fit! Lean and mean, and built like a machine! And there is no shortage at all for magazines, products, and supplements all promising us that six-pack we so desperately want!
Anyone can build muscle naturally without using any help from steroids. All it takes a whole lot of commitment, effort, discipline, along with a heavy dose of determination!
Most people envision their body transformation taking shape from a combination of weight-loss and muscle gain.
But how is it done exactly?
Lose More to Gain More
We’ve talked before about the importance of losing fat in order to see the muscle underneath. If we’re on the heavier side and we’re hoping to see some muscle growth, we first need to shed those extra pounds. All of our efforts put towards working those abdominals like crazy will be slightly useless if they’re covered with a bunch of extra flab.
What if You’re on the Skinny Side?
Building muscle when you’re on the skinnier side means stepping it up with your food intake. Adding plenty of protein, carbs – generally eating extra food to make you gain more weight which can then be converted into muscle. Of course, you need to be exercising to turn it into muscle and not stored fat. If you’re noticing that you’re adding too much fat you can just pull back on the eating.
4 Steps to Your “Superhero” Body
Unless you’re interested in taking steroids and looking like Popeye, your ideal fit body image will probably consist of a trimmed and healthy-looking physique.
Here are a few steps to achieve that:
Step 1: Weight-train
Choose 3 days a week where you can do a full-body resistance training session. The optimal way to plan this is to skip a day in between allowing the muscles to repair and recover. For example, plan to exercise Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
On each of these day’s, you should aim to do anabolic exercises such as squats, deadlifts, or burpees. Anything that stimulates and increases the production of muscle building hormones such as testosterone and growth hormones.
Step 2: Switch it up
Build your muscles progressively by lifting heavier weights gradually. Alternate your workout routine so that you’re always challenging your muscles to work harder and build stronger.
Step 3: Eat smart and accordingly
In some ways, it’s easy to make the excuse of either not eating because you’re trying to lose weight, or on the flipside over-indulging on empty calories because your stomach has become a bottomless pit from all the energy you’ve been burning through exercising.
Plan accordingly, and eat food that will feed your muscles, make your meal a habit instead of an afterthought. And on your heavy-duty training days eat more calories including plenty of protein, carbs, and vegetables. If you need some guidance, ask me about the amazing meal plans I put together for others.
Step 4: Sleep
Giving yourself plenty of sleep and enough chill out time will see you through your goals. If you’re pushing it too hard chances are you’re going to burn out pretty fast. You need to give your muscles time to repair itself this way you also avoid injury.