HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE (FOR BEGINNERS)

HARD GAINER

Hard gainer is the term used for people who find it difficult to put on muscular mass or to gain muscle. But since gaining muscle is never easy, it makes all of us a hard gainer. Time, technique and hard work are the key to build a good muscular physique.

THE INITIAL STEP

Go hit the gym! Start working out 4 or 5 days a week, working on one body part daily. Below is an example of a good workout routine to gain mass: 

Monday                       Chest

Tuesday                       Back

Wednesday                  Day Off

Thursday                      Arms (Biceps and Triceps)

Friday                           Shoulders

Saturday                       Legs

Sunday                         Day Off

In the gym your mindset should always be positive, concentrating towards the workout as this will not only give you fast results but also will avoid injury. So NO fooling around in the gym! 
A nice 10 to 20 minutes warm up before the workout is also necessary. It reduces injury risk. A little swim or jog will be enough to prepare the body for a good workout. A good 9 to 11 hours of sleep daily is also necessary to build muscle. If you fail to give your body proper rest it will eventually get over trained and you will gain no mass.

WORKING ON THE MUSCLES

Bicep Curls

Do no more than five different exercises for each muscle group, four is even better. Each exercise should consist of three seats each of 6 to 10 reputations for muscle growth. The reputations should be controlled using heavy weights and each set should last between 40 to 60 seconds. The workouts should not last for more than 45 minutes. Below is a good example of a full body workout:
(3 sets for each exercise, 6 to 10 reputations per set, heavy weight)

Chest            Bench press, inclined bench press, Dumbbell fly and Dumbbell pull over

Back               Chin ups, Cable lat pull down, Cable rowing, Dumbbell row

Arms              Dumbbell curls, Bar curls, Close grip bench press, overhead triceps              extensions

Shoulders     Shoulder dumbbell press, Side dumbbell, Front dumbbell raises, Shrugs

Legs                Squats, Leg Press, Leg extensions, Leg curls

DIET AND NUTRITION

High Protein Food

To develop a muscular physique you should be consuming a lot of healthy food eating 5 to 7 meals a day. Your muscle will stop growing if you fail to take proper diet and eventually you will get over trained. The food you consume should be high in protein and carbohydrates. Protein is the building block of muscle and studies show that to gain muscle 1 to 1.5g of protein is required against each pound of the body weight. So if you weigh 150 pounds you require at least 150g of protein intake daily!  On the other hand carbohydrates are the best source of energy. During workouts energy is released from the carbohydrates your body has so it’s very important that your body should have a good number of carbohydrates before your workout. If you lack in carbohydrates your body will gain energy from the protein and hence it will no longer be used to build muscle. Dairy products, nuts, meat, fish, seeds and eggs are some of the foods containing high protein and should be part of diet of a body builder. Salmon, almonds, peanuts are some of the examples of high quality protein containing foods. These also contain healthy fats like omega 3s and omega 6s which are often missing from most diets. Examples of high carbohydrates containing foods include potato, grains, bread, rice, food containing high amount of sugar, pasta, and chocolate. When it comes to muscle building, it becomes very difficult to fulfill the body requirements by only natural food. Consuming a lot of food for the extra protein and carbohydrates that the muscle needs to grow is a hectic task! But food supplements make it simpler. Body builders and sport athletes all around the globe use food supplements. Mass gainers, protein shakes, protein bars contain high quality protein and some even contain high number of carbohydrates to satisfy the muscle needs. A good food supplement show results in no time! Creatine is also a very commonly used food supplement by athletes and bodybuilders. It is also found naturally in meat and fish but is not enough for a body builder. Creatine supplementation increases stamina and strength and gives you energy during workouts. Long term usage of creatine can also have some health issues. Protein powders are however safe to use since they are made out of natural foods like milk and eggs, not by chemical synthesis. Below is an example of a daily diet plan (Mass gain)

9am: 2 whole fried eggs, bread and yogurt

11am: Fruits and nuts

2pm: Chicken Breast/Turkey Breast/Fish, rice and salad

5pm: Jacket potato or Pasta

20 minutes before training: Oatmeal porridge

Just after training: Protein Shake

10pm: Chapatti with vegetables or pulses