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Showing posts with the label weight lifting

Your First Workout Program To Build Muscles & Get Stronger - Beginners (Workout B)

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So, you have finally started your first workout to get stronger & build muscles. Now its time to tell you about Workout B that you will do on day 3. If this is not clear, please go back to the last post & read it thoroughly to understand it better. Before I start, please note that muscles don't grow when you work out . They grow when you give them proper nutrition & adequate rest. That's why 5X5 requires you to take a 1-day rest before you do another workout. You just have to do 3 exercises per workout session & take a 1-day rest. Then you do Workout B as I am explaining below. Workout B Squats It has already been described in my last post . As you can see, you squat 3 days a week, every week. Keep on increasing weight once you have achieved proper form & confidence. But, do all 5 sets with the same weight on a given day. You will overload it after 3-4 months. Overhead Press Overhead Press works your shoulders as primary muscle group &

Your First Workout Program To Build Muscles & Get Stronger - Beginners

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So, we now know that compound exercises are the best bet for beginners. I am now writing about your first workout program that I have found the most effective & easy. We will start with what is known as 5X5. It means 5 sets of 5 reps each. There is a website called  stronglifts.com  which teaches this technique in a simple manner. I have followed this guy Mehdi & his routines have helped me achieve a good part of my physique ( I am far from being a bodybuilder, but from 46 Kgs to 75 Kgs , I know I have progressed well ).  I am explaining this in a language that is a mix of both the contents of this website & my own experience. Please note that Mehdi or the site owner gives bloggers rights to link to his website. Read it  here . 5X5 is the easiest & most effective workout routine for beginners & advanced bodybuilders alike. I still do 5X5 for my deadlifts & squats. StrongLifts 5X5 consists of 2  workout routines A & B . You only need to workout 3 d

Explaining Basic Gym Terms for Beginners

Hi There! Today I will explain a few gym terminologies you will encounter through out your journey to building muscles & gaining mass. Its important to understand these terms properly before you start lifting weights. I have myself been a victim of not knowing these things when I started lifting & it stalled my gains & progress. So, make sure you understand all these aspects so as to be able to get the maximum benefits. This list will be updated from time to time. I will also be writing separate posts for different common exercises & muscles involved. Form This is the most important part of any workout. Form means how an exercise is done? How weight has to lifted? What should be the position of your target body parts be like while performing it? It includes the upward & downward motion. Suppose, you are doing a dumbbell biceps curl. So, its form is to move only your fore-arm keeping the elbow motion-less by placing it firmly on waist or bench. If you move you

Accessories For Your Home Gym

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You have learned how you can setup a gym at your home without spending much money. I limited that post to the most important items of any gym i.e. free weights, rod & barbells. In this post, I will be writing about the accessories that you will need at home to lift properly & safely.  So, let us start! Ensure Proper Ventilation or  Cooling:- If you can afford to have an AC in your home gym, it's better to have one. Otherwise, at least have a fan or cooler there.  It might sound funny because everyone has a fan in every room ( well, at least everyone where I live ), but my point is that you need to keep your room/gym cool. Too much humidity & heat is quite dangerous while lifting and it will also limit your intensity. It also explains why I am against setting up a gym on the terrace. If it's cold out there, it's great. Otherwise, it's too dangerous to work out when it's hot outside. Gloves: - While I don't personally like to wear gloves

Setup A Gym at Home With Minimum Efforts, Cost & Investments

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So you are equipped with some basic knowledge of how weight-lifting increases your muscle mass & now it's time to start lifting weights. But before you do that, one question might be in your mind & that is what will you do if you don't have a gym nearby or gym membership is too expensive or you just don't have time because of your hectic schedule?  Should that be a reason for not lifting weights? Remember that eating too many calories & proteins without working out is waste of time & resources. It will definitely bulk you up but in form of fat & not muscles. And I know, no one wants a big belly & flabby appearance. So, you DO need to lift weights & for that you need a gym.  The good news is that you can set up a small ( or big, if there is space ) gym at your own home!! And it won't even burn a hole in your pocket. You will not need any sophisticated machines & equipment to get in proper shape. Think of the comfort & convenience of

Little Science Behind Muscle Building

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Now that I have told how you can eat/drink more calories so that you can bulk up, it's time to crank up a little bit & start hitting the gym or in other words , start lifting weights. We have all seen bodybuilders/athletes/models/actors lifting weights to gain their strength & muscle mass and get THAT look.  But first of all, it's important to understand how muscles are built. This is because, if you don't understand it properly, you will end up either under-training or over-training and that will drastically limit your gains. I have myself been a victim of a lack of knowledge that kept me from reaching where I should have been. Otherwise, I would have definitely made much more gains in muscle mass & strength. That being said, let's discuss it. There are around 650 muscles in the human body. They are formed of small protein filaments, so you need enough protein for muscle mass. There is no surprise here. So, how do muscles grow by lifting weights? When