Gaining muscle mass is an important part of weight training. There are a number of rules that need to be followed to master this skill. Athletes looking to bulk up tend to think that they need to follow an intensive training programme.
Many find the results are beneath their expectations. Check out our winning recipe for bulking up faster and getting stronger.
When it comes to weight training, you often hear people talk about bulking up and getting ripped or shredded. But do you know the difference between these two weight training goals ?
getting ripped or shredded is when you lose fat mass while strengthening muscles, for better muscle definition.
Conversely, bulking up is when you gain weight and muscle volume. Here, diet is vital.
In terms of weight training, bulking up involves increasing muscle mass and gaining weight. The aim here is not just to gain muscle but also weight: Gaining fat (body fat) and gaining lean body mass (muscles) are two different things).
As you can imagine, it's important to associate diet and training. Because increasing your mass without building muscle is possible, but building muscle without gaining fat is not!
Gaining a maximum amount of muscles is not that easy. Genetic make-up plays an important role in an individual's capacity to develop muscles. But even if you don't have genetics on your side, it doesn't mean that you can't get the results you want. You just need to find a way of achieving your goals when it comes to bulking up.
During a bulking up period, you need a high-calorie diet, in other words rich in nutrients (carbs and proteins), over several months (2 to 4 months).
You need to increase your protein and carb intake to give your body all the necessary nutrients to build muscle. This excess intake will enable you to engage in more intense and more frequent weight training than usual.
You can put in place a rhythm of 3 main meals + 3 snacks per day (eating every 3 hours).
Food supplements are not essential, but can help you.
Training is the basis of muscle development. To bulk up, you should work with heavy loads, using a bar or dumbbells, or go for bodyweight exercises.
You should avoid doing isolation exercises and focus on basic exercises that work the major muscle groups and engage several joints. For example, squats, deadlifts, rowing, pull-ups, bench presses and dips. These exercises will increase muscle gain more than single-joint exercises.
The more you work your muscles, the stronger the anabolic reaction, and the more muscle you build.
Limit training time to save energy for recovery, the period when you build your muscles. Your weight training sessions should be no longer than 90 minutes to 2 hours, including the warm-up.
Short and intense exercises will provide better results than long ones, which can lead to muscle catabolism, nervous fatigue and over-training).
Do not neglect rest periods! Mass gain occurs during rest. The muscle needs to rest in between workouts so that it can repair and reconstruct itself to become bigger and stronger.If you don't allow them enough time to recover and they become weaker, then they will be more likely to suffer injuries and tears.
The right pace Alternate a training day with a recovery day. You should also get a good night's sleep to give your body the rest it needs to regenerate.
You've now got the weight training tips you need to bulk up successfully. Don't forget that diet, training and recovery are crucial to that success. This period is often followed by a phase of getting ripped or shredded. Indeed, to show off the muscles gained during your workouts, you will need to lose the fat mass that you have accumulated during this period.