Would you like a toned and sculptured body like this? Check out the best workouts to build muscle mass.
When someone says that he wants to build more muscle mass, you’d probably think, “So, yeah, this guy surely wants to look more attractive.” But building muscle mass is important for everyone. Perhaps you are already thinking, “this rapid unhealthy weight gain has to stop;” “I should get rid of this constant belly bloat;” or “I should do something about this double chin, too!” And you may also be wondering about the best workouts to build muscle mass.
While it is the advantage you can first think of, sculpting your body is more than just a natural way to bring out the best version of your physical beauty. We exercise because we prioritise health. And when you’re healthy, you look great as well, which in turn, would make you feel more confident about yourself so that you start believing you’re actually attractive.
Through specific strength training, we can gain more muscle mass. Doing so is an essential part of maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding injuries, and boosting strength, metabolism, and energy. Read more about that here.
In this article, we list the best workouts to build muscle mass.
Bodyweight Training
Some may doubt if you can really sculpt the strong, muscular body that you want by just using the body that you already have. Is it possible to build muscle without using gym equipment but rather just your own body weight?
Yes, it is. However, there’s one rule you need to keep in mind. Giving your muscles constant challenge by gradually doing more difficult bodyweight exercises over time is highly important. It’s the counterpart of adding heavier weights to your workout routine. When you do so, your muscles will adapt to the increasing challenge, thus, allowing it to grow and gain more strength.
Fitness experts recommend doing the three best bodyweight exercises including squats, push-ups, and pull-ups/chin-ups.
However, it is also important to remember that building muscle is more than just going to the gym and eating loads of protein. You need to really understand and define what muscle-building is, and make a commitment to being consistent and dedicated if you really want to achieve your fitness goals. and build body mass to the level you want.
It is also interesting to note that many athletes, including bodybuilders, are vegan. Red meat, in particular, is not a healthy option and there are plenty of ways of ensuring healthy protein even if you are vegan
Squats
There’s a common misconception that squats are just leg exercises or workout for the lower body muscles only. Actually, though squats are simple and there’s no equipment required, it’s one of the best workouts to build muscle body-wide—that means both your upper and lower body. Think about those rock-solid abs you’ve ever wanted!
And hey, don’t underestimate the benefits of squat exercises. Novice and seasoned athletes alike always incorporate squats in their workout routine because it effectively helps prevent injuries, boost your jumping and running performance, and maintain mobility and balance.
In addition to all these benefits, squats also help in the excretion of waste materials from the body, such as by aiding regular bowel movement. It also improves the ability of the body to deliver nutrition to the different tissues, organs, and glands.
Push-ups
Similar to squats, push-up exercises develop multiple muscle groups. The muscles and joints in your arms, shoulders, chest, core, back, and legs all work together to perform this exercise. Plus, push-ups burn lots of calories. So, it’s an ideal workout routine for those trying to lose some excess weight.
And don’t judge the intensity of this exercise just yet—you can always up your push-ups because exciting and heart-pumping variations are always available for fitness enthusiasts of different skill levels. You can never run out of new challenges with these variations!
What we especially love about push-ups is that you can perform them almost anywhere, well, ideally where there’s an exercise mat that’s available to keep things more comfortable and convenient.
Pull-ups/Chin-ups
What’s the difference between pull-ups and chin-ups? There are a few differences including how the two exercises are performed, level of difficulty, and the muscle groups they build. In doing pull-ups, your palms are facing away from you while in chin-ups, your palms are facing towards you.
Both exercises develop muscles in the arms and back. In chin-ups, however, we focus more on biceps and it’s a little easier than pull-ups, though both are actually quite tough for beginners. Yes, we’ve been there, and because we know how it feels, here’s an article that gives advice on how you can finally do a pull-up for the first time: https://www.12minuteathlete.com/how-to-finally-do-a-pull-up/
Bonus tip: Gradually add weights to your workout routines. Weightlifting is your best friend when it comes to strength training. Bench press and deadlifts are awesome workouts for those who have been training for a while and want to take their fitness routine to the next level.
1 Comment
Every client I train for fat loss, muscle gain, rehabilitation or sporting performance will do some kind of squat exercise in their programme.
If a client is a novice in terms of exercise or hasn’t trained for years, they’ll do bodyweight squats and usually a single set of 8-10 reps focusing on breathing, core activation and technique.
If they do more than that they run the risk of experiencing debilitating muscle soreness for several days.
The same goes for push-ups. Most of my novice-intermediate clients do them, though we start with incline press-ups for beginners and progress from there.
Incline press-ups mean the client angles their body at 45 degrees or higher so they work across gravity rather than against it.
We still do a single set when starting off as the pecs are an easy muscle to make sore.
The stronger they get, the lower we move their hands until they eventually work from the floor.
Pull-ups/chin-ups are a different matter, with the latter being easier than the former.
In 30 years of training I’ve only seen a handful of ladies do either exercise (chin-ups more often than pull-ups) and they have all been athletes or champion natural (drug-free) bodybuilders.
One of the athletes I coach is an elite ultra-distance runner and has managed chin-ups, though not pull-ups.
I’ve coached maybe a dozen male clients over the last 20 years to do chin-ups without assistance, and they all struggle with pull-ups.
The vast majority of my clients do lat pulldown instead, and those I set up with a routine to do at home are given rowing exercises (i.e. 1-arm dumbbell rows) instead.
By all means exercise, use your body and keep your health.
Just make sure you start out easy and avoid excessive muscle soreness.
Cris