DO ... THE BASICS RIGHT
It ’ s a tried and trusted fact that the basics build muscle . If your goal is to gain serious mass you have to perform the bread-andbutter basics like squats , bench presses and deadlifts . Do them religiously and then reassess the situation . Do what works for you though . We are all built differently and we all react differently to exercises . So stick to the basics but if your shoulders hurt while doing a bench press , find an alternative and don ’ t continue with it just because your favourite bodybuilding icon swears by it .
DON ’ T ... BELIEVE THAT MORE EQUALS MORE
The less time you train the better . If your workout lasts
more than 60 minutes your blood sugar levels drop and cortisol , a catabolic hormone that promotes muscle breakdown and fat storage , will increase . Keep your workouts short but intense . The human body is good at finding the path of least resistance and once it becomes good at performing an exercise it will find a way to complete the movement in the easiest manner possible . If you want to continue making gains work out smarter , not longer .
DO ... SET A NUMBER OF GOALS
Making significant gains in muscle size takes a lot of consistent , hard work under heavy loads . However , to achieve your ultimate muscle-building goal you need a concrete plan and a roadmap to get there . Even if it is as simple as adding an extra 5kg onto your bench press each week or curling a bigger dumbbell than last week , setting a number of smaller , more achievable goals along the way will move you closer to your ultimate goal . Without these small advancements you are destined to hit a slump and will often lose the motivation needed to add slabs of solid muscle due to workout stagnation .
“ SETTING A NUMBER OF SMALLER , MORE ACHIEVABLE GOALS ALONG THE WAY WILL MOVE YOU EVER CLOSER TO
YOUR ULTIMATE MUSCLE-BUILDING GOAL .”
DON ’ T ... GET STUCK
We often work our butts off while thinking that we ’ re becoming stronger and fitter when a routine becomes easier . This is usually not the case – the mind and body will grow accustomed to what you put it through . As such you will not be successful if you blindly follow a routine without any variation . It is therefore a good idea to change your workouts from time to time . Try a different routine every six to eight weeks or change your rep or set schemes , the order of the exercises you do or replace a specific exercise with something else to work the body from a different angle . This keeps things interesting and ensures you don ’ t plateau or stagnate .
DON ' T ... BE A SLAVE TO STATS
In the gym , like all other facets of life , we have numbers and statistics to track , measure , gauge , and analyse our progress . Although this information can provide valuable feedback , you can become too obsessive about the numbers and this can kill the joy of working out altogether . Although you have to force yourself to push through mental and physical barriers to reach your goals , and tracking your latest poundages in a training journal offers insights into what to do next , don ' t forget to let yourself simply enjoy the experience of lifting weights every now and then .
DO ... EAT CORRECTLY
Heavy weight training creates the stimulus for growth , whereas the right types and ratios of macronutrients fuel that growth . By eating sufficiently before and after a workout you ’ ll ensure that working muscles have everything they need to work optimally and grow bigger and stronger than before following those intense training sessions .
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