Building muscles is a good way to increase your strength but bulking up is another story. Although there are many training programs and sports that can help get your blood pumping to your muscles, it may take some time before you see results. Is there any way to get your muscles to bulk up in just a short period of time?
For those who want to bulk up as fast as possible, here are a few tips that you should take into consideration.
Set Your Strength Goals
Most people who want to increase their muscle mass tend to focus on the number of pounds that they gain within a short period of time regardless of whether it is doable or not. By increasing your strength you’re actually helping your body to get more muscle fibers which can help with your physique. When you aim to improve your strength your goals become more concrete and tangible. If you aim for a certain number with your lifts and manage to reach them, you’ll feel your muscles responding.
Know the Amount of Calories You Need
Increasing your calorie intake is also needed if you want to increase your muscle mass. In order to determine how many calories you need to consume, you should factor in your gender, age, how active you are, and your current weight. For example, your current weight is 130 pounds. Multiply it by 20 and you’ll get 2600 which is the number of calories you need to consume. This may sound a lot if you aren’t used to eating this much calorie but it’s needed.
Focus on Doing Compound Exercises
Compound exercises are those that work the muscles in more than one joint. Examples of this exercise include deadlifts, presses, chin-ups, squats, and rows. Doing compound lifts helps build muscle mass which in turn makes your training efficient. It also helps boost your testosterone production that is needed in growing your muscles. You can do leg extensions or curls or other isolation works but do them after doing several compound lifts.
Do Progressive Lifts
Most people make the mistake of doing the same lifts over and over again which prevent their muscles from growing any further. In order to keep your muscles working, you need to give them a shock. For example, if you’ve been doing 100 pounds when you bench press, add 10 pounds the following week. Increasing the weight of your lifts will keep your muscles working hard which helps in building more muscle mass.
Recovery is Important
If you’re trying to grow your muscles make sure that you rest up properly. And when it comes to rest, there is no better way than sleeping longer. Sleeping for eight to nine hours is ideal but in the real world, you’re lucky to be able to get seven hours of sleep. How will you get the most number of sleeping hours? Well, you have the power to decide when you want to rest up. Even going to bed earlier than your usual sleeping hour is actually good enough to help your body get enough rest for the next day. If you’re waiting for a TV show just set your DVR so you can get an earlier shut-eye.
Drink a Shake when You Train
Nutrition for both pre and post workout should also be a factor to consider when you're bulking up. For those who want to increase their muscle mass, you should drink a shake that contains carbohydrates and protein so you can get those extra calories without having to spend time making a meal. By taking protein shake while you work out, you’re giving your body additional energy so you can work out more. However, you should limit the amount you drink when you work out so you won’t have an upset stomach. You can start by adding 40% carbohydrates and 20% protein.
These are just a few tips that you should keep in mind when you want to bulk up fast. The combination of proper nutrition, regular exercise, and rest will help you reach your goal soon enough. If you need to track your progress, you can always keep a journal with you where you can write the number of calories you’ve taken for a day and the number of lifts you’ve done so you can make the necessary tweaks to improve your muscles.
