10 Tips and Exercises That Will Help You Achieve New Levels of Strength

The first major bodybuilding contest dates back to 1901. Since then, there have been many notable figures in the movement, including Arnold Schwarzenegger. And although not everyone strives to achieve Schwarzenegger’s top physique, it’s common to see people nowadays wanting to be stronger and have more muscle. Getting started is known to be the hardest step, but worry not.

Now I’ve Seen Everything brings you some advice on how to start building muscle and lists a few beginner exercises that can help you boost your overall strength. However, please contact a doctor before applying any of our recommendations.

What the muscle is and how bodybuilding works.

The muscles are actually cylindric fibers placed in a parallel position and when contracting, they create force. Our body constantly goes through cycles of renewal and proteins in our body are building up. Since the muscle needs proteins to grow, if you are not taking enough, you will lose its mass. Only by getting a sufficient amount of proteins will you be able to build new muscle tissue.

1. Make an exercise plan and train continuously.

This includes a number of repetitions, and it is a useful concept. When you are lifting weights be aware of how many times you repeat the exercise. For example, if you are lifting weights in the repetition of 1-5, you will develop more strength. Repeating the exercise 6-12 times can help you to build more muscle while 12-20 reps will elevate the muscular endurance and build muscles as well.

So, intensifying your training volume can get you to your goal and it is recommended to do lifting from 3 to 6 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

Note: The effective way for quickly building the muscles is to choose the weight which will make the repetition exercise so hard that it will be impossible to do more than 20.

2. Avoid overtraining

You need to choose the exercises made for a specific muscle that you want to build. For example, perform biceps curl or pullup for biceps, etc. You can include compound and isolation movements for building your muscle mass. Both types of exercise will help your muscles to grow.

• Compound exercises are different from isolation types as they target a variety of muscle groups and the other emphasizes the specific muscle. While doing the isolation exercises you are focusing on a particular muscle (e.g. leg press, standing shoulder press, etc.)
• Pay attention to having enough rest after the training. Overtraining can happen if you don’t let yourself recover and this can lead to some health issues. Always be sure to go within your limits and to have a pause between your workout days.

3. Plan your meals and include more protein in your diet.

Most athletes and bodybuilders combine the bulking and cutting periods to gain muscles. During bulking you need to eat more calories than you burn while cutting cycles are more about decreasing the number of calories so the body fat doesn’t grow but training and eating in a way you don’t lose muscle.

What you need:

• Calories — include 300-500 calories more than you need in your daily intake. Your basic calorie needs depend on your gender, age, weight, height, and activity level. For women, the recommended daily intake is 2,000–2,400 (age 19 to 30), 1,800–2,200 (age 31 to 59) and 1,600–2,000 calories (age over 60). For men, it is slightly different — daily intake of 2,400–3,000 (age 19 to 30), 2,200–3,000 (age 31 to 59), and men over 60 need 2,000–2,600 calories per day. You can use this calculator for general information about your daily intake of calories, but it is advised to consult a health expert for precise information.
• Proteins — are crucial for building muscles. The best way to plan your protein meals is to consult with a registered nutritional expert. However, some researchers note that you should include 0.72 grams of protein per one pound (1.6 grams per kilogram) of your body mass in a day.
• Carbs — researchers have been advising recently that it is fine to take from 0.22 to 0.68 grams of fat per pound (that’s 0.5 to 1.5 grams per one kilogram) of your body mass in a day.

4. Food that will help you to build muscles.

• Eggs — full of protein, healthy fats vitamin B, and choline.
• Salmon — is very good for your overall health as it contains proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and important B vitamins.
• Chicken breast — include it in your diet as it is full of protein and can help you to lead an active lifestyle.
• Greek yogurt — an excellent snack as it contains a mix of fast and slow-digesting proteins.
• Tuna — it can boost your exercise performance because it has a high number of vitamins A, B (B12, niacin, and B6) as well as omega-3 fatty acids.
• Lean beef — you can choose this meat that will boost your muscle growth without feeding you with a bunch of calories. Beef is rich in proteins, vitamin B, minerals, and creatine.
• Shrimp — doesn’t have many calories but is packed with proteins and also amino acid called leucine.
• Soybeans — a great source of plant-based protein as well as unsaturated fats, vitamins, and minerals.
• Cottage cheese — you can get either the one with a high amount of fat or a low-fat version. This depends on how many calories you want to take in. It contains proteins also and leucine amino acids.
• Turkey breast — has a nice amount of proteins and a low amount of fat.
• Beans — there are many different kinds that you can include in your meals, like pinto, kidney, or black beans. They are a great source of proteins, B vitamins, and minerals.
• Protein powders — supplements can come in handy if you are not getting enough proteins from your regular diet. You can include powders like whey or casein.

• Edamame — these immature soybeans contain proteins, folate, manganese, and vitamin K. Folate has an important role in helping amino acids get processed in the body.
• Quinoa — rich in carbs that will give you enough energy among others.
• Chickpeas — have carbs, protein, and fiber.
• Peanuts — are rich in different nutrients like unsaturated fat, and amino acid leucine among proteins and carbs.
• Tofu — is often used in a meal instead of meat. Contains proteins, fat, and carbs as well as calcium that helps the muscle function.
• Milk — another source of proteins, carbs, and fat and similar to cottage cheese has fast and slow-digesting proteins.
• Almonds — phosphorus can help your body process the carbs and fats into the energy that you need. Almonds have a fair amount of phosphorus, vitamin E, and magnesium but should be included in a diet carefully since they contain a high number of calories.
• Brown rice — packed with carbs that can boost your energy, help you exercise with higher intensity, and stimulate your muscle growth.

5. Get enough sleep.

Your body and muscles need time to rest and recover. It is recommended to get around 8 hours of sleep in order to recuperate. Also, during sleeping, the body lets out the human growth hormone that helps your muscles to get bigger.

Exercises for anyone who wants to get started.

1. Lunges

1. Stand straight with your legs at shoulder width.
2. Step forward with your right leg, bending the knee at a right angle. Make sure your front knee doesn’t go beyond your toes. The hip should be parallel to the floor. The left knee should be near the ground but not touching it. Keep a straight back and hold the position for 4 seconds.
3. Return to the initial position and repeat with the other leg.

⏱ Repeat 10 to 12 times.

2. Reverse push-ups

1. Sit on a bench or any other furniture item that it will be convenient to hold and lean on. Place your hands on opposite sides of you. Lean on them and slide forward from the bench. Now you have 4 points of support: your heels and your hands. If you find it hard to keep your body in this position, you can bend your legs at your knees.
2. As you exhale, start lowering to the floor. The lowest point will be the one where your elbows are at a right angle and your back is parallel to the bench. Make sure your shoulders don’t rise above your ears.
3. Inhale and raise your torso, straightening the elbows. Return to the initial position.

⏱ Repeat 15 times.

3. “Superman”

1. Put a mat on the floor. Lie on it with your belly down. Stretch your arms and legs. Relax your neck. Take a deep inhale.
2. As you exhale, simultaneously lift your arms, head, and legs. You will look like Superman who is flying somewhere to do his heroic deeds. Hold this position for 5 seconds.
3. As you inhale, lower back to the floor and relax.

⏱ Repeat 10 times.

4. Side plank with a leg raise

1. Lie on your side, resting your body weight on your bottom elbow, your forearm, and the arch of your lower foot. Place your upper hand on your hips. Keep your back straight and muscles engaged. Your body should form a straight line.
2. Lift the upper leg up, engaging your core muscles. Make sure your body position is stable, you don’t want to arch your back or swing your body.
3. Return to the starting position and do several repetitions. When you finish, repeat the exercise on the other side.

⏱ Repeat 10 to 12 times.

5. Crisscross crunches

1. Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Bend your knees and lift your legs off the ground.
2. Stretch your left leg and lower it while bringing your right knee closer to your chest. At the same time, try to reach your right knee with your left elbow, engaging your core muscles and twisting your stomach muscles.
3. Then stretch and lower your right leg and bring your left knee closer to your chest. At the same time, try to reach your left knee with your right elbow.

⏱ Repeat 10 to 12 times.

Bonus: Be patient

Building muscle isn’t something that you can do from one day to the next. Think about it more like a marathon instead of a sprint. Be patient and try not to force your body beyond its limits. In the end, consistency is key.

What’s your main goal for exercising? Do you enjoy working out?