Introduction
Forget all of the other workout and diet plans, you’ve found the ultimate one here! This workout plan can be customized to fit your own personal needs and goals and will get you in the best shape of your life! You’ll start with this week’s training schedule, which will prep your body to start burning fat faster, but also include muscle growth workouts that you can do at home on your own or at the gym! By the end of this plan, you’ll have gained 8 lbs. of lean muscle and lost 10 lbs. of fat!
Eat Enough Calories
Contrary to popular belief, building muscle is not about eating as much food as possible. In fact, you should be eating slightly fewer calories than you burn every day. That’s because a calorie surplus is what stimulates muscle growth. So if you don’t eat enough calories, then you won’t gain any muscle. What that means for your diet plan is that it needs to contain enough protein and carbs (carbohydrates are important for optimal training), and it also needs to have high-quality fats (specifically omega-3 fatty acids). Other supplements like glutamine may help improve your results, but they aren’t necessary—and definitely not required in order to build muscle mass quickly.
Have Proper Protein Intake
Protein makes up approximately 16% of your body weight. When trying to gain muscle, you must consume enough protein to support new muscle growth while also creating a calorie surplus. At a minimum, you should be consuming one gram of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that means 150 grams of protein per day (1g/lb x 150lb = 150g). If you weigh 180lbs, that means 180 grams of protein per day (1g/lb x 180lbs = 180g). There are about 4 calories in each gram of protein which is why it’s easy to see how quickly your calorie consumption can rise just from adding a little extra meat to your diet.
Include Carbs
Carbohydrates are responsible for adding fuel to your muscles so they can contract during a workout. But, if you’re trying to cut fat and add muscle mass, it’s important to consume just enough carbs (and calories in general) so that you aren’t hungry. How do you determine how many carbs to eat? You have two options: a 1-3 ratio of protein-to-carbs or a 1-5 ratio of protein-to-carbs. The former is best for people who are underweight while the latter is better for those who have more weight to lose.
Track Your Progress
If you’re looking to gain muscle and lose fat, a weightlifting routine isn’t enough—you need to track your progress. Otherwise, how do you know if your workouts are effective? If you don’t take measurements of your body periodically and/or keep a journal about your workouts, then you won’t really know what works for you. You can try using online calculators to predict results, but why not measure your progress yourself? Not only is it more accurate, but it can give you valuable motivation by seeing how far you’ve come.
Strength Train At Least Twice a Week
In general, you should strength train at least twice a week, with one day being upper body and one day being lower body. Strength training helps build muscle and prevent injuries. It also raises your metabolic rate for days after working out, meaning you’ll continue to burn calories even when not working out. It also helps keep your metabolism elevated when combined with a healthy diet plan to lose fat.
Do Cardio At Least Twice A Week
Cardio can be an extremely useful part of your muscle-building plan, as it helps to promote weight loss and improve cardiovascular health, which is an important factor in strength development. However, it’s also easy to overdo cardio when you’re trying to lose fat—particularly if you’re doing a lot of low-intensity cardio like walking or jogging. If you’re doing cardio more than twice a week for 30 minutes or more at a time, chances are high that you’re burning fat at such a slow rate that it won’t make much difference on your waistline. That’s why, if your goal is to build muscle while losing fat, it’s best to do some weight training first and foremost.
Reduce Stress
Your workout plan will increase your metabolism and physical energy levels; a side effect of that is that it can reduce stress. Exercising regularly can also boost your brainpower; research shows that working out increases neurogenesis (the production of new neurons) in as little as three weeks. Researchers have also found that regular exercisers experience less cognitive decline over time. All-in-all, reducing stress by exercising regularly might just be one of the best things you can do for your health—especially if you’re suffering from any sort of mental illness.
Conclusion
It’s never easy to look your best when working out and watching what you eat, but a well-rounded workout plan can go a long way. By incorporating weight training, cardio, and healthy eating into your daily routine, you’ll have no problem achieving your goals. So get going—the sooner you start getting fit, the more muscle you can build!
