Have you been working out but not seeing the results you want? Are you just starting out lifting weights and want to get optimal results? If the former is the case, then your frustration is understandable and you’re far from alone. If the latter is true, consider yourself lucky. Based on what you’re about to learn, you will save months, if not years, of wasted time in the gym.

If you’re looking for mass, there are many rules that you absolutely must follow in order to see the results you’re looking for. The first rule, which takes place before you even enter the gym, is to maintain a well balanced diet. Many lifters say that the lifting is the easy part. It’s the diet that’s difficult. In many cases, you have to count calories, grams of protein and carbohydrates, keep track if you’re eating enough fruits and vegetables, how many ounces of water you’ve consumed for the day, and when you ate your meals. Doesn’t sound easy, does it? As the old saying goes, if it were easy everyone would be doing it.

When it comes to diet, if you’re looking for mass, it’s important to eat six small meals per day. Eating all your calories and getting all your nourishment in one or two monster meals will not be nearly as beneficial to you. Speaking of calories, you’re going to want to consume at least 4,000 per day if you want to see mass. You’re also going to need to consume 2x your body weight in kilograms when it comes to grams of protein. Just make sure you balance carbohydrates and good fats. An all-protein diet will hurt you, not help you. A good thing to remember is that the harder you work, the more protein you can take.

As far as your workouts go, it’s okay to have a warm-up set, but don’t be one of those guys who does 3 sets of 10 reps all the time. You will be wasting your time and money. If you want to see results, you need to lift heavy weights. That doesn’t mean weights that will kill your form, but weights that you can barely get six reps of. This is what will get you stronger. For instance, after a warm-up set, try to get six reps on your bench. Take a two to five minute break. Then go up in weight and attempt to get six reps again. If you get fewer than six reps, that’s fine. As long as you can get one, you’re improving your strength. This is called overload. When you do this type of training, it’s important to take longer breaks. This is so you can attack the next set with maximum strength and energy.

With overload training, you want to aim to workout 4 times per week. Your muscles must rest so they can work hard again. Most advanced lifters will only work one muscle group per week. This way they can really attack that muscle group when working out.

There is one other factor you should be aware of. If you don’t eat a lot of protein, it’s important to drink a protein supplement within one hour after your workout. This will help speed up the recovery of your muscles. After a few weeks of lifting and pounding protein shakes, you should begin to see some serious results.

If you like this article, click here to share: