No matter how diligently you go to the gym, unless you’re doing the right types of exercises at sufficient intensity, you’re never going to get the kinds of muscle gains you want.
Any kind of exercise is beneficial to your health, but if you’re keen to focus on gaining muscle there are some moves which are better than others. Here’s a quick look at some great exercises which could really help you to gain more muscle mass.
Work Smarter For Better Results
The above moves, like so many others, rely on excellent technique to get the very best muscle growth. Take a look at http://www.craigbudgen.com for more information from an expert personal trainer to help you max out your workouts and get the muscle gains you want.
Squats
Packing muscle onto your legs can be a more challenging task but if you want the mass and definition, there’s no escaping squats.
Before you pick up the weights, practice your technique; this is key to squeezing all the potential muscle-building benefit out of your reps. You’ll want all the emphasis to be on your quads so drop down until your legs are just above parallel. This prevents the workload from switching to your glutes.
If you’re struggling to get the movement right, just imagine you’re sitting directly down onto a chair. This visualization can really help nail the technique.
Bench Press
The chances are that you’re already doing these as part of your training but the question is: are you doing them properly? If you don’t bench press properly you won’t see the muscle gains that your efforts deserve.
There’s not much better for building your chest muscles but forget about trying to outdo everyone else by lifting the heaviest weight. If your butt is moving off the bench, you’re dropping the bar onto your chest or you’re throwing it up in the air, you haven’t got it quite right.
You should be achieving a smooth and controlled movement with the bar only lightly touching your chest before being lifted up again. Jerky, rapid or uneven movements should be avoided because the chances are you won’t be working the muscles you’re aiming for.
The bar should be above your mouth or chin; as soon as it starts to move towards your feet it will start to feel much heavier.
Try to consciously use your chest muscles to push upwards. You can achieve this more easily by thinking about trying to force your hands closer together at the top of the move – but without actually moving the position of your hands. This engages the chest muscles effectively and increases the impact of training.
Dips
Not every muscle building exercise needs to use equipment and if you can’t get to a gym temporarily it’s good to still be able to train.
Dips typically use bodyweight rather than anything more complex, but despite this simplicity there’s almost nothing better for increasing muscle mass and definition in the triceps. There’s also the opportunity to up the load by adding weight belts; in a pinch you could even just strap on a heavy backpack!
If you don’t have access to your usual workout accessories, slowing the dip movement down can make it feel like you’re working against a much greater resistance, allowing you to train harder.
Don’t Ignore Your Diet
Many ask the question: is diet more important than exercise? Eating the wrong foods is an area you will want to avoid. Your diet is of great importance when it comes to assisting muscle growth. Clean cuts of protein are one such direction that is advised, since it’s fuel that muscles love. Avoid too many bad fats and sugars.
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