A Beginner’s Guide to a Muscle Building Program

A Beginner’s Guide to a
Muscle Building Program

By:  Vince Delmonte 

If you’ve only been training for a under a year, then you’re considered a beginner. For guidance as beginner, you should look toward the muscle-building workout that is illustrated below. The best part of being a newbie is that the most muscle gain will come during the first six to 12 months. This exciting time is when you will see the biggest change in your body and in your life. The only downside is that there isn’t a magic potion or a shortcut to muscle growth. Nevertheless, if you stick to the program, in three month, you’ll be heading in a positive, forward direction, rather than on a negative, backwards path.  Here are a few guidelines to take into consideration prior to beginning:

• Think big, but too not big.

This is not meant to deter you from wanting big muscles or having big goals; however, you must be realistic or else there’s no real definable point in your goal, and it may actually be counterproductive. Being honest with yourself is crucial to success. Evaluate your level of fitness as it stands to date, and factor that into the equation that defines where you want to be three months from now. Think long-term where you want to be, as well. So set a plan that includes where you want to be in a year and even in two years. You’ll need to be focused on both types of goals, but always keep in mind that short-term goals lead to completing your long-term goals.

• Don’t assume you weren’t successful if you don’t see overnight results.

My advice to you is to obligate yourself to bodybuilding for at least three months before you evaluate your progress. I’m sure you’re just like me and wish to see results quickly and yesterday. But, this isn’t practical. Overnight results exist, but they’re not the deciding factor, so don’t become frustrated, especially since a total transformation takes time. Celebrate every gain you earn, and make sure you appreciate that sculpting an entire body takes time and patience, and the real victory occurs over time and not in overnight spurts.

• The time you spend in the gym only comprises part of your to-do list.

When you examine how you’re going to accomplish your goals, the time you spend muscle training is only part of the equation. The time you spend in the gym essentially lays down the foundation for potential muscle growth. Your sleep patterns, the supplements you select, the foods you eat, how much you eat and even when you eat plays a role and acts as the building blocks with which you must lay your foundation. Each one of these aspects will manipulate the rate at which you’ll notice changes in your physique.  We’ve cleaned house; now it’s time to get started on developing your muscle-building program.

A Beginner’s Guide to Muscle Building

When you muscle build as a beginner, you must include 15 different exercises that utilize basic movements You have to factor in a pyramid rep/set scheme, incorporate a change in the order in which you do exercises, train at least three times per week and continue this pattern for three months. You should start every workout with a warm-up consisting of 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as running, rowing, walking on an incline or even skipping. Do arm circles (when you move your arms in a circular pattern in both directions) as a light stretching exercise to loosen up tendons, ligaments and tissue in your shoulders. Sweating before you exercise is an excellent way to determine that you’re ready to hit the floor.

Sets, Reps and Rest…oh my!

During your first month, you should perform one to two sets that consist of 15 to 20 reps, increasing the weight of each set. Make sure that each workout is a little heavier than the one before. The time you rest between sets must only be 30 to 60 seconds long.
When you reach month two, you should perform three to four sets that consist of 10 to12 reps, and you should increase the weight after each set. Begin your next workout with a slightly heavier weight than you did the last workout and continue increasing, taking a 60-second breather between each set.
Once you’ve hit month three, start doing three to four sets of six to eight reps, and make sure you’re increasing the weight after each set. Again, begin each workout a little heavier than you did the last one and rest between 60 and 90 seconds between each set.

Switching Up the Routine

If you find that the workout plan is a little too difficult, you may want to break it down into two different days. Do exercises one through seven on Mondays and Thursdays and do exercises eight through 15 on Tuesdays and Fridays. Ultimately, you would have four different muscle building workouts each week, as opposed to two.

Extra Notes

• · Make sure you are learning the exercises correctly. Either pick up my muscle-building program or hire a personal trainer to teach you the correct way to do each of the exercises.
• · Think about stretching after each exercise. This benefits your muscle growth and recovery, as well as your flexibility.
• · Observe the changes you’re making to the order in which you train your muscles, because this prevents muscle imbalance from occurring. Varying your workout regimen gives each muscle group an opportunity to be the first to be trained, which results in these muscles being fresh and being able to go harder.
• · Familiarize yourself with the exercise. If you’re lifting weights with bad form, you can injure yourself, and you’ll never reach your goal. Remember, it’s not about lifting the heaviest weight.
• · You’ll have good days and bad days. Some days the weights may seem very heavy. This is normal to have both low-energy days and high-energy days. After you take charge of your diet and recovery, you’ll be able to control your performance better.
• · Focus on success in the first month, not failure. Reach your rep goals each time and do extra reps for a more difficult workout. Keep progressing each month and just be patient. Know the movements, before you push your weight limits.
• · In some cases, changes to your body will not occur until your second month or sometimes even the third. Trust the program and allow your motivation to increase - don’t let this hinder you in achieving your goals.
• · Complete each of your workouts with at least 10 minutes of cardio and conclude with some light stretching that focuses on your tighter muscle groups.

Conclusion

Once you’ve reached your third month, you’ll have a strong base to continue to work on. You’ll be strong with a shapely physique. Even your mental and physical state will have been affected in a positive manner. After you’ve arrived at this pivotal point, it’s time to make alterations to your program and concentrate on the larger goals. With this being said, your first three months need to be the same, in order to create that strong foundation. Remember, there is not a single perfect product or program. You’ll learn what works best for you as you progress. Please leave comments about your training experience as a beginner. If you’re not a beginner, leave some tips for the beginners. If you enjoyed reading this, please click the “Like” button below.