Chances are, if you’ve just landed on this page of my blog – you’re just starting out on your muscle building journey.
Now this road could potentially be a long and frustrating one if you don’t know what you’re doing – Trust me, I’ve been there. I wasted around 2 years just messing around in the gym with no clear plan or any idea of what I was doing before I finally “got it”!
In this post I’m going to share with you how I got started on my journey from 135lbs soaking wet, with bricks in my pockets..to adding 65lbs of muscle to my frame!
Luckily, I’ve made the mistakes for you and this has given me the opportunity to cut through all of the crap information you might come across and help you to start achieving your muscle building goals like I have! Ok let’s do this!
STEP 1 : Be Ready to Build Muscle
The truth is most people don’t realize that to build muscle fast, you need unwavering discipline – You can’t build muscle as a hobby I’m afraid..You need to commit to a LIFESTYLE otherwise you won’t see optimal results, if at all!
Ask yourself :
- Am I willing to change my eating habits to build muscle?
- Am I willing to say “No” to things that might take me away from my goals to build muscle? (Alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, bad foods)
- Am I willing to follow my plan to the letter, even if I’m having a “bad” day or don’t feel like going to the gym?
These are just a few things you’ll have to be ready to do in order to build muscle consistently! Remember this :- Muscles aren’t build inside the gym, they are built outside of it. Hence why building muscle is a lifestyle
STEP 2 : Set Yourself Some Smart Goals!
Again, not the sexiest of subjects when it comes to building muscle but one of the most important! Almost every program worth a damn will tell you the same thing..When you set smart goals, you set yourself up to win.
I’ve seen this in my day to day life too – When I set myself small, actionable goals…I achieve them.
Just a quick outline for you on what a smart goal is :
S -pecific. Make sure your goal is narrowed down.
M – easurable. You should be able to measure your goal!
A -chievable. Don’t set yourself something that you’re not sure you can achieve.
R – ealistic. Ties in with the above. Make sure your goal is actually feasible. (No you can’t become Arnold in a month!)
T – ime Framed. Your goal must have a deadline!
EXAMPLE OF A SMART GOAL :
I want to gain 15lbs (measurable) of muscle (specific) by weight training 3 x a week (achievable) and reach my goal in 3 months (realistic and time-framed)
Ok, now it’s your turn..set yourself a smart goal following this formula before you start.
STEP 3 : MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM
Yeah, I wrote this all in upper-case for a reason – Because I’m shouting this at you to make sure it sinks in!
I wasted around 2 years in the gym just flapping around aimlessly – I thought that all I needed to do was show up at the gym and do random exercises with no set routine. Well, needless to say I didn’t see anything in those first 2 years but the same skinny guy looking back at me in the mirror.
I didn’t know how to eat, train or look after myself to build muscle. BIG MISTAKE.
I then came across a really helpful coach when I was 17 who answered all of my questions via email. Thinking about it now, he was amazingly patient with me and I appreciate him getting me started. I created myself a program with the new knowledge I gained and started to finally build some muscle..
Not much mind you…Progress was slow but steady.
If you’re starting out today, you’re either extremely lucky or…extremely UNLUCKY. Yeah, I know that doesn’t really make sense but hear me out.
You are lucky because you have so much more information out there compared to back when I started…BUT this wealth of information is also the problem – Because there is a whole heap of BAD information out there on building muscle. If you fall into one of these sources of bad information, then you become UNLUCKY.
A good way to avoid this situation is to grab a full program from a reputable source.
Whatever route you decide to take, a complete program should contain the following things :
- A theory section so that you understand WHY you are doing what you’re doing
- A Nutrition section (preferably with meal plans) to help you understand the importance of nutrition for muscle building
- Effective Workout Plans to build muscle fast.
- Exercises and video’s to show you practically and safely how to train.
Whatever program you use, make sure you stick to it and that you get your information from reputable sources. Not “faceless” people who can’t back up anything they teach!
- This aspect is the most important part of the equation if you want to build muscle fast so choose wisely!
STEP 4 – TAKE ACTION!
Nothing happens if you just sit and think about it – You’ve decided that you’re ready to build muscle, you’ve set yourself some goals and you’ve picked a decent muscle building program..All of that counts for nothing if you don’t TAKE ACTION!
You learn by doing so get out there and start shortening your learning curve. Once you understand your body, what works and what doesn’t – You’ll see results a lot faster and nobody will be able to stop your momentum even if they tried!
Just remember to be patient…Rome wasn’t built in a day. Take baby steps first of all and those baby steps will turn into leaps and bounds.
Building muscle is all about taking consistent steps towards your goal and living the lifestyle for at least 85-90% of your daily life – If you can do that, you’ll see the rewards inside and outside of your body.
Take the bull by the horns and start to build muscle fast!