5 Wise Ways of Getting Huge While Staying Healthy
Most gym noobs think the biggest bro in their gym is also the healthiest. Let me break it to you – that’s not always the case. Bodybuilding and health might be related but in no alternate universes are they synonyms.
Lifting hundreds of pounds every day and eating red meat in every meal might help you pop-out muscles and make you feel like Superman but this lifestyle is surely going to catch up to you in the long-run.
Most people make the mistake of treating weight training like flings. On the contrary, weightlifting and following a healthy lifestyle should be thought of as a marriage of two souls. You will need to put in the effort, it will feel boring, but if done right, it will lead to a happy and fulfilled life. Wow, that was deep!
It’s time we re-evaluate everything we think we know about lifting weights. Do we have to lift like Ronnie Coleman to get those bulky arms? Is it a good idea to put your joints, ligaments, and tendons under tremendous tension just so that you can flex once a month in front of your friends? Is there a better way of getting huge while staying healthy? There sure is, and we are going to take you through it in this article.
How to Get Huge
Intensity is the Name of the Game
If you’ve been working out for some time, there is a high probability you’ve been asked how much you can bench or squat? Whenever people see a buff dude, they automatically think he is auditioning for the role of Hulk.
People forget bodybuilding and powerlifting/weightlifting/strongman are different things. You don’t have to be able to lift refrigerators on your shoulders or pull a truck to build a V-taper and look swole in a shirt.
Your muscles have no idea how much weight is on the bar, only your ego does. Don’t get us wrong. We don’t mean you shouldn’t be aiming for PRs or challenging your muscles. All we’re saying is that if your goal is to build muscle mass, you’d get better results by annihilating your muscles in an intense workout as compared to lifting heavy for a couple of reps and not even breaking a sweat.
Your body is like a machine – the more load you put on it, the faster it is going to wear off. Don’t forget why deadlifts, squats, and bench presses are called functional exercises. If you’re losing your functionality and turning into a blob, you’re doing it all wrong.
Focus on Recovery
You start losing muscle when you step inside the gym. You heard it right. Your muscle cells break down when you do resistance training. Your muscle cells grow and rebuilt when you give them enough time to recuperate.
Training two muscles every day, six days a week might feel great right now but it’s going to take a toll on your body once you cross the 30-year mark. As you grow older, you should focus on improving your workout intensity while reducing your workout frequency.
Training 4-5 days a week is ample for optimal muscle stimulation. You should give your muscles at least three days to recover before training them again. Spend the extra day or two with your family and friends and they will surely appreciate the quality time you spend with them.
Consistency is key to building muscle mass and retaining it. Training 4-5 days a week might make you complacent but falling off the consistency bandwagon will throw your progress off track.
Use Supplements
We could have addressed supplements in the recovery section but this point deserves your undivided attention. You might feel like you can achieve your daily macronutrient goals through your diet and reject supplements.
Dismissing supplements can be a huge mistake. Most people can only think of a whey protein or a pre-workout powder when the term “supplement” is mentioned. They forget that there are immunity, joint, hair, bone health-promoting supplements available on the market.
As you grow older, resistance training will slowly but surely start wearing out your joints. Taking a joint support supplement containing glucosamine, MSM and chondroitin will help you get extra mileage out of your body.
Once you turn 30, you should start taking supplements as preemptive steps to keep your body in an optimal state.
Come For the Gains Stay For the Art
Bodybuilding is not an easy sport by any means. The people who are attracted to bodybuilding just for aesthetics and think they can achieve their dream physiques in a few months are usually the fastest to quit.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of techniques, programs, and principles to be learned and followed in bodybuilding. Each new exercise, rep scheme, variation will uniquely target your muscles.
You need to fall in love with the process and be willing to give it all your time. The thing about getting (and staying) huge is that you have to constantly shock your muscles. The day your muscles get used to your training style, you’re done – for good.
Set small goals for yourself like putting half an inch on your arms in a couple of months, do a handstand in a month, etc. These challenges will make sure you’re always pushing your limits and achieving these goals will give you a sense of achievement and a never-ending supply of adrenaline rush.
Find the Right Partners
Lifters often talk about the importance of finding the right training partner but another equally important partner is seldom spoken about. This partner can save you a lot of pain and grievance. We are talking about the primary care doctor.
If you want to be a life-long lifter, know that there are going to be injuries. Unlike the pros, you might not end up popping a knee or wearing out your hip joints by squatting tonnes of weights but you shouldn’t rule out a muscle pull or tear.
If you’re in pain or discomfort and feel that it’s the kind of pain caused by an injury, you should never shy away from seeing a doctor.
If your doctor discourages you from doing what you do in the gym, you aren’t going to go a long way in this lifestyle. Find yourself a doctor who understands where you’re coming from. Brownie points to consulting a doctor who is also a lifter.
What’s your plan for getting huge?
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