How to create an exercise program to quickly increase muscle mass? Basic training program.

Greetings to readers of the sportivs blog about health and sports. I am with you again, Alexander Bely. Today we will touch on a topic such as a set of exercises for gaining muscle mass. I recently met a childhood friend who is into bodybuilding, he shared some tips with me and told me a couple of interesting tricks on how to gain muscle mass. When I got home, I decided to put it in an article. We will talk about the best exercises that will help you achieve good results.

Since ancient times, it has been accepted that a man should be strong and strong. A striking example is the Russian heroes, who personified strength and courage. To become big and strong you need to do physical exercises, the best option is basic.
Let's look at all the features of basic exercises.

Basic exercises

You can achieve good results at home, however, by visiting the gym and working with weights, you can get maximum results. No work, dear friends, can be completed without a clearly defined plan.

So here, in order to increase muscle volume, you need to create a certain set of workouts.

Basic rules of growth

Now we will look at the most important nuances that will help you build muscle mass.

1. Training. It is important to choose the most suitable set of exercises for you. For some, this training program is good, for others it is different, but pay attention to the fact that each complex is compiled individually.

2. Nutrition. During any human activity, energy and strength are consumed. To replenish them you need a certain amount of calories. You should eat a day to restore losses. If you want to progress, then in addition to restoration resources, you also need a certain amount of additional food, which will be used as building material.

To grow normally, I recommend at least 1.5 grams of protein per 1 kg of weight, that is, if you weigh 80 kg, you need to eat 120 grams of protein per day. However, you should not focus only on protein; an important factor is the number of calories you receive. The optimal amount would be 2500-3000 kcal.

Don't forget about fats either. Many people think that fats make you fat, to some extent this is true, but if you take all the factors into account correctly, they can be your friends. There are healthy fats - saturated fats. They are found in animal products such as fish, beef, oils and nuts. Ideally, you need to calculate your daily ration of B/F (proteins, fats, carbohydrates).

3. Recovery. Muscles grow while you sleep. To achieve good results, sleep 8-10 hours a day. Avoid overtraining, do not go to training tired, this will negatively affect the intensity as well as your health.

4. Sports supplements. Surely everyone knows that an elite car like a Ferrari or Lamborgini has incredibly strong power. Let's now think about what it needs to maintain that power and strength - fuel, that's right. If such cars are filled with 92 or 95 gasoline, they simply will not be able to drive normally, and the same with the human body, it is necessary to additionally “feed” the body so that it is strong and powerful.

Protein, also known as protein, gives you the building blocks to build muscles. - substances that make up protein. Gainer is a complex nutrition with high nutritional value, perfect for gaining weight. There are many more different options for sports nutrition, however, we have considered the most necessary ones.

In order to purchase high-quality sports supplements and achieve visible results in a short time, I recommend visiting Activizm online store.

Remember that during training your muscles do not grow, but rather are destroyed. Growth occurs during rest, when muscle fibers, in the presence of building material, reunite and form new ones. Remember that training is only 30% of success, the remaining 70% is plus food.

Let's now look at the benefits of exercise.

You feel good.
Your mood improves.
You become happy with your reflection in the mirror.
You set new goals and progress.
People around you like you.

After we've talked about the benefits, let's move on to the next key section - a set of exercises.

Exercises to increase muscle size

The main exercises that promote active growth are basic. Now I'll tell you why. Basic exercises are those during which 2 or more muscle groups are involved.

Basic workouts are:

1. . This is the daddy of all exercises. There are even competitions in this discipline, since it is the main one. The chest muscles develop, however, during work the deltoids and triceps are also involved.

2. Deadlift. An exercise for the back, during which the legs, abdominal muscles, and entire arms are also involved.

3. Squats. To have big arms you need to squat. It sounds strange, but it's true. During squats, 70% of your body is pumped.

4. Lifting the barbell from the chest. The main load goes to the muscles of the arms and deltas.

5. . The back develops, the arms are pumped.

6. Biceps curl. Hands are pumping.

The base is key to building muscle mass. For beginners, I recommend starting with isolation exercises such as blocks and dumbbell exercises. For teenagers, basic exercises with light weights will contribute to the active growth of not only muscle mass, but also height. For girls in the gym, you can do the basics, you just need to take the appropriate weight. If you follow all the nuances and my advice correctly, you can achieve excellent results.

The “mass” training period involves a special approach to drawing up a training plan and choosing exercises to gain muscle mass. It is important to initially understand for yourself that achieving your goal of gaining weight requires strict discipline and adherence to developed plans and, of course, hard regular training. From the article you will learn which exercises to choose for rapid muscle growth.

To achieve the maximum effect from the training process and concentrate on the task at hand, it is recommended to include only multi-joint (basic) exercises in the training program. These are exercises that involve several muscle groups. It is also necessary to minimize work on all kinds of exercise machines, especially those in which the work of the joints is isolated.

You should not include cardio exercises in your workout, this will significantly slow down the growth of muscle mass, and to run calmly along the track for no more than 10-15 minutes. To carry out full aerobic exercise, it is better to wait until the end of this cycle, which will last from 3 to 6 months, depending on the results.

I suggest watching a video about weight gain.

Basic exercises for gaining muscle mass

For working on mass, the most effective are the so-called basic exercises, since they involve a large number of muscle groups and promote maximum anabolic response, which will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your results. Remember, during this period you only need the base, you don’t need to fill the program with a bunch of unnecessary exercises that pump up any small muscle in isolation. The volume of the human body is formed not by the biceps or forearm muscles, but by the large muscle groups of the chest, back and legs.

We will start our review of exercises for gaining muscle mass with the most important basic ones that are included in the powerlifting competition program. They are the ones that give the greatest effect, and in one variation or another should be present in any of your workouts. For each exercise, examples are given that are similar in functionality, which can load the same muscle groups, but will not allow the body to quickly adapt. This can be used to compose microcycles.

1. Back Squats

This is one of the hardest exercises for an athlete’s body and gives a very high anabolic effect. At first glance, this is an exercise for developing thigh muscles. On the one hand, this is true, on the other hand, when performing it, a huge number of muscle groups are involved: back extensors, many stabilizers and even trapezius muscles. In addition, the load on the body is enormous, which greatly stimulates the growth of muscles throughout the body.

The basis of this exercise is a straight back; the slightest bends can lead to undesirable consequences and injuries. The barbell should be placed not on the neck, but on the upper back, at the level of the posterior deltoid muscles. To firmly fix the barbell, you need to bring your shoulder blades together and grab the bar with your hands as close to your body as possible. At first, this will not be entirely comfortable; it is much easier to hold the barbell wide, since a narrow grip requires a certain flexibility and mobility of the shoulder joints. But over time, you will get used to it and understand that with a narrow grip you automatically bring your shoulder blades together and prevent possible bends in your back.

When performing the exercise, it is better to place your feet wider than your shoulders and spread your toes apart. During squats, you should control the movement of the knee joints and prevent them from “walking.” Be sure to ensure that your heels do not leave the floor while performing the exercise.

Variations: Front squat.

2. Barbell deadlift

The second mega-anabolic exercise for your body. The muscles of the back, thighs, forearms, trapezius, etc. are involved.

Unfortunately, it, like squats, is not often performed in fitness rooms, but in vain. There are 2 variations of its implementation: “classic” and “sumo” style. First, master the “classics”, it is more energy-intensive. In this version, the feet are placed shoulder-width apart.

When performing the exercise, try not to use wrist straps, they greatly remove the load from the forearms; it is better to use an “overhand grip” if you do not have enough strength to lift the barbell the planned number of times.

Just like in squats, you must ensure that your back is straight, as this can lead to serious injuries.

Variations: Sumo Deadlift

3. Bench press while lying on a horizontal bench

This exercise for gaining mass is quite popular among both beginners and experienced athletes. Main muscles worked: pectoral, deltoid and triceps. In order for the effect of the exercise to be maximum, it is necessary to evenly distribute the work of muscle groups. To do this, when performing the exercise, you need to bend your back in the thoracic region, without lifting your pelvis from the bench, and your hands should hold the barbell at a width at which there will be approximately 45 degrees between the shoulder and the body.

Variations: close-grip bench press, incline bench press, parallel bars push-ups.

The barbell chest press perfectly loads the entire shoulder girdle, in addition, the core stabilizers are well worked out. It is better to do the chest press while standing, this way you will get the maximum load. It is advisable to choose a grip slightly wider than shoulder width. A wider grip is best used for overhead bench presses.

If you perform the exercise “purely” without the help of your legs, then you should not take too much weight, as injuries to the shoulder joints may occur.

If you give the initial impulse by squatting a little and pushing the projectile up, this will already be a push press, which allows you to hang additional kilograms on the bar. But you should master the push press no earlier than after 4-6 months of training.

Variations: standing overhead barbell press, standing dumbbell press, overhead press.

5. Pull-ups on the bar

An exercise familiar from childhood. Effectively works the back and arm muscles. For pull-ups, the optimal grip is shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. At the top point you need to touch the crossbar with your chest. When performing the exercise, you need to strictly monitor the technique and eliminate possible twitching of the body, as this greatly reduces the load when performing the exercise.

If the exercise is easy, you can hang additional weight from your belt. This may progress further.

Variations: standing bent-over rows, wide-grip pull-ups.

To create the most effective program, you need to load both the lower and upper body in one workout. Under no circumstances should you separate your workouts during the week for different groups.

Both basic exercises and their variations can be alternated in a weekly microcycle.

Let's look at an example of a program for the first month of training to gain muscle mass. The weight of the apparatus must be such as to complete the number of repetitions specified in the program, and in the last approach the last repetitions were difficult.

For exercises with your own weight (pull-ups, parallel bars), if the specified number of repetitions is easy for you, you need to use additional weights. The program presented below is suitable for three days of training per week, every other day.

But first, watch the video about the first training program if you do not yet have experience training in the weight room.

Now check out the training program for gaining muscle mass.

Training program for gaining muscle mass 3 times a week

Day 1

bench press on a horizontal bench (medium grip) 4*8-10
Sumo style deadlift 2*6-8
pull-up on the bar with a medium grip until the chest touches 4*10-12
standing chest press (medium grip) 3*8-10
press 3*15-20

Day 2

deadlift “classic” 4*6-8 (+1 warm-up approach)
push-ups on parallel bars 4*8-10
squats with a barbell on the chest (optional hold) 2*8-10
Bent-over barbell row (medium grip) 4*10-12
standing overhead barbell press (wide grip) 3*8-10
press 3*15-20

Day 3

squats with a barbell behind the head 4*6-8 (+1 warm-up approach)
Bench press on an inclined bench4*8-10
deadlift “classic” 2*6-8
Pull-up on the bar with a wide grip until the chest touches 4*10-12
standing dumbbell press 3*8-10
press 3*15-20

This program can be worked out in 6-8 weekly microcycles. After this, it is advisable to give yourself a week of rest, and then make adjustments to the complex and replace some exercises with their analogues, which have a similar effect on muscle groups.

We have translated several important knowledge from scientific language into human language that will help you grow muscles as efficiently as possible.

We believe that almost everyone who reads fitness texts understands that exercise can increase both strength and muscle size. However, there is a clear difference between strength training and training aimed specifically at increasing muscle size.

How muscles grow

Weight training itself does not cause muscle growth. But the load received during training causes fatigue and stimulates physiological mechanisms, which, mainly during rest, cause the muscles to increase. Growth occurs as a result of an increase in the thickness of muscle fibers and the volume of fluid in muscle cells.

The ability to gain muscle mass depends on gender, age, weight training experience, genetics, quantity and quality of sleep, nutrition and fluid intake, and even stress levels can affect the ability to gain mass. For example, work overload or insufficient sleep can significantly reduce muscle growth, despite proper training and nutrition.

Mechanical and metabolic stress

There is no doubt that if you regularly and correctly lift iron, this leads to an increase in muscle volume and strength, however, scientists still have not decided what exactly causes muscle growth.

Training causes two specific types of stress: mechanical (microtears in the muscles - read more: "") and metabolic (triggering chemical repair processes due to the energy spent by the muscles), and they both can provide the necessary stimulus for muscle growth.

The challenge for research is that both mechanical and metabolic stress act in tandem, and isolating the effects of each separately on muscle growth is not easy.

"Slow" and "fast" muscle fibers

To design an exercise program to maximize muscle growth, you need to understand physiology.

There are two main types of muscle fibers: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Fast-twitch fibers are larger in diameter than slow-twitch fibers and, accordingly, occupy a more prominent place in your muscles.

“Slow” fibers are also classified as aerobic, due to their high oxidative abilities, which enable them to contract over a long period of time. They are best suited for long-term activities that require minimal effort (such as long-distance running).

Fast-twitch muscle fibers have a high firing threshold as well as a high conduction velocity and are better suited for fast efforts (which is why sprinters look athletic compared to distance runners). In other words, these are the fibers you need to successfully jerk a heavy barbell.

Repeated effort method. If you want to grow, do sets to failure

It's not enough to just lift weights at high reps unless it causes muscle failure. The body stores and uses energy very efficiently, so repeating exercises with a constant load can limit the amount of mechanical (roughly speaking, they will tear badly) and metabolic stress (little growth hormones will be released) on the muscles and minimize the results of the workout.

Simply put, to maximize muscle growth, it is advisable to do exercises until muscle failure (I can’t do it anymore!)

3 types of training

Scientists Zatsiorsky and Kremer in 2006 identified three fundamental types of training: the maximum effort method, the dynamic effort method and the repeated effort method. The first two methods are good for their purposes, but are not the most effective for muscle growth.

1. Maximum effort method

This method uses significant weights to increase the activity of “fast” muscle fibers (which we wrote about in more detail above). Roughly speaking, the maximum effort method is associated with lifting the maximum possible weight (and therefore a small number of repetitions per set).

The main stimulus from the maximum effort method is mechanical (aimed at creating micro-tears in the muscles), myofibrillar hypertrophy with a significant increase in strength and a moderate increase in muscle mass.

The maximal effort method is effective for developing strength, but it is not the most effective means of increasing muscle mass.

2. Dynamic force method

Dynamic force training does not use maximum weight, but rather focuses on moving the weight as fast as possible to stimulate the motor units.

This method is most effective for increasing the rate of force development and contractile power required in many sports or dynamic activities. However, it does not provide enough mechanical or metabolic stress to the muscles needed to stimulate growth.

3. Repeated Effort Method

The repeated effort method does not involve maximum loads, but the need to do exercises until muscle failure occurs (when it is no longer possible to perform any further repetitions in the set).

The last few repetitions, which have to be done through the burn, can involve all the fibers in the target muscle into contraction and cause significant overload. When using the repeated effort method, slow motor units are activated at the beginning of the approach, and as they tire, the “fast” muscles will also be activated.

The repeated effort method of performing an exercise to failure is most effective for muscle growth, says science. It is important to work until failure. If the load is insufficient or the approach is not performed to failure, stimulation of the “fast” motor units (as you read above, they are the ones that mainly give volume to the muscles) does not occur or the necessary metabolic conditions that promote muscle growth are not created.

Sleep and recovery are just as important as training and nutrition itself.

Rest is the most underrated element of training. No matter how long you endured the pain of those last reps or how diligently you sourced protein and calories from your diet, it's not as important as the time it takes for nutrients and hormones to promote muscle protein synthesis after exercise.

Exercise and food are an important part of the muscle growth equation, but they're not the whole story. Adequate recovery is very important - it is necessary to give the muscles enough time to replenish glycogen stores and undergo the processes of reconstruction and creation of new muscle tissue.

The recovery required for muscle growth is 48–72 hours between training sessions for a particular muscle group. This scientific argument, by the way, speaks in favor of split training - when each muscle group receives the main load, for example, once a week.

Inducing mechanical and metabolic stress during your gym training will only make sense while the hormones and substances necessary for muscle growth are released during REM sleep. This means that a full night’s sleep is important for muscle growth after training. Inadequate sleep and recovery will ruin your efforts in the gym and at the dinner table. Moreover, lack of sleep can increase adrenaline and cortisol levels, which can also reduce the ability to form new muscle tissue.

Lack of sleep, poor appetite, long-term illnesses, and loss of growth as a result of exercise are all symptoms of overexertion that can significantly impact a person's ability to achieve their fitness goals.

“Underrecovery” is another reason to think about overexertion. “To promote muscle growth, you need time for rest (active rest) to allow for full recovery,” says Schoenfeld (2013).

Training program for gaining muscle mass

Number of repetitions

Science suggests that for maximum muscle growth, select the weight so that you do 8-12 repetitions until muscle failure - it’s good that almost every trainer in the gym seems to know this simple fact. True, now, unlike you, not everyone knows why exactly.

Amount of rest between sets

Short to moderate rests between sets (30 seconds to 2 minutes) can cause significant metabolic stress.

Number of approaches in each exercise

According to scientists, performing 3-4 approaches provides the most effective mechanical tension for all muscles involved.

Travel speed

Scientists recommend performing movements with maximum effort faster - 1-2 seconds (for example, lifting a barbell), and the eccentric phase of the exercise (for example, lowering a barbell) for a longer period (2-6 seconds). Slower execution of the eccentric phase is necessary to ensure sufficient mechanical tension - it is this “easier” phase of movement that is most important for muscle growth. “From a hypertrophy perspective, eccentric contraction has a greater impact on muscle development. In particular, eccentric exercise has been associated with greater increases in protein synthesis” (Schoenfeld, 2010).

Free weights or machines

Scientist Schoenfeld argues that each type of resistance plays a role in optimal muscle growth: "Free weights, which involve a large number of muscles, help increase muscle density, while the stabilization provided by machines allows for greater loading of individual muscles."

Preparing for serious training

When training for muscle growth with a large metabolic and mechanical effect, it can cause serious muscle damage and is recommended for people with at least one year of training experience.

It is necessary to start with a dynamic warm-up, loading the core muscles (abs, stabilizer muscles and others) to prepare the muscle tissue for the stress of high-volume training.

Exercise order

It is preferable to start training with complex movements with free weights to engage the maximum number of muscles (for example, squats with a barbell, deadlifts are best done at the beginning of training), and during the course of the session gradually move on to machines that affect individual muscles.

Extreme exercise

The last exercise in each workout must be performed in a weight-loss machine: after all repetitions of the approach to failure, the weight is reduced and the maximum possible number of repetitions must be done with it until failure.

Weight loss approaches can cause significant mechanical and metabolic stress, as well as significant discomfort, and should be performed at the end of the session.

It is important to dose the load that is necessary for you, because “overload” can be no less harmful to muscle growth than “underload.” For example, in the program recommended by scientists for muscle growth (see below), cardio load is limited. According to Schoenfeld, "too much energy expenditure can reduce muscle growth."

The exercise program presented below is based on the latest scientific research related to increasing muscle mass.

Attention: RM – repeated maximum

Day 4. Rest or low-intensity cardio exercise

When your goal is to build big and strong muscles, then you should start with mass training. Hurry up to find out

how to properly build effective training in the gym and what weight training program is right for you.

You won’t be able to get a beautiful and toned body right away. We need material to create it, in our case it is a high-quality mass. We will tell you which ones to use and which rules to follow.

The first and most important thing is a clear schedule. Constant and monotonous execution. A component of creating a powerful body is both the processes of recovery and sleep.

Training frequency

Remember once and for all: training in the gym should not last more than an hour. This is the optimal time to study. If you spend more time, you burn your muscles and overtraining occurs. Recommended rest between sets is from 1 to 4 minutes, depending on the complexity of the exercise (basic or isolating).

You shouldn’t sit back and “wag your tongue” with your comrades between approaches for too long. You came to the gym to work. Distraction will only reduce your efficiency and tone. Each muscle group should rest from direct exercise for at least 72 hours. This is the optimal period for recovery. Hence the result that you need to train no more than 4 times a week.

Make a base

A proper weight training program always includes basic exercises. To build a good and strong house, you need a strong foundation on which it will stand. Same thing in bodybuilding. It is necessary to include basic exercises in your program that involve several muscle groups and joints at once.

Unlike isolation exercises, compound exercises require more rest between sets. After all, work is carried out with maximum and maximum weight. The golden three of bodybuilding is the bench press and deadlift.

Basic exercises must be scattered throughout the training days. It is also necessary to do them at the beginning of classes, while you are fresh and full of energy. After completing these exercises, you can move on to isolating exercises. Pump up your biceps and triceps, sharpen your deltoids and forearms.

Number of approaches and repetitions

The weight training program has been drawn up, but how many exercises and approaches should you do in sets? For gaining mass, the most effective is considered to be from 6 to 12 repetitions per set. And the optimal number of approaches for this exercise (meaning working ones, not taking into account warm-up ones) should be no more than 3. Do not do 4 or 5 working approaches, it does not bring any effect. And even if it seems to you that it’s the other way around and the muscles fill with blood and the veins burst, this does not mean that they are growing. In 15 minutes you will leave the hall and become swollen.

Perform the exercises slowly and without haste. Focus not on the maximum possible weight, but on the technique in the approach. Don’t reach for heavy weights to make yourself look cooler; there will be no results. Grab your dumbbells and do the exercise correctly.

After all, your attitude to work in the gym, discipline and endurance depends on the result, or rather the speed with which you achieve your goal.

Exercise with free weights

To gain muscle mass, using free weights rather than exercise machines will be effective. You need to include work with dumbbells and barbells in your training days. While you are in the process of gaining weight, avoid exercise machines for now.

Maximum activation of muscle growth is stimulated by exercises with free weights. When performing them, the muscles are in free movement and are not isolated by a specific trajectory and load. If your weight training program does not have free weights, be sure to include them in the process.

Never allow your muscle fibers to adapt to a certain weight. This will slow down and stop growth altogether. It is necessary to gradually increase working weights, but do this with caution as strength increases.

Shock the muscles

To effectively grow, the muscle groups in your body require constant changes in your training programs. This means rearranging exercises in places, light or heavy training, for quantity or maximum weight, to failure or not. It is necessary to shock the muscles every time, preventing them from getting used to a certain regime and loads.

Recover and the masses will trample

Everyone knows that muscle growth does not occur during exercise in the gym. We increase during restoration processes. That is, without proper rest it is impossible to achieve great mass and results. Recovery should be of the same quality and correctness as pumping the body in the gym.

It is necessary to select a program in such a way that each muscle group is not overloaded, but has enough time to rest.

Weekly training program for mass

Day 1 (triceps - chest)

» Wide grip bench press (3 sets – 8-10 reps)
» Incline dumbbell press at 30 degrees (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
» Dumbbell lateral raises on a bench (3 sets – 8-12 repetitions)
» Dips (3 sets – 15 – 30 reps)
» (3 sets - 8 -12 repetitions)

Day 2 (rest)

Pay attention to nutrition and recovery processes.

Day 3 (back - biceps)

» (3 sets – 8 – 15 repetitions
» Deadlift (3 sets – 8 – 10 reps)
» (3 sets – 8-10 repetitions)
» Lifting a barbell or z-bar for biceps (3 sets – 8 – 12 repetitions)
» Standing dumbbell curls for biceps (3 sets – 8-12 repetitions)
» Hyperextension (4 sets to failure)

Day 4 (rest)

Focus on nutrition and recovery

Day 5 (Legs and Shoulders)

» Cardio on the track (10 -15 minutes)
» (3 sets – 6 – 10 repetitions)
» Platform leg press (3 sets – 8 – 12 reps)
» (3 sets – 8-12 repetitions)
» (3 sets – 8 – 12 repetitions)

Day 6 (rest)

Day 7 (rest)

Perform the exercises clearly in the sequence in which they are written.

Nutrition is more than half the success

Training is good, but without proper nutrition, and especially the foods that are on the menu, there is no point in going to the gym to gain weight. Where do you think we get the energy to train and lift tons of pounds in the gym? Of course from food.

The diet must be correct, and the food must be of high quality, fresh and healthy. It is necessary to include vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables in the menu. You need to eat the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats for your body weight. After all, what you feed your body is what will build it.

Muscle training when gaining weight does not take place in the gym, but in the kitchen. A growing body definitely needs high-quality protein. After all, we are interested in high-quality muscle mass. This means that protein products must be correct and healthy. Consume poultry, milk, cottage cheese and eggs, fish, which are irreplaceable sources of protein foods. Proper nutrition plus an effective weight training program will certainly give results.

And training, do not increase the number of approaches and repetitions without permission, do not introduce additional exercises, do not change their order, do not chase speed or relief.

Strict adherence to technique and the use of insurance - belts, bandages, knee pads - are important. All exercises are performed only after warming up(at least 20 minutes), the main workout lasts 30-60 minutes, after which a cool-down is required (another 10-20 minutes of joint exercises). Otherwise, you can gain not so much muscle mass as fat mass or get injured.

If you have an excessively thin physique, you should first read the article. For some, lifestyle changes may be necessary to gain weight.

The best exercises for gaining muscle mass are considered to be basic low-repetition and low-set exercises, which provokes the formation of a specific muscle pattern: the body gets used to the fact that greater muscular strength is required, including explosiveness, but low strength endurance.

With such training, a large amount of glycogen is stored in the muscles, ensuring relative energy autonomy of the muscles during explosive loads, which further increases its volume. The third factor contributing to mechanical muscle enlargement is the build-up of the intramuscular capillary network.

Exercises in the program for gaining muscle mass are performed in 4-5 sets of 3-8 repetitions. The weight is selected so that, with the correct execution technique, the last repetition in the approach is a “failure”.

Exercises to gain muscle mass

Deadlift

The deadlift is performed on a non-slippery floor; a safety belt is required. Bandages on knees are recommended. The positioning of the legs and arms can be any (this loads the muscles of the legs, arms and torso differently. Read more), the following requirements are mandatory in any version of the deadlift:

A different grip creates a torque on the spine, at the beginning of training it is not advisable to use it, in the future it should be used symmetrically - in an even approach, the thumbs are directed to the left, in an odd approach, to the right.

Deadlifts with heavy weights are performed once every 7-8 days.
Exercise technique:
1. Inhale, straighten and fix the spine, tense and draw in the abs.
2. Bend over to the barbell (in this case, your back will be slightly arched in the lower back, your pelvis will be pushed back, and obvious tension will be felt in the tendons of your legs), take the bar.
3. The feet rest firmly on the floor, the legs are bent, the knees are spread apart, the arms and back are straight.
4. As you exhale, with an impulse from your legs, without transferring your weight to your toes, the upward movement begins.
5. After the legs are straightened, traction is carried out using the torso muscles.
6. At the top point, the chest is slightly pushed forward, but the shoulders are not pulled back and the spine is not hyperextended.
7. After a pause (1-5 seconds), the weight smoothly lowers down (the back does not relax or round!).

Squat with a barbell on your shoulders

In many ways, the mechanics of the deadlift are similar, but the bar moves along a different trajectory. It is advisable to perform it in a machine; the safety rods are installed 5-10 centimeters below the level at which the bar is at the bottom point of the squat. A safety belt is required, knee bandages are desirable, read more about squat techniques and types in.

Wide grip barbell press

Develops pectoral and arm muscles. Performed with belay supports or a belay trainer.

There is no need to do a “bridge” by arching the lower back and lifting the pelvis.

As you lower the bar, take a long breath. The bar can be lowered to the middle of the chest, to the line of the nipples or to the line below the nipples - the load on the muscle lobes depends on this. For a beginner, it is better to work on the middle part of the muscle.
The arms never fully straighten at the elbows and do not relax; the bar at the lowest point does not touch the chest, but is fixed a centimeter above it.
The bar always goes down with a slight inclination so as not to damage the ligaments.

To achieve maximum effect, the basic exercise program is best supplemented with auxiliary or complementary exercises for gaining muscle mass.

Performed after the main ones to “finish off” the muscles, do 4 sets of 3-5 repetitions.

Addition to basic exercises is an additional factor for mass growth

Back exercises

T-bar row. Needed to build up the back mass. The stance during work resembles the middle phase of a squat or deadlift - the legs are bent at the knee, the back is straight, the body is half tilted forward due to incomplete extension in the hip joints. Hands straight down hold the handles of the bar. But further movement occurs not through extension and straightening of the body, but through bending the arms and bringing the shoulder blades together.

Leg finishing

They work mainly on the gluteal and anterior thigh muscles. Lunges are only needed for those who have “flat” lunges.

If you have a problem with the biceps of the thigh and it is small, and its load is intercepted by the gluteal, or the quadriceps is clearly over-inflated, and the back surface of the thigh is “concave”, you cannot perform the exercise. This will only increase the imbalance and make it more difficult to work on the hip.

performed in a series of several long steps in a straight line;
feet parallel hip-width apart, brought forward in a straight line;
the back is always straight, with a slight arch in the lower back and shoulders pulled back, dumbbells in hands freely lowered down (elbows slightly bent);
The right foot takes a wide step forward, the weight of the body is transferred to it, the angle under the knee is 90 degrees, the leg is tense. The knee of the left leg hangs in the air;
leaning on your right leg, straighten up, put your left one on;
take a step with your left foot, put your right foot in;
inhale on the lunge, exhale on the rise;

If lunges are contraindicated for you, you can replace them with Roman deadlifts or hamstring exercises on the machine. Also, don’t forget that it plays an important role in footwork.

For the pectoral muscles

Reduction of arms on the butterfly simulator. Reduction can be done by pressing on the levers (pads) with your elbows or the entire forearm, or by bringing the levers together with your hands. The exercise is unsafe - at the lowest point the load on the shoulder joint is too great. The exercise can be replaced with exercises on an incline bench.

This weight training schedule involves training 3 times a week or training every other day, that is, without reference to certain days of the week.

If the muscle corset is weak or there are problems with the spine (scoliosis), weight training can be started only after 2-3 months of general training and correction, which has corrected uneven muscle development and obvious violations of the coordination of antagonist muscle traction.

Compression fractures, osteochondrosis, protrusions, arthrosis, hyperextension of joints may be contraindications to standard weight training, in this case it is better to prepare personal complex from an experienced belay trainer.