Say hello to the fitness revolution – there is no way of avoiding it and it seems to be sticking around. In fact, it seems to be expanding. Women are shifting away from the super skinny trends and towards a workout that focuses on muscle growth and strength, following the lead of Instagram models and celebrities flaunting their sculpted curves and perfected ‘booty’.
Despite this shift in fitness, some women still believe that lifting weights will make them bulky and give them a body that resembles that of a bodybuilder. Frankly, it’s not true. Lifting weights is the best way for you to squat your way to a good booty and build an amazing body to be proud of.
MaxiNutrition, a protein-led nutrition brand, have utilised their expert knowledge in nutrition and good training techniques to advise you on the best way to build muscle.
Recommended workout regime
Adapting a workout to meet the needs of muscle building goals can be simple. You should include a good mix of two types of lifts: compound lifts and isolation lifts with a heavy weight and a small number of reps. The compound lifts are your big ones; the ones which incorporate the most amount of muscle groups in one single motion. The ‘big four’ are the deadlift, the squat, military press and bench press. These tend to place a large amount of stress on your central nervous system, which encourages a release of muscle building hormones.
The isolation lifts are more targeted to specific muscle groups which you target for development. These lifts include bicep curls, tricep extensions and seated leg extensions. Try to avoid using light weights with many reps, as this is primarily for toning goals which can’t be achieved until the muscle is there.
An example workout is as follows:
Day A: Upper body push
- 5 minute rowing machine warmup
- 3 x 8 Bench press
- 3 x 8 Shoulder fly
- 3 x 8 Incline bench press
- 3 x 8 Military press
Day B: Upper body pull
- 5 minute rowing machine warmup
- 3 x 8 Deadlift
- 3 x 8 Bent over row
- 3 x 8 Lateral pull down
- 3 x 8 Pull up (or assisted pull up)
Day C: Lower body
- 5 minute jogging warm up
- 3 x 8 Barbell back squat
- 3 x 8 Dumbbell lunge (4 each leg)
- 3 x 8 Seated leg extension
- 3 x 8 Goblet squat
Rest
You should have a rest day following each workout day. This will allow your body to heal and your muscles to properly repair. Focus on getting 7-8 hours of sleep at a minimum, as sleep is an essential part of muscle recovery.
Nutritional advice
Let’s keep this simple. The two main things to remember for building muscle is to follow a clean, lean diet and consume a slight calorie surplus. Your diet should be made up of the main three micronutrients: carbohydrates, lean protein and good fats. Your carbs should come from non-refined foods like wholegrains, brown rice, green veg and sweet potato.
Your protein sources can vary dependent upon individual dietary choices. A good way to ensure that you keep your protein levels high is to have a post-workout protein shake, as this helps to give your body a protein boost and starts the repair process with your muscles. An app like MyFitnessPal also helps you work out exactly how much you should eat and what ‘type’ of macronutrients you’ll need.
