1. You should stick to free weights.
Although the modern gyms are full of shiny and fancy machines, they won’t help you to build a solid base of muscle mass. When it comes to building muscle, barbells and dumbbells are the best, especially for a beginner.
2. You should do compound movements.
You should stick to the basic movements first. Exercises such as the dead lift, the squat, the military shoulder press and the barbell bench press shouldn’t miss from your routine.
3. You should have a program and stick to it.
You can’t just go in the gym and do anything you feel at that moment. The thing is that you need to have a routine and you need to follow it closely. You can ask an advanced bodybuilder or a personal trainer to provide you with a program which includes the exercises you need to do, the number of reps per set and the number of sets.
4. Do not train every day.
Your routine should have three or four workouts per week. You do not need to train more often than that as a beginner. You should spend the other days of the week to recover or rest.
5. Increase the Weights.
You need to start increasing the weights once in a while, after you master the correct form on every exercise. You should keep track of how much you lift on every exercise and slightly increase the weight, for example – every two weeks. Because that will increase your strength and it will make your muscle bigger.
6. You need to eat a lot of protein.
When it comes to building muscle – protein is essential and it can be found in chicken, eggs, fish, milk, nuts and some dairy products. For the best results you should eat at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight. You can add a protein shake if consuming enough protein every day becomes difficult. Check out this interesting video from Ronnie Coleman who was a world champion bodybuilder:
7. You need to eat more often.
You should have four to five meals per day and eat every three to four hours. You need to avoid being hungry!
8. Do not eat any junk food.
You should consume quality food such as lean proteins, healthy fats and complex carbs and stay away from junk food, fatty foods and lots of sweets. Right after your workout is the only time when you should consume fast absorbing carbohydrates.
9. You need to consume vegetables and fruits.
Besides proteins, fats and carbs your body also needs minerals and vitamins. You need to make sure that you consume lots of vegetables and fruits every day!
10. You need to rest and recover.
Keep in mind that your muscles do not grow when you work out, they grow when you sleep. Make sure you get enough sleep every night (around eight to nine hours).
11. You should act as an athlete.
The thing is that you should have a healthy lifestyle and you should avoid alcohol, smoking and some other unhealthy habits.