The one lesson that we have strongly learned from the recent pandemic is that – “No matter what, Life goes on.” We had never imagined that a time would come where stepping out of our home would mean danger. We have enjoyed seeing a pandemic in movies but experiences it in our lives have taught us the importance of family, home, and most importantly, our health. This time has been equally challenging for those working out for hours at the gym to get a lean and strong body; with gyms and fitness centers closing down, the need to self-design a home workout and diet plan has become extremely important.
But Can We Achieve A Lean Body Without Going To The Gym?
The answer is YES. We have often referred to handsome men as Greek Gods because ancient Greeks possessed the perfect masculine athletic bodies without any processed protein shakes or a fully equipped gym. Today, thankfully, we have a lot of modern gadgets, a miracle pill, and a million other techniques that promise 100% results. Thus, learning from the Greeks, if we too follow a few tried and tested methods of bodyweight training and proper diet then, we can achieve a lean, strong, and athletic body that symbolizes strength, resilience, and endurance.
As kids, almost all of us have participated in a race. We believed that we could run like a hare, and we were never scared of draining out our energy till the last ounce. But as we grow, we get busy with our career, job, and life; we forget that an active body is necessary at every age. So, let’s make the most of this WFH time and shape up our bodies without any expensive gym membership.
Here are a few essential muscle building tips for beginners and athletes.
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Lift Your Total Body Strength
You cannot be an athlete in one day; therefore, the first step is to get your body in an active state, where it can handle the pressure of strenuous exercises. Hence, if you are a beginner, we would recommend you start with regular jogging. Pick loose fitted clothes and a pair of comfortable shoes, to begin with. Get into the habit of waking up early because that is the best time to step out of the house and enjoy jogging. Once you are comfortable jogging for at least an hour, start running at least 1 km per day.
For those who are into the habit of exercises, start with squats and heavy pushes. Do not overdo yourself. Typically, a set of 5 sets of 4 reps should be a good start.
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Eat The Right Food
Heavy dieting with heavy exercise will only make your weak; you need to eat the right food in the right quantity. For beginners, you can start by having small meals rather than 3 big meals. Add many carbs, vitamins, and proteins to your diet, avoid oily, fried, and junk food.
The athletic diet plan is all about eating healthy and filling meals. Do not just concentrate on counting your calories but rather consuming a balanced diet with a proper balance of proteins, clean carbs, healthy fats, and veggies.
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Frequent Workouts
For beginners, you need to upgrade the intensity of your workout every week. For instance, if you could run half a km daily in the first week, then next week, you need to push it to 1 km. Once you have trained your body for heavy activity, you can start with the actual muscle building exercises like squats, crunches, push-ups, triceps, and many others.
For Athletes, the frequency of heavy workout should be at least 3-4 days a week. Do not try heavy exercises and weightlifting every day. However, whenever you perform complex exercises, do it without any rest. You can take a one-minute rest after the completion of every set. Keep challenging your limits every week and enhance your stamina and endurance level. You can perform these exercises without any machines at home. If you have a cycle, take it out for a ride every day, there cannot be a better fitness activity than cycling.
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Focus On Your Goal
Why do you want to build muscles? Your success lies in knowing the answer to this question, do you want to participate in a marathon, or want muscle training to try your career in modeling, or is it just about staying fit and looking good?
Once you know the stimulus behind the need, your journey becomes easy. Exercises required to win a marathon are very different from those needed to win a pageant or walk the ramp. Therefore, whether you’re a beginner or an athlete, it is essential to understand your goal.
The Bottom Line:
Muscle building is an attitude; you need to work on your goal of 24*7. You need to continually take care of your diet, activities, sleeping hours, and workouts. These days, we are more dependent on machines and costly pills for muscle building than on our capabilities; however, you can achieve a lean and strong body at home with basic exercises and a rich but healthy diet. Staying home during this pandemic is the most sensible thing to do, so as we work from home, let’s practice workout from home and utilize this time to stay healthy.
