The Ultimate Workout Plan;

1. Calculate Your Daily Caloric Needs for Muscle Growth

"To build a kilogram of muscle (about 2 pounds), your body needs to assimilate about 7000 kcal."

Caloric surplus is key. To gain muscle, you must consume more calories than your body burns. Start by calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the formula: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5 for men, or -161 for women. Then, multiply your BMR by an activity factor:

• Sedentary (little exercise): BMR × 1.2
• Lightly active (1-3 days/week): BMR × 1.375
• Moderately active (3-5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
• Very active (6-7 days/week): BMR × 1.725

Create a caloric surplus. Once you know your maintenance calories, add 300-500 calories to create a surplus. This gradual increase will promote muscle growth while minimizing fat gain. Monitor your weight weekly and adjust calories as needed, aiming for a weight gain of 0.25-0.5kg (0.5-1lb) per week.

2. Master the Art of Macronutrient Balance

"The division of macronutrients should be as follows: 45-50% carbohydrates, 20% protein, fats 30-35%"

Protein for muscle building. Consume 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. This ensures adequate amino acids for muscle repair and growth. Spread protein intake evenly throughout the day, aiming for 20-40 grams per meal.

Carbohydrates for energy. Carbs should make up 45-50% of your total calories. Focus on complex carbohydrates like oats, brown rice, and sweet potatoes for sustained energy. Time higher-carb meals around your workouts to fuel performance and recovery.

Fats for hormonal balance. Consume 30-35% of calories from healthy fats. Include sources like avocados, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish to support hormone production and overall health. Avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats to promote cardiovascular health.

3. Design a Personalized Meal Plan with Nutrient-Dense Foods

"To create a workout plan, like a professional personal trainer, that will be tailored to your physical fitness and the goal you want to achieve, as well as a meal plan that will suit your needs, while being tasty and adapted to your lifestyle and the goal you want to achieve, and taking into account all types of food intolerance and allergy to products, there are several important elements to take care of."

Choose nutrient-dense foods. Build your meal plan around whole, unprocessed foods that provide a high nutrient-to-calorie ratio. Key foods include:

• Proteins: Chicken breast, lean beef, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, tofu
• Carbohydrates: Oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes, brown rice, fruits
• Fats: Avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fatty fish
• Vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, kale, bell peppers, carrots

Plan balanced meals. Structure your meals to include a protein source, complex carbohydrate, healthy fat, and vegetables. Aim for 3-5 meals per day, depending on your schedule and preferences. Include pre- and post-workout nutrition to support performance and recovery.

Prepare meals in advance. Meal prep can help ensure you consistently meet your nutritional needs. Dedicate time each week to cook and portion meals, making it easier to stick to your plan even during busy days.

4. Implement Full Body Workouts for Maximum Muscle Gain

"FBW training is best doing 3 times a week. It can be combined with other sports, which will certainly translate into much better results."

Focus on compound exercises. Full Body Workouts (FBW) emphasize multi-joint movements that target multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Key exercises include:

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Bench press
• Overhead press
• Rows
• Pull-ups/Chin-ups

Structure your workouts. Perform 3-5 sets of 6-12 repetitions for each exercise, focusing on progressive overload. Start with larger muscle groups and move to smaller ones. A sample workout could include:

1. Squats: 4 sets of 8 reps
2. Bench Press: 4 sets of 8 reps
3. Rows: 3 sets of 10 reps
4. Overhead Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
5. Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 10 reps
6. Bicep Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
7. Tricep Extensions: 3 sets of 12 reps

Allow for recovery. Perform full-body workouts 3 times per week, with at least one day of rest between sessions. This frequency provides an optimal balance between stimulus and recovery for muscle growth.

5. Harness the Power of Progressive Overload

"Progressively increase weights - muscles get used to the exercises quickly. Therefore, in order not to fall into a routine and lack of progress, you should regularly surprise your muscles with new impulses, by gradually increasing the weights, changing exercises or performing a variable number of repetitions."

Gradually increase intensity. Progressive overload is the cornerstone of muscle growth. Consistently challenge your muscles by:

• Increasing weight
• Adding more repetitions
• Performing more sets
• Decreasing rest periods
• Improving form and range of motion

Track your progress. Keep a detailed workout log to monitor your performance over time. This allows you to identify areas for improvement and ensure you're consistently challenging yourself.

Vary your approach. While progressive overload often focuses on increasing weight, don't neglect other variables. Alternating between different forms of progression can help prevent plateaus and keep workouts engaging.

6. Optimize Recovery Through Rest and Nutrition

"After your strength training, eat a large meal consisting of simple sugars, carbohydrates, and rapidly absorbed proteins."

Post-workout nutrition. Consume a meal containing fast-digesting carbohydrates and proteins within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. This replenishes glycogen stores and provides amino acids for muscle repair. A protein shake with a banana is a quick and effective option.

Prioritize sleep. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Sleep is crucial for muscle recovery, hormone regulation, and overall performance. Create a consistent sleep schedule and optimize your sleep environment for better rest.

Manage stress. Chronic stress can impair recovery and muscle growth. Implement stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga to support overall well-being and muscle-building efforts.

7. Cultivate Mental Resilience and Goal-Setting

"Do you know why men who want bigger and more aesthetic muscles don't usually achieve this? Because either they don't even start, or they quickly lose the motivation to continue training and stick to the diet."

Set SMART goals. Create Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals for your muscle-building journey. For example: "Gain 5kg of lean muscle mass in 12 weeks while maintaining body fat percentage below 15%."

Visualize success. Regularly visualize yourself achieving your goals. This mental practice can enhance motivation and help you stay focused on your objectives.

Develop a growth mindset. Embrace challenges and view setbacks as opportunities for learning and improvement. Cultivate patience and persistence, understanding that significant muscle growth takes time and consistent effort.

8. Leverage Intermittent Fasting for Fat Loss and Muscle Preservation

"Intermittent fasting, or "IF" for short, is a way of eating, where we consume food only for a certain period of time during the day, for the rest of the day we deliberately refrain from eating."

Choose a fasting protocol. Common approaches include:

• 16/8: Fast for 16 hours, eat within an 8-hour window
• 5:2: Eat normally for 5 days, restrict calories to 500-600 for 2 non-consecutive days

Time your meals. When using IF for muscle building, align your eating window with your workouts. This ensures proper fueling for performance and recovery.

Maintain protein intake. Even when fasting, ensure you meet your daily protein requirements to support muscle preservation and growth. Consider slightly increasing protein intake on fasting days to mitigate muscle loss.

9. Incorporate Superfoods for Enhanced Performance and Recovery

"Each of the products described has a beneficial effect on muscle growth and fat loss. The difference is only in the number of servings consumed in a meal and the division of macro nutrients."

Boost nutrient intake. Include these superfoods in your diet for their muscle-building and recovery-enhancing properties:

• Blueberries: Rich in antioxidants to combat exercise-induced oxidative stress
• Salmon: High in omega-3 fatty acids for reduced inflammation and improved muscle protein synthesis
• Spinach: Packed with nitrates to enhance muscle performance and recovery
• Greek yogurt: Provides casein protein for sustained amino acid release
• Sweet potatoes: Offer complex carbohydrates for sustained energy and muscle glycogen replenishment

Timing is key. Strategically incorporate these foods around your workouts. For example, consume blueberries and Greek yogurt post-workout for recovery, and sweet potatoes pre-workout for sustained energy.

Balance and variety. While superfoods offer significant benefits, remember to maintain a balanced diet with a variety of nutrient-dense foods to support overall health and muscle growth.

Last updated: August 8, 2024