Hi my loves! Hope you all are having a great week and are looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Today I wanted to touch on the topic of actually gaining muscle and getting the body that you are aiming for.
A lot of you ask me questions about how to actually put on muscle and get a bigger butt instead of just losing weight and I want to help you guys with that because I know how hard it can be sometimes. So here are all the things you need to know about gaining muscle and getting the body that you want!
If you truly want to grow certain areas of your body to get the look you want, like a bigger butt, more defined abs, or even some more muscular arms, you have to gain muscle to do this and that’s really the only way to go about forming the body you really want. That’s how I did it. I grew specific muscle areas in order to make them stand out more than others.
1. Lift Weights
Girls, you’re not going to end up looking like a man if you lift some weights – I don’t, do I? No! Lifting weights is vital to building muscle because you need to break down your muscle fibers in order to build them up.
Now, it's absolutely fine to use your bodyweight for squats, lunges, pull-ups, planks, and other exercises to build muscle. But there comes a point when you’ve built your muscles strong enough that your own body weight isn’t enough anymore and you need to change up your routine and really challenge yourself by pushing the boundaries of what you’re capable of. That’s where muscle growth happens.
So pick up a set of weights! Your muscles have to work really hard in order to tear your muscle fibers and lifting heavier weights does just that.
2. Protein, Protein, Protein!
After a workout of heavy lifting, your body is going to need some supplies to rebuild those muscles and it wants protein! No matter how much you’re lifting and working out, if you’re not getting enough protein in your diet, your body is not going to be able to rebuild your muscles.
You should get at LEAST one gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you’re 125 pounds, you need 125 grams of protein a day in order to build up your muscles. If you expect your body to grow muscle without protein, it’s like expecting a construction worker to build a house without any tools – it just doesn’t work.
3. Cardio: STAIR MASTER!
If you’re getting into the gym and lifting weights and downing protein like your life depended on it – that’s AMAZING! You’re doing everything right. The one factor that may be missing is just the fact that you can’t see the muscle you’re building.
Cardio is not only important for keeping your heart healthy, it’s also important in ridding your body of excess fat so those beautiful muscles can peek their way out. You should get at least 3 days of 30-minute cardio sessions in a week and you’ll start seeing those muscles popping out.
I started my fitness journey using the Stair Master, yes the step machine that you climb up until you start sweating so much that you literally can't breathe. I would incorporate weights with my cardio on the Stair Master and found I would sweat more on this machine compared to any others in such a short period of time. Once word spread that the Stair Master helped me get into the best shape of my life, and taught me to love sweating an LA based company called Global Fitness had reached out to customize me a Stair Master for my apartment in NYC!
*Picture above and more coming soon to my Instagram.. A special thank you to the Co-Founder of Global Fitness Roy for designing this piece of art for me :) www.globalfitness.com
4. Rest Days
Some of you have been commenting and telling me that you’re lifting every single day and not seeing any change. Well, that’s because your body actually needs rest days in order to rebuild.
If you’re constantly tearing your muscle fibers over and over again without giving them time to build back up, you’re delaying your progress. This is called over-training. You need at least 2 days of rest for your muscles to really build up and become stronger and bigger.
5. Be Patient
This isn’t something that I can give you and it’s not something that you have lying around. Muscles take time to grow and you have to give your body time before you start seeing some real growth. Have some patience and let your body do what it was made to.
Building muscle isn’t easy for everyone, but it’s just about the same process for everyone. All you need to do is get in the gym, pick up some heavy weights, fuel your body with protein, and let your muscles recover so you can get the body that you want.
I believe all of you have the capability of building muscle in order to sculpt the body you have your sights set on. Work hard, have patience, and BELIEVE in yourself like I believe in all of you.
