Summer is just around the corner and that means beaches, hot weather, outdoor activities, and of course, the beach! It’s been a long winter and spring with many people stuck in their houses during lockdown which hasn’t exactly left most of us in the best shape.
The hotter the weather, however, the shorter your sleeves and shorts, which means it’s time to do some last minute work on that beach bod! It’s never too late to get yourself in shape and make sure that you’re looking your best.
This article is a guide on how to gain muscle fast this summer.
Take Advantage of Daily Activities
Most people think that they have to hit the gym to get the perfect summer body, but actually that isn’t always the case. Building muscle requires heavier workouts like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses, but initially your body should be prepared with simple cardio like jogging, walking and cycling. These can make a huge difference to your starting condition and give you a toned frame to start building muscle on.
A good way to incorporate cardio exercise in your daily routine is to commute using a bicycle. Not only will that save you on fuel cost, but it will also give you a good workout every time. Lots of people are finding electric bikes convenient for commuting, touring, and mountain biking. Electric bikes can give you that instant speed boost (without working up a sweat) if you’re running late for work but can also work like an ordinary bike for when you need to exercise.
Starting out with a consistent cardio will also cultivate good workout habits which are so important for building muscle. Cardio wakes your body, gets your blood pumping and gets your muscles nicely warmed up. This will also improve your stamina and recovery time so that you can lift heavier for longer which is so important for fast muscle growth.
Compound Exercises Like Dumbbell Squats
Ultimately, the only way to gain muscle fast is to eat a lot and lift heavy weights. It’s never easy to get back into heavy lifting, especially when you have just spent all winter and spring lying around watching Netflix. The fitness equipment experts at https://strengthwarehouseusa.com/collections/body-solid explain that the best exercises for full body muscle growth are the ones that require you to use multiple muscles.
These are called compound exercises and one of the best compound exercises for growing your legs and lower body are dumbbell squats. Some people think that squats only target your butt, but squats are great for gaining muscle in your glutes and hamstrings and also help to strengthen your hips, knees and lower back.
Adding heavy dumbbells to your squats creates more pressure on your lower body and also strengthens your shoulders and arms. There are many variations of dumbbell squats, which can add extra gains to the exercise. Try holding one dumbbell with both hands to your chest and push it out in front of you on the way down. This is a great way to strengthen the hard to hit muscles in the middle of your chest. To build muscle you should aim for at least 3 sets of 10-12 reps at a heavy weight with about a minute rest in between sets.
Swimming
It is important to remember that muscles are integral parts of the human body. They are not something that we create through exercise, they are something that we already have and we all pretty much have the same amount. To create a great body for the summer you are really trying to do two things: grow your muscles and reduce your fat.
It is so important to burn off the fat covering your muscles so that they are more visible. Heavy lifting like with dumbbell squats will grow your muscles and quality fat burning exercises will take care of the fat. Swimming is a great fat burning exercise, especially on your rest days between lifting. Not only does swimming help burn fat, it also keeps you active even on your so called “rest days”.
Proper Nutrition
As the old saying goes, “abs are built in the kitchen” and proper nutrition is absolutely key to gaining muscle fast. A poor diet will stall muscle gains, affect your recovery time, create extra fat that stops your muscles from showing and leave you fatigued at the gym. It is really important that you increase your protein intake as protein is what your muscles need to grow, but that you are also getting enough carbs and good fats for energy. Beside eggs, beef, chicken and other protein rich foods, you need to add more vegetables to your meals as greens help you digest protein more smoothly. For fast muscle gains, consistency is vital and that means you should never miss a meal.
We all want to look our best for the summer, but it has not been a great year so far for staying in shape. It’s never too late to get started and with a big final push in these next couple of months, you can still make some serious muscle gains before its time to hit the beach.
Follow this guide and you will be on your way to some fast gains.