No matter your current physical condition, if you want to tone and gain muscle you can still get it.

Having a toned body is one of the most desirable goals for those who regularly go to the gym. It also seems to be fashionable. Just take a look at the last few years and we’ll see what’s new in the world of fitness: bodyweight training, functional training, training cages… all of them allow you to tone your body muscles and stay in shape, among other benefits.

There are solutions (and routines) for every type of person who wants to gain muscle mass: for those who have not practiced exercise in recent months, for those who already practice some sport or for those who are used to bodybuilding exercises but do not just notice the results. If you belong to one of the above groups and are willing to start toning your muscles, pay attention to what’s coming now.

I haven’t stepped in a gym in months…

victor garcia tecnic clubs sayDon’t worry! Getting a toned body is within everyone’s reach, even for those whose only exercise they usually do is to click the left mouse button. He recommends starting with “3 training sessions a week and at least one day off between each session. It is important to work the whole body with the aim of making an anatomical adaptation to the exercises.

In this first stage, which can last approximately 1 month, the key is to “know the energy expenditure and adjust the caloric needs according to the objective. This should be taken to heart” adds Victor and gives us an example: “a person who burns an average of 2000 calories during the day, should take 10% more, ie 2200 calories if you want to increase your muscle mass.

Another aspect to take into account is the intensity of the exercises that we will do in the gym. Our expert in bodybuilding advises us to start adapting to training with loads: “at this stage we must basically work with weights – multi-articular exercises and avoid analytics – about 2 series of 15 repetitions with the failure a -5 of each muscle group”.

The concept “failure at -5” is important to respect because “it is a safety element to avoid injuries”, explains Victor. In this case, it means that when you perform repetition number 15, you can have the capacity or strength needed to perform 5 more.

If you manage not to skip any training, Victor assures us that “at the end of the first month we will notice a change in our muscles, they will get in tune”. But beware, this does not mean that we are already one step away from achieving our goal, which is to increase muscle mass, “this is a very slow process and is only achieved through constancy. So patience and we move on to the next stage.

I exercise regularly and now I want to gain muscle mass

If you come from the previous stage or you are already a person who practices sport in a habitual way (running, football, basketball, swimming…), the ideal would be “to carry out 4 training sessions a week, 2 of them of superior train and the other 2 of inferior train. In this way the work will be greater because we allocate more time to each of the parties.

You can continue multiarticular exercises as in the previous case, along with analytical exercises in specific areas (for example, bicep flexions with weights). In the latter case, “2 exercises of 3 or 4 series of each muscular group of 12 repetitions must be carried out with the failure at -3. In total it will be a training of approximately 45 minutes” Víctor explains.

If you are able to follow this training routine without interruptions, while also maintaining the type of adequate food that we explained in the previous point, “in about 6 months you begin to notice how your muscles are profiling” and you will also be prepared to follow the third and last level of training.

I do almost every day muscle building in the gym but I still don’t frame muscle

Don’t get discouraged! You are one step away from achieving your goal. In addition you already begin to have a defined body but you only need to reach the desired volume. If you’ve come this far, this is a piece of cake.

In this case you should do 4 to 6 training sessions a week and increase the work for specific areas. According to Victor, “you should do 2 large muscle groups per day (for example pectoral + biceps, back + triceps or pectorals + back).

It is still important to always start with multi-articular training and continue with specific work. He goes on to explain that “it is advisable to strengthen the phasic muscles more than the tonics, because they help to recover the neutral position of the body”.

As far as nutrition is concerned, we must consider that in this phase the calorie expenditure will be higher, due to the increase in training sessions. For this reason it is advisable to increase food intake, “but without exceeding the 300 positive calories difference.

The intensity of the exercises in this case will be around 75% or 80% of the maximum capacity. Victor recommends to complete each training with 3 or 4 exercises of at least 3 series for each muscular group, being each one of them of 10 repetitions with the failure to -1″. In this case, each training session will have an approximate duration of 1h 15′.

Victor insists that haste is not the best travel companion throughout the whole bodybuilding process, but rather patience, as it can last up to a year and a half. It is just as important to maintain an adequate diet and respect breaks, as it is not all about religiously attending the gym.