‘You’re most confident when you feel sexy’ — Have you heard of the quote?
Even with such morals, how many of us really feel confident? For some of us, it takes one look in the mirror to feel demotivated, but the truth is, you don’t need to drop a bank on gym memberships in order to achieve the body you crave.
Most women want their ‘dream body’, which can stretch out as ‘toned but not heavily built’ or ‘thick but not bulky.’ Who would’ve thought that with each of these requirements, the diets, workouts, and routines differ tremendously?
And time — heck, it takes a lot of time and patience to reach your ultimate goal. But if you’re adamant enough, then keep reading to know the entire scoop on achieving the body of your dreams.
You’re just a few steps away from admiring yourself in the mirror, but here’s a pro tip: Start now!
The Dig on Building Muscle
Let’s face the harsh truth before we get started — women can’t build muscles the same way as men do. It differs due to hormones and how much testosterone roars through the veins of men. Here’s the tricky part, in order to get your muscles flared up and start the process of building, it could take about 8 weeks. And that’s if you’ve just begun. It takes a shorter time if you return after a hiatus.
Do’s and Don’ts:
It is necessary to keep track of your BMR other than the extra activities that you do except working out. Since that ‘loss’ is taken into consideration, experts suggest daily 250 calorie intakes to reach your ultimate goal. It is essential to focus on the ‘right kind of gain’ rather than going ham on junk food — oh, how we could all use a cheeseburger right now, but… don’t!
Now, who wouldn’t like to build those chunks on a day, right? Let’s face it – patience is too mainstream. Aladdin’s lamp is still non-existent, and so is magic at our fingertips. UGH!
Sadly, we still have to do all the work, and in this case, if you’re eager to build mass muscle quickly, you could dip your toe into a few of these suggestions.
Be careful: in a world where everything is fast, everyone’s body isn’t; so, go easy even when you aren’t.
In order to mass build, you could first start with increasing your training volume gradually. Here, we’re over-emphasizing the word ‘gradually.’ As you would hate all your muscles to cramp up — trust me.
This will also indicate you to focus on calorie intakes and get more sleep. The article on Spartan establishes that in order to grow your muscle, you must enhance your protein intake. Where else would your muscles get their strength to turn around?
There is no better option than discipline to gain muscle
Here’s a trick question for you – ‘How many days per week should you work out?’
You’re right; it’s a trap. According to Healthline, you must hit your workout station at least 2-3 days per week, especially if your sole target is muscle build. But the bigger elephant in the room is, how long do you need to work out? Good news: if you can hit your ‘muscle-growth sesh’ 2-3 times per week, then a target of 20-30 minutes of workout each day is more than enough to see the necessary changes. Focus on your target muscles to see a faster change.
Indeed, we’ve already established that there are ‘correct’ ways to gain muscles. But what are they?
There are 3 simple steps to address that –
1. Intake the correct number of calories
Are you eating too little in the hopes of losing weight? Stop that! It’s counter-effective to eat less than required as that would jeopardize your body’s ability to build muscles. Simply put, if you restrict your energy intake, you will reciprocally restrict your energy conversion unit and strength.
And, I’m pretty sure that we aren’t aiming for that.
Make the smart choice of eating the ‘right’ number of calories in order to actively raise your body function mechanics, anabolic hormones, and performance during workouts.
‘But more calories would mean gaining fats.’ – You must be wondering.
And that’s a big fat lie if you devour the right number of calories. For a better idea, you can refer to ‘WHY BELLY FAT IS SO STUBBORN’ and control those unwanted plumps!
2. Shift onto the correct amount of protein, fats, and carbs
Here’s the secret to maintaining these 3 stubborn counts.
– Consume 1gram of protein per pound of your body weight each day.
– Eat 0.3 grams of fat per pound of your body weight each day.
– Attain the rest of your calorie intake from carbohydrates daily.
In order to accurately measure and target the 3 macros, you can refer to body weight calculators and converters.
3. Muscle Building Workouts
Ready to be the epitome of strength and elegance? You killer body workouts are the key to that.
Say hello to overhead presses, squats, hip thrusts, and deadlifts and bid adieu to yoga, side bends, or BOSU lunges. Those are for wimps who’re too scared to take on this challenge. In order to reform yourself into a Goddess, you must focus on heavy weight lifting and enhance compound movements. Keeping cardio to a minimum is also advantageous if you’d like to flaunt more on your lower body parts rather than upper.
You’re already doing great; keep up the good work!
Commit to a Workout Routine
Firstly, let’s direct to the question that’s been haunting you. Yes, you can actively workout at home and gain muscle. With hardcore workouts 2-3 days per week and 20-30 minutes each day — your cute body is just a few steps away from showing off!
Often women don’t aspire to go heavy on building muscles. Instead, they target a body that’s just simple toned and fit-looking. The requirements for that specific target differ from extensive muscle building. And it takes a time span of approximately 4-8 weeks to get that sleek, toned body.
On the contrary, it’s unconditionally tougher for skinnier women to get toned, let alone gain muscle. Take it from me – I’m skinny as a stick and look 5 years younger than my age (Yay!), but it also has its downfalls.
Are you the lucky one who has a fast metabolism and can fit into skinny jeans, too? Girl, you’re one of a kind!
However, this is a shout out to skinny girls who would like to plump up their body just a tad bit not to get criticized for starving themselves. Quite the contrary, actually — girls love food!
For the voluptuous body that you crave, we have jotted down a few great routines dedicated to the skinny ladies.
Say no to resistance training
There’s just a whole new tension coursing through your system when you work out against gravity and your body’s will. But, hey, in no way do we mean you to go crazy. Know your limits with resistance training and divulge the right routine to target the right body parts and gain muscles.
Go big and go slow
As much as we’d love it, nothing happens on a whim. Mainly when your body and weight lifting are involved. Don’t stress over your pace. Take it nice and slow and let your body absorb the change.
Target specific muscles: Where would you like to see changes? Biceps? Perhaps your hips? Whichever body part you’d want to target, make sure you’re working out for it and not losing weight instead.
Which exercises should you do?
We’ve got it covered.
- Deadlifts: Works your back muscles
- Squats: Builds legs and buttock muscles
- Pullup: Builds upper-body, especially the biceps and lats
- Hip thrusts: Brings on the sexy glutes!
- Bent-over row: Your entire back will be stunningly built
- Bench press: Build your triceps and pectoral muscles
- Military press: For your shoulders (Buy that off-shoulder top that you’ve been eyeing!)
- Run or walk: 15-30 minutes of running or walking can do wonders. Remember to add in an additional 5-10 minutes each day.
- Crunches: Focuses on your abdomen and enhances core strength
The equation is quite simple. If you’re not gaining fast enough, then you’re either not eating right or eating enough. So, which is it?
Your diet build to muscle at home
It is vital that you up to your calorie intake, ideally 300 to 500 calories per day, initially. But you must take a pass on indulging in junk food and up your calorie intake to 2000 to 2500. Eating the exact amount of protein is also necessary to build muscles.
The tricky part is to strike the perfect balance when it comes to these intakes. Do your research, talk to your friends, and stay on track.
Most Effective Diet Routines for Women
We’re down to talking about the real deal now. But first, let’s talk about food, shall we?
Believe it or not, your ‘perfect’ routine will consist of a seamless chain of eating the right food and committing to the correct workouts. Let’s get the ball rolling.
So here, we will talk about all the sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fats that you must combine in your meals to get apt energy and get to convert them later on.
Protein Sources
- Cheese
- Dairy
- Meat (Steak, Pork, Chicken)
- Eggs (Basically, prepare yourself to be chugging down a whole lot of eggs)
- Fish
- Legumes and other protein-filled vegetables
A gram of protein per pound of your body weight is the target intake daily. In order to be more precise, one serving of any of the protein meals mentioned above must be the size of your palm.
I know, some of these foods sound incredibly boring! Tell you what; try out switching between canned tuna instead of regular tuna in your salad bowl. You can also substitute store or canned-bought proteins and fix them up next to your rice platter or dump it in your salad.
Pro tip: Give smoked salmon a try, and your weight-gain journey will be an absolute bliss!
Also, have you tried chicken salad with a Greek yogurt dressing? Ah — excuse me while I salivate.
Carbs
- Rice
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Sweet potatoes
- Lentils
- Yams
- Whole grain pasta and bread
It’s easy to go to over-divulge in rice or pasta. Thus, refer to one cupped hand, which is equivalent to half a cup of rice or pasta. We know Bolognese pasta is great, but let’s not forget our purpose.
To be honest, rice and pasta are pretty diverse foods that can mesh well with any sauce or dressing. However, people face a dilemma with pieces of bread. Now, the more straightforward solution to that is to try out the various recipes that YouTube is filled with on how to make a perfect, delicious sandwich.
Switch it up every now and then, and you will enjoy every meal.
Fat
- Almonds
- Avocado
- Olive oil
- Peanut or almond butter
Don’t hyperventilate with ‘fats.’ It’s a nightmare for bodybuilders. However, all fats don’t pose threats to the body. Try out these ‘good fats’ that contribute positively.
Most of the myths lie with peanut butter intake. Albeit that it is a portion of rich food, it would deliver better results to your body than regular butter. As you need large amounts of calorie intake to gain muscles, a little dollop of peanut butter goes a long way. Thus, peanut butter is actually one of the best options when you love eating little bits at a time without feeling heavy.
And a bonus: It gets the job done!
We’re past talking about food—thank God, I’m starving.
Conclusion
Here’s our take: Don’t be hard on yourself. And that’s step one. Secondly, you have to know that you’re beautiful in your skin, and this journey might just act as the cherry on top.
It’s just a process of accentuating what you already have, which is sometimes lost in the midst of a low diet and, other times, obscured behind those McDonald’s run-ins.
Start slow and get lots of sleep while you’re embracing the new you. Pick up each of these workouts one at a time and gradually conquer your dream body.
We’ll be right here, cheering for you!
