Stay Motivated for a Muscle Building Program

Gaining muscle is far from an easy task. This is especially true for the classic hard gainer. You can have the best workout, nutrition program, and supplements, but in the end, genetics plays an important role at the rate in which your body puts on muscle. That doesn’t mean building a serious amount of mass is impossible. It will take time and dedication. If you’re feeling burned out from your long-standing attempts at muscle building, try out these helpful ways to reignite that fire within to boost your muscle building program.

Muscle Building Program

Find a Gym Buddy

There’s only so much you can achieve by yourself. Eventually, you will need assistance if your goal is muscle mass. The reason is safe overload. You will need to start using 85% to 100% of your one-repetition maximum and this means you’re going to need a spotter. Aside from helping with the workload, gym buddies are a support system for the other person. What better way to get yourself motivated than a competition? Make bets. Put money on who is going to gain more mass. Working out with a lifting partner is an excellent way to smash through any potential plateaus and build muscle fast.

Keep Changing it Up

Plateaus are one of the primary reasons that people find themselves losing motivation. In the beginning of your fitness journey, building muscle seems easier. Once your body adjusts, you’re left wondering why the gains stopped. You need to incorporate plenty of variety into your workouts. Gaining muscle, especially in bodybuilding, is about constantly challenging the body. Here are a few quick ways to change it up:

• Increase volume, decrease repetitions
• Try a new workout methodology such as German Volume Training
• Vary the tempo – Slow it down one week, speed it up the next
• Check out my other article on advancing your muscle building for more ideas

Reward Yourself

Building muscle is hard work. If you’re focusing only on working and not enough on playing, then you’re going to burn out physically and mentally. Give yourself a break. You can also use a reward system. For instance, if you beat all of your repetitions and volume from the previous week, treat yourself to that nice restaurant or buy the latest C.O.D. Not allowing yourself the freedom of being a normal person is the top reason why lifters experience mental fatigue followed by failure. Get out. Have fun. Then own the gym when you return.

CONCLUSION

You can give all of these tricks a try but it all comes down to how much you want it. Think about why you started this muscle-building journey and remind yourself each time you feel your motivation slipping. Learn how to advance your muscle building program 

Are you ready to break through your plateau and take your fitness journey to the next level?

REFERENCES

1. Flocke SA, Clark A, Schlessman K, Pomiecko G. Exercise, diet, and weight loss advice and stay motivated on all this. Fam Med 2005; 37: 415–21.
2. BAKER, Dan (2009). German volume training: an alternative method of high volume-load training for stimulating muscle growth. NSCA’s performance training journal, 8 (1), 10-13.
3. Foerde, K., Knowlton, B., Poldrack, R. Modulation of competing memory systems by distraction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2006; 103: 11778-11783. Online (cited 22/1/07).