Articles | Contact | Disclaimer Minimalist road to a fit, muscular body 20 November 2016

A lot of you guys probably think there is room for improving the look of your body and have an advantage with women because of that.



The reality is that having wide and round shoulders, a tight T-shirt, an aesthetic waist, more visible abs and a pair of masculine, big legs (AND a great butt obviously) DOES matter.



But much less than we think. Trust me on that.





It's all in your mindset, your confidence, your masculinity.



Don't use not having an alpha-type body for not even trying to approach a girl you feel attracted to.



I have trained with weights and dieted well (most of the time) for 9+ years, so I felt I could concentrate my experience in a minimalist guide to get fit and strong.



Let's get a more beautiful, muscular body!



1- Do you begin wanting to lose weight, or gain it? LOSE weight = A bit less food week by week + more exercise (cardio + lifting).



GAIN muscle (plus always a bit of fat) = Some more food than you eat now, increasing bit by bit every week + more exercise (lifting).



If you are a female, check out these 12 areas that will make you as attractive as you can physically be towards men.



2- How then do you build muscle fast but keeping it simple? Basic compound exercises + high frequency of training + 6-12 rep range + Progressive Overload (explained later).



In my opinion, the most optimal and natural way of dividing days for working out is the following:



Day 1: Chest, shoulders, triceps: Flat bench press or dips, lying skull crushers, lateral raises and shoulder press.



Day 2: Back, biceps: Chin-ups or pull-ups or any rowing movement, simple bicep curls.



Day 3: Legs, calves. Deadlift, back or front squats, calf raise machine.



Day 4: Rest...



Take as many rest days as you feel you need, listen to your body, don't structure yourself into a solid weekly routine. That's not how our biology works.



No muscle in your body will remain unstimulated if you train those movements alone.



Now let me tell you the most important "secret" for building muscle in a simple way, not putting that much effort, or that much time... if you do this you'll get muscular even if you don't want to: Progressive overload.



Every time you do a particular exercise, attempt to do one more rep or add a little bit of weight to the bar, compared to what you did last time.



Simple, right? That's the foundation of muscle building, in scientific terms. Progressive overload stimulates the muscles with something NEW, which is the very signal for growing and strengthening.



3- About food and diet? Check out this tool to get an estimate of your daily caloric needs. That shall be the basis for what you will and will not eat:



Calorie calculator



As stated earlier, if you are trying to gain weight, eat a bit more than you usually do.



If you try to lose it, the opposite. Slowly but surely. Difficult, but simple.



How do you distribute those calories along the day has very little impact, if any, in the long run. Just make sure you have eaten more or less what you needed for your particular goal when you go to bed. A balanced, healthy diet with sufficient protein is what we're looking for.



Attention, no need to torture yourself eating super clean, but act with common sense in regards to your eating habits, that's the foundation of your self-esteem. Respect, your, body!







4- What about rest? Taking the time for your muscles and nervous system to recover is an ESSENTIAL part of building a better physique and a better, stronger mindset.



Only train again when you feel that particular muscle group is fully recovered. 3 days of rest is almost always sufficient. If you feel something's not right, take a deload.



Try to sleep an average of AT LEAST 7.5 hours every day. Ideally, to optimize results, it should be between 8.5 and 9 hours.



5- Final points to keep in mind: Don't overcomplicate things, doing this is not so hard.



Forget gaining muscle and not gaining at least a bit of fat in the process unless you are already overweight and/or a total beginner. Your body is either in a catabolic or anabolic state, ON / OFF, nothing in the middle.



Warm up your mind, system, muscles and joints before training. Stretch before and after.



Keep joints warm at all times when working out. If you are lifting weights out in the cold, for some reason... protect your elbows, knees, shoulders and neck.



Minimize alcohol, it's in fact a toxin and a molecular antagonist of testosterone.



Sprint. It feels awesome, it doesn't matter whether you wish to gain or lose on the scale. Your legs and glutes will strengthen a lot.



Don't look too much at other guys' physiques because your mind will start playing tricks on you, making you underestimate your own personal progress in the mirror. There is always someone who gets ripped easier and faster than you, that's life.



Oh, and here you have a nice tool to assess where you really are right now in terms of weight and real health. It's a simple BMI calculator, which I'm sure you've seen before.



Lastly, as I touched above, don't pay a lot of attention to the mirror or what your friends and family say. Those voices will drag you down mentally, making you feel more skinny or overweight than you really are. - Related Article: The One & Done Workout (A high-intensity, very short session per day)



To end this I'm going to recommend the two most helpful and entertaining Youtube channels I have watched over the years for the purpose of learning how to get a more beautiful physique.



Physiques of Greatness (now Pump Chasers):



And Twin Muscle Workout:











I really hope that was helpful, there's a ton of stuff around online so I wanted to craft the most minimalist path for getting ripped I could think of.



Thanks for reading!





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