Building muscle for beginners: training and nutrition

Summary of this blog

The blog explores you effective strategies for beginners in muscle building to achieve rapid and sustainable progress. A key point is the recognition that beginners often build muscles quickly as the body responds to new stimuli. It emphasizes that a full-body workout is ideal in the initial months to evenly stress the entire body and avoid imbalances.

The training plan is discussed in detail, providing recommendations for push and pull training sessions, along with the importance of recovery periods. It is also highlighted that a balanced diet with a caloric surplus is crucial. Protein intake, calorie counting, and a well-rounded diet are considered fundamental for muscle building for beginners.

Supplements are discussed, emphasizing that they are not necessarily required at the beginning. The blog concludes that a full-body workout and a balanced diet are sufficient for beginners, without the need for complex training plans or supplements. Frequently asked questions provide additional guidance for beginners in muscle building.

End of summary

Many individuals aspire to quickly achieve a sculpted and muscular physique in strength training. It is often forgotten that even the most outstanding bodybuilders once had humble beginnings. Enthusiasm often diminishes rapidly when no visible progress is observed after the initial training sessions. This training and nutrition plan elucidates the most effective way to structure muscle building for beginners.

Beginners build muscle faster

For individuals who have not yet experienced strength training, it will become apparent at the beginning that their performance is still quite limited. Both the weights in the gym and during home workouts need to be significantly reduced initially. Even simple strength exercises with one's own body weight can be challenging at the start, depending on individual fitness levels.

To avoid prolonged and painful muscle soreness as well as imbalances, it is advisable not to focus exclusively on a specific body part and train it intensively at the beginning of muscle building. Instead, the entire body should be engaged with moderate intensity.

Especially at the outset, rapid changes can be observed even with light weights, as the body needs to adapt to completely new movement patterns. Therefore, it is sensible to initially train the major muscle groups together in one session to build a certain amount of muscle mass and intermuscular coordination over the course of strength training.

However, the design of the training is not only crucial for quick success. Nutrition during muscle building should also be carefully considered at the beginning. Successful muscle building requires a plan that takes into account not only the necessary caloric surplus but also the proper distribution of macronutrients.

Although supplements, especially popular among influencer bodybuilders, are not necessarily required at the beginning. A balanced and protein-rich diet is often sufficient to sensibly replace amino acids or protein shakes.

Training plan for building muscle as a beginner

As mentioned earlier, it is advisable to follow a comprehensive training plan in the first 6-12 months before transitioning to a more segmented plan. To ensure sufficient recovery, the plan should be implemented at most every 2 days. Especially in the beginning, the body requires longer recovery times, making it challenging for individual muscle groups to be adequately engaged in an intensive split training.

For those who prefer not to follow a comprehensive training plan or feel ready for a split plan, training could be divided into, for example, push and pull days even for beginners. However, this is typically recommended only after approximately 6 months.

Push Training Session:

On a training day, exercises that involve stretching or pushing movements are primarily performed. These exercises target the shoulders, chest, and triceps in particular.

The following exercises could be integrated into the push training session for beginners:

Back Training
During the back training session, one performs all exercises involving a pulling motion. This primarily targets the latissimus, the back, and the rear shoulder.

The following exercises can be carried out on back training days:

Recovery Periods
In the context of the Push/Pull training plan, it is advisable to take at least one rest day after each workout. This applies equally to the full-body training plan. Since it may involve a balanced combination of the fundamental exercises mentioned earlier, two recovery days are also possible at the beginning.

Beginner nutrition plan for more muscles

A novice in strength training does not necessarily have to rely on a pre-made nutrition plan, as a noticeable increase in muscle mass is often apparent from the beginning even without excessive protein intake, supplements, and the like. Nevertheless, it is always advisable for beginners in muscle building to maintain a caloric surplus.

To ensure that this is achieved, it is recommended to first calculate the personal caloric needs. For muscle building, it is beneficial to exceed these needs by 10-30% per day.

Weighing and counting daily calorie intake is also helpful in the initial months to gain an initial assessment. This way, one quickly develops a sense of their own body and how much food it roughly requires.

Additionally, those who consume sufficient protein (approximately 2 g/kg body weight) and maintain a balanced, fresh, and healthy diet will face no long-term difficulties in efficiently building muscle mass.

Nutritional supplements as a beginner

Dietary supplements exert a special allure for muscle building, as they often promise quick and more significant results. Nevertheless, they are entirely unnecessary at the outset with a balanced diet.

Through effective full-body training and a protein-rich diet, the body builds muscles rapidly. This allows for notable results in a short time even without additional supplements, and one can take pride in a natural development.

If there is a shortage of sufficient protein in the diet, occasional recourse to protein shakes is an option. High-quality protein shakes swiftly supply the body with premium proteins. In addition to whey products, shakes made from plant-based protein are also available, proving equally effective and suitable for muscle building within the context of a vegan diet.

For those who feel they have reached a plateau after a few weeks, where continued weight progression seems elusive, turning to creatine is an option. Since a creatine deficiency in healthy individuals is highly improbable, and the substance can also be obtained through meat and fish, supplementation is usually unnecessary.

Conclusion

Building muscle mass for beginners usually occurs quite rapidly as the body is exposed to intense stimuli for the first time and adapts accordingly. Therefore, at the beginning, it is not necessary to split the training plan to achieve rapid progress in muscle building. A comprehensive full-body workout is entirely sufficient at this stage.

Following a nutrition plan is also not strictly necessary in the early stages, as setbacks can often be demotivating. However, even for those who have never counted calories, it can still be beneficial at the beginning to develop a sense of quantities and achieve the required calorie surplus of 10-30% kcal.

Individuals who consume sufficient protein, maintain a fresh and balanced diet, and keep an eye on their calories typically do not need dietary supplements. If there is still a need, for example, due to a plateau or a lack of protein, it is essential to always prioritize good quality and high biological availability.

FAQs – Building muscle as a beginner

How often should a beginner engage in muscle-building training?
It is crucial that the recovery periods are sufficiently long at the beginning to avoid overloading tendons and ligaments and to provide the muscle fibers with ample time for repair. It is recommended to schedule at least one to two days between each training session.

How should a beginner stress the muscles during training?
An effective method for beginners in muscle building is a full-body workout. For those who prefer to split, a push-pull training plan can also be quickly considered.

Is it necessary for beginners to visit a gym?
In the initial weeks, a beginner who has never trained muscles can also build muscle quickly and easily using only their body weight. However, a progressive increase in weight is eventually recommended. For those who do not want to visit a gym, there is also the option of setting up a private home gym.

How much protein does a beginner need?
Protein plays a crucial role in muscle building. However, it is important not to focus exclusively on a high protein intake in the diet. By integrating 1-2 g of protein/kg body weight into a balanced diet, damaged muscle fibers can be effectively repaired.