The routines muscle volume are among the most popular and common activities among athletes.
The main objective of these is to promote muscle hypertrophy, so it is a training program to gain size and strength. However, to define the muscles well, these routines will have to be combined with a healthy diet.
The balance weights, cardio and nutrition is key to getting the best results with routines muscle volume. Muscles can grow through heavy weights and a sufficient workload to stimulate different types of muscle fibers.
However, it must be taken into account that muscle growth is mainly due to an increase in volume and not to the amount of muscle fibers.
Types and Forms of Bulking Routines
The training plan for gaining muscle mass is very different from the one usually carried out for muscle toning. What is done here are complex basic exercises to work on the integration of large muscles and gradually increase strength.
Actually, there are a myriad of types and forms of routines. For best results, most of them should be based on basic multi-joint exercises, which are the ones we will see later in the routine examples.
Among the types of routines, the following should be highlighted:
- Full body: the whole body is worked with basic high-frequency exercises
- Push / Pull: pushing movements in one session and pulling movements in the next
- Upper / Lower: in one session the torso is trained and the legs are trained in the next
- Push / Pull / Legs: similar to the Push / Pull routine, but leaving a day for legs
- Weider: special routine for bodybuilders and alternating days dedicated to chest and biceps, dorsal and triceps and shoulders and legs
Examples of Exercises for Volume Routines
There are numerous examples of routines that we can follow to increase muscle volume, although the important thing within them is to correctly select the exercises.
There are those who claim that the best exercise to gain muscle mass is the deadlift. You can choose to lift a barbell deadlift or with weights in each hand. The ideal is to do about 5-7 repetitions and without the weight having to be excessive. Little by little, and combining with other exercises, you will gain muscle mass in your arms and the rest of the body muscles will be toned.
The barbell squats, for example, are perfect for the development of leg muscles. In addition, we can also strengthen the muscles of the abdomen and shoulders. The beginners should start with the minimum weight, gradually add more weight and alternate this exercise with legs machines.
The bench press is another of the ideal exercises to gain volume and add it to your bodybuilding routine. Here the muscles of the chest, triceps and shoulders are worked. Although if you want to work your shoulder muscles well, nothing better than the military press or frontal barbell press. An exercise with which, at the same time, the muscles of the abdomen are strengthened.
The horizontal barbell row is the best exercise for working your back muscles. To do this, we do not have to lift an excessive weight, but with the one that we feel more comfortable with depending on our physical condition. As we practice it, we also gain muscle mass in the shoulders, pectorals and forearms.
The muscle volume routine workouts depend on the conditions of each one. In general, it is recommended to allow at least 48 hours between each workout for the body to fully recover. A training program in which all muscle groups are worked throughout the week will be ideal for muscle recovery to be the same for everyone.
If we are starting with the routines, the ideal is to do two strength trainings a week. During the first workouts, we will increase the resistance but we will not notice big changes in the muscles.
The first results will arrive from the eighth week of training. The most advanced athletes, meanwhile, can train between three and four times a week.
Duration and Weights
The duration of a workout can range from 45 to 90 minutes, although everything will depend on the intensity and volume of the session.
Lifting a weight, a maximum of 8-12 times is one of the most effective bulking strategies for increasing muscle mass. However, it is not all about trying to lift very heavy weights, something that should be stopped once you have reached a very high level of training or want to do bodybuilding. Without going any further, training with your own weight is more than interesting to build muscle.
Series and Breaks
The number of series when lifting weights varies depending on the physical condition of each one. During the first weeks of training, it is not necessary to perform more than 2-3 sets. Instead, more advanced athletes require multiple sets of 3-5 or more.
Between each of these series, it is best to rest between 90 seconds and 3 minutes in the individual series. The greatest rest between sets occurs when it comes to exercises that involve pure strength. All this as long as we perform the exercises at a constant pace and in the most correct way.
Feeding in Volume Routines
A strict diet will be key to increasing muscle mass. For this, it is recommended to eat at least two grams of protein for every kilo of the person’s body weight. In addition, you will have to consume 3-4 grams of carbohydrates for every kilo of body weight, unsaturated fats, carbohydrates and drink plenty of water before, during and after training.
