What are the training methods for men’s fitness and muscle gain?

In fact, for the vast majority of ordinary men who are not preparing for competitions, the method of building muscle that can really achieve stable results cannot be circumvented by "giving the muscles enough progressive overload stimulation + a diet that matches the caloric surplus + a regular sleep of more than 7 hours a day." All the fancy action combinations and training plans on the Internet serve this core logic. Don't reverse the order and pursue some unique secrets, but lose the most basic things.

I met a brother who worked in the backend at the gym two years ago. When I first applied for the card, I searched for the "7-day chest muscle crash" and "10-minute home muscle building plan" of Internet celebrities every day. When I practiced, the weight was either as light as paddling, or the weight was so heavy that my waist disc hurt. After two months, my arm circumference has not increased at all, and my body fat has increased a lot. Later, I followed the veteran who has practiced in the gym for five or six years. Every time I train, no matter what I do, I try to push 2.5kg more than the last time for the same movement, or do 2 more reps of the same weight. In terms of diet, I changed the white rice that I only ate once a day to three meals a day and a half each in the morning, lunch and dinner. I squeezed out one hour of playing games at night and must lie down before going to bed before 12 o'clock. With such a simple adjustment, my arm circumference increased by 3cm in two months, and I can finally see the outline of my chest muscles when wearing a slim-fitting T-shirt.

As for the differentiated training model that everyone is arguing about, there is really no absolute right or wrong. It all depends on how much training time you can spare and how long you have a training foundation. Many veteran players who have been practicing for three to five years recommend splitting up the exercise for five days a week, that is, training the chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs separately, and stimulating each part only once a week. The advantage is that the stimulation of a single part is deep enough. For people with good muscle perception, the soreness and swelling can last for two or three days after practicing, and the efficiency of muscle gain is also stable. However, for most office workers who can only squeeze in 3-4 days of training a week, it is not cost-effective to apply a five-point split. Many people recommend pushing and pulling the legs or splitting the upper and lower limbs. Each part can be practiced twice a week. The stimulation frequency is enough, and the total capacity is easy to accumulate. On the contrary, it will increase faster than training a certain part once a week. In the first half year of my career, I could only go to the gym three nights a week. I practiced all compound movements such as squats, bench presses, pull-ups, and deadlifts. I went through several movements each time, and my basic strength increased very quickly. Compared with those who only did arm curls as soon as I entered the gym during the same period. Newbies are much more efficient. After they can steadily lift their own body weight, they switch to upper and lower body exercises four times a week. Now after practicing for almost four years, their arm circumference is stable at 37cm and body fat is maintained at about 15%. Wearing ordinary T-shirts every day will not be too baggy to hold up.

There is another point that many people tend to overlook, which is the control of eccentric contraction. To put it bluntly, don’t mess around with the rest of the movement. I had been stuck on the 80kg bench press for almost two months. Every time I pushed hard, I felt nothing in my chest after pushing, but my shoulders hurt terribly. Later, I made special adjustments. When lowering the barbell, I counted 3 seconds before pushing. I reached the threshold of 85kg in half a month. The soreness in my chest after the exercise lasted until I took a shower the next day. It was better than the 10 sets of random exercises before. Don’t be superstitious about the so-called isolation movements. Many novices hold dumbbell curls as soon as they enter the gym. Their biceps have not grown much, and their elbow joints have been hurting for more than half a month. In fact, compound movements such as deadlifts and pull-ups are enough to stimulate the arms. When you can steadily lift a weight of 1.5 times your body weight, it will be difficult not to increase the size of your arms.

As for whether to practice every set to complete exhaustion, it has also been a debated topic in the circle for a long time. Some people think that every last bit of strength must be squeezed out in each group to maximize muscle growth, while others think that leaving a margin of 1-2 times in each group can not only avoid movement deformation and injuries, but also ensure the overall training capacity, which is more efficient. When I practice heavy compound movements, I usually leave a margin of 1 rep. I am afraid that the movement will be deformed and injure my waist and shoulders. I will rush to complete failure only when practicing isolation movements such as lateral raises and cable flyes. After practicing this way for three or four years, I have not suffered any serious injuries, and my muscle building progress has been very stable.

Don’t take supplements too seriously. I’ve seen many people buy a cabinet full of protein powder and creatine. They eat less than a cat every day for dinner, and there’s no change at all after practicing for more than half a year. To put it bluntly, supplements are to make up for the gaps in your diet. You can eat 1.6-2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight every day. Eggs, chicken, beef, fish and shrimp are enough. There is no need to drink extra protein powder. I only drink a spoonful when I am on a business trip and can't catch up with meals. I usually eat 4 eggs and two chicken breasts a day, which is enough protein.