As men, everyone will have physical goals to strive to practice at the gym or fitness, whether it is to lose weight or lose fat or want to gain weight and tighten muscles, a scientific and A reasonable framework will be a solid foundation to help men’s gym workout more effectively. Let’s take a look at a gym schedule for men to gain muscle through this article!
1. Gym schedule for men to gain muscle
Many men, when they want to become more stylish with sharp muscles and a muscular body, think that just going to the gym and doing a lot of heavy exercises will gain weight. In fact, you must have a clear lesson plan and gym schedule for men to gain muscle to distribute training sessions and combine different types of exercises to effectively build muscle properly. Muscles have both enough time to activate and time to rest and recover in order to maintain the best condition and limit catabolism.
1.1 Principles for building a gym schedule for men
- In the gym schedule for men to gain muscle, to achieve the best development results, each muscle group should be activated and practiced repeatedly 2-3 times/week. Equivalent to the resting time of muscle groups is from 48 – 72 hours.
- Do not train the same muscle group continuously without taking time off to recover. Except for the abdominal muscle group, you can exercise every day with average intensity after each workout session.
- Determine your goal of increasing muscle mass or size to choose the appropriate weight, REP number and SET number.
- For the purpose of gaining muscle the fastest, men should choose the number of REPs at a moderate to heavy training level, equivalent to 5-8 REPs per set with a weight of over 60% of 1RM (1 Rep Max).
- Do not train your triceps and shoulders the day after chest training and vice versa.
- Do not train your biceps and forearms the day after doing back and lat exercises.
- If you have been exercising for a while and still do not see clear muscle improvement effects, it may be that you are exercising too lightly and need to adjust your training to less but to a heavier intensity.
- Each movement should be done slowly and firmly to feel the muscles better, so hold about 1-3 seconds between each REP. This way you will be able to practice with the correct technique and target the right muscle groups.
- Combine 1-2 cardio sessions to support the fat burning process. When the Body Fat ratio decreases, men’s muscles will appear clearer and more defined.
1.2 Table dividing the weekly training schedule for men to effectively increase muscle mass by muscle groups
| Major and minor muscle groups (associated with large muscle groups) | ||||||
| Main muscle group | Chest | Bucket back | Shoulder | Hand | Legs, butt | Belly |
| Secondary muscle group | Back arms and shoulders | Forearm and forearm | Back hand | Arm | Legs, inner thigh muscles, outer thigh muscles | Intercostal muscles |
| Practice day | Monday Thursday | Tuesday and Friday | Monday and Wednesday | Tuesday and Thursday | Wednesday and Saturday | 15 minutes after each workout session |
1.3 Weekly exercise schedule for men to effectively increase muscle mass 3-4 sessions/week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| Main muscle group | bucket back, | Chest | Rest or cardio if needed. | Legs, thighs | Back, chest, | Rest or cardio if needed. | Rest completely |
| Secondary muscle group | Front arm, abdomen | Back arms, abdomen | Front shoulders, back shoulders, abdomen | Abdomen, buttocks, intercostal muscles. |
1.4 Weekly exercise schedule for men to effectively increase muscle mass 5-6 sessions/week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| Main muscle group | Chest | Bucket back | .Chest | Bucket back | Squat, Deadlift | Push up, Pull up | Rest completely |
| Secondary muscle group | Abdomen, shoulders, back arms | Forearms, legs, forearms | Abdomen, shoulders, back arms | Forearms, legs, forearms | Hands, stomach |
2. Gym exercises & techniques
The following are techniques and ways to train muscle groups according to the training schedule using gym machines and fitness machines available at gyms that men can easily use to follow the above training schedule.
2.1 Bucket Back Exercise
Types of exercise machines: Cables Machine, Lat Pull Down Machine, Back training chair, Seated Rowing chair, single bar exercise system.
Bucket back exercise technique
The wide-arm lat pull down exercise with the Lat Pull Down Machine is loved by many people because of its effectiveness, easy movement control, and effect on almost the entire back. Let’s learn the correct technique when practicing this exercise:
- Sit on the machine keeping your back straight, your knees on the foot cushions and your chest facing forward. Choose the appropriate weight on the machine.
- Palms facing forward and placed at both ends of the pull bar a distance wider than shoulder width.
- Use the pull from the lats to pull the bar from above straight down to chest level.
- Hold the bar position for at least 1-2 hours and then release it back to the previous position under control.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Back exercises – lats with dumbbells instead of machines
- Pull up pull-up bar
- Dumbbell Row
- T-Bar Row
- Cable Row
- Barbell Row
- Hyper Extension
2.2 Chest exercises
A muscular chest is always the desire of men, a firm chest will make you look much more attractive. At the gym, you can choose the Chest Press exercise machine (chest push) or the Chest Fly exercise machine (horizontal chest pull), the exercise technique is as follows:
Chest training for men with the Chest Press machine
- Sit at the machine, keeping your back straight against the backrest.
- Adjust the weight you need to exercise
- Hold the machine’s 2 handles, palms facing down
- Pull both ends of the bar in front of your chest and hold for 1-2 seconds.
- Return the bar to its original position, releasing it under control.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Chest workout for men with the Chest Fly machine
- Sit at the machine, keeping your back straight against the backrest. Legs open 45 degrees, wider than shoulders.
- Adjust the weight you need to exercise
- Hold the bar with both hands on the machine
- Simultaneously pull both ends of the bar in front of your chest horizontally, similar to flapping wings when flying, hold for 1-2 seconds.
- Return the bar to its original position, releasing it under control.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Chest exercises with dumbbells replace machines
- Push Up (push up)
- Bench Press
- Incline Bench Press
- Chest Dip
- Barbell Bench Press
2.3 Shoulder exercises
Broad shoulders not only help shape a man’s upper body, contributing to a perfect V-shape, but also make men more confident, making it easier to dress more beautifully. The shoulder muscles will include the front shoulder muscles, rear shoulder muscles and shoulder muscles. Usually the shoulder muscles will be activated the same day as chest training
Shoulder training techniques for men with the Shoulder Press machine
- Adjust the weight you need to exercise
- Sit at the machine, leaning against the back of the chair in a slightly tilted position.
- Place your hands in the position of the lever arms and use force from your shoulder muscles to lift the lever arms above your head.
- Hold for about 1-2 seconds and release the lever back to the starting position.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Shoulder exercises with dumbbells replace machines
- Over Head Press
- Barbell/ Dumbbell Front Raise
- Bench Press (push the chest with a barbell that affects the front shoulder muscles)
- Bent Over Row (back pull with a barbell that affects the back shoulder)
2.4 Biceps exercises
Men who exercise to increase the size of their biceps need to pay attention to training both the front and back arms evenly. In fact, the size of the back arm will account for ⅔ of the entire biceps muscle area. Some practitioners often forget about the back exercises, so the difference in training results is not obvious. Let’s refer to machine training techniques for the biceps area!
Technique for practicing front arms with the Seated Biceps Curl Machine
- Adjust the weight you need to exercise
- Sit on the machine in a comfortable position, placing your arms straight on the armrest.
- 2 hands hold the bar, palms facing up.
- Brace your front arm and push the two handles up to face level or as close to your chest as possible.
- Hold for about 1-2 seconds and release the lever back to the starting position.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Technique for exercising front arms with the Seated Triceps Press Machine
- Adjust the weight you need to exercise
- Sit on the machine in a comfortable position, your buttocks, back and head will be the support points close to the cushion.
- 2 hands hold the bar head. The elbow and arm form an angle of less than 90 degrees.
- Brace your abs, squeeze your shoulder blades and make a motion to push the bar tip down in a straight line.
- When pushing quickly and decisively, hold for about 1-2 seconds and pull back slowly and with control.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Shoulder exercises with dumbbells replace machines
- Overhead Cable Curl (front arm)
- Incline Dumbbell Curl (forearm)
- Concentration Curl (front hand)
- Bench Dip (back hand)
- Tate Press (back hand)
- Dumbbell Tricep Kickback (back arm)
2.5 Exercises for legs, buttocks, and thighs
If it is said that men do not pay too much attention to training their legs, buttocks and thighs, it is a big mistake that causes the body to be unbalanced when the upper body is muscular but the lower body is very atrophied. Besides, leg and butt exercises also help consume a large amount of calories, making it easier for you to tighten your muscles, reduce your fat percentage, and your muscles will look sharper.
Squat or Deadlift exercises are legendary, but not everyone can do them because they require technique and strength, and can easily cause injury. You can try exercises with the Glute Kickback Machine:
- Adjust the weight you need to exercise
- Stand on the machine, place your hands on the cushion in front of you for support. Do not brace or lean too hard on your arms as this will reduce the resistance to your legs and buttocks.
- One foot is balanced in the middle, the other leg is bent up so that the sole of the foot is pressed against the sole.
- Brace your abs, use force from your glutes and thigh muscles to push the pedals backwards.
- When pushing quickly and decisively, brace your abs when your feet are at the end of the range. Do not push until your legs are too straight as this will create a reaction force that can easily cause knee injury
- Hold for about 1-2 seconds and pull back slowly and controlled.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Legs, buttocks and thighs exercises with machine substitutions
- Back Squat
- Romanian Deadlift
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Barbell Squat
- Dumbbell Lunge
2.6 Abdominal exercises for men
There’s not much debate about the attractiveness of men’s six-pack abs, almost everyone who goes to the gym is looking forward to the day their bodies will reveal their abs, more or less. The special thing is that you do not need to focus too much on abdominal training or spend a separate session on this muscle group, simply because almost all large muscle exercises or inbound exercises require participation. of bracing your abs and core. In other words, this muscle area is always involved in activity, so you only need to spend about 10-15 minutes after training sessions to devote to your abdominal muscles, which is more than enough.
Work out your abs with the AB Crunch Machine
- Adjust the weight you need to exercise
- Sit on the exercise machine in the correct position: rest your neck on the cushion, use your hands to hold the belt and place your feet comfortably on the ground.
- Do not use your arms, legs or back to participate in the movement.
- Abdominal crunches, gradually rolling the abdominal muscles to pull resistance.
- Hold for about 1-2 seconds and release your back to the original position.
- Perform the exercise 8-12 times per set for 2-4 sets.
Abdominal exercises are an alternative to machines
- Plank variations
- Bicycle Crunch
- Mountain Climber
- Knee Crunch
- Sitting Twist
3. Diet for men to gain muscle
Nutrition plays an extremely important role in men’s muscle gain training regimen, even accounting for up to 70% of the entire process. So once you have a fairly standard gym schedule to gain muscle as mentioned above, you must also be equipped with some basic knowledge about nutrition, such as the ratio of 3 important groups of nutrients to Gym goers follow macronutrients.
3.1 Sugar, starch (Carbohydrate)
Necessary for metabolism includes sugar, fiber, slow-absorbing starch, fast-absorbing starch, etc. This is a rich source of energy to meet moderate to high muscle-gain exercise intensity. Furthermore, sugars and starches also help prevent the risk of low blood pressure or fainting during exercise.
With a nutritional regimen for men who want to gain muscle, you need to consume about 45%-60% of the total amount of calories needed for sugar and starch. Carbohydrate-rich foods recommended in the weight gain and muscle gain menu: brown rice, sweet potatoes, green vegetables, corn, pumpkin, beans, fruits, pasta, noodles, whole grain bread ,…
3.2 Protein
Acts as a repairer and rebuilder of cell structures and body structures, so it is considered a “shaping and mass-creating” component for muscles. They help grow muscles in size through the process of providing essential amino acids. You can easily provide protein for your body’s needs through many foods such as meat (pork, beef, sheep,…), salmon, tuna, poultry (chicken, duck,…), bird’s nest. Barley, broccoli, seafood, milk and dairy products (yogurt, cheese), almonds, peanut butter,…
Men who need to gain muscle need to consume about 25%-35% of their calories from protein.
3.3 Fat
This is the richest source of energy because 1g of fat contains up to 9 calories. If consumed in a reasonable ratio, it not only does not cause obesity or fatty diseases, but on the contrary, it also increases physical activity. Men, exercise more and heavier. More importantly, using good fats also helps increase the production of the sex hormone Testosterone, which plays an extremely important role in male physiology and the process of synthesizing and building muscle.
Fat also helps easily absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, D or K. You should look for them through foods such as salmon, olive oil, avocados, cheese, almonds, seeds. walnut,….
In addition, gym-goers should also consider prioritizing the following foods that provide many nutrients that are good for men’s health and provide nutrients for muscles:
- Adding fiber from green vegetables and cruciferous vegetables supports the digestive system, contains some pain relievers, reduces inflammation, and enhances metabolism to help the fat burning process go more smoothly.
- Adequate intake of minerals and vitamins necessary for gym goers such as Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B, Vitamin E,…
- Pomegranate: helps increase endogenous testosterone quickly, greatly supporting the process of protein synthesis to build muscle.
- Oysters, clams, shrimp, seafood: are foods rich in Zinc that help increase the synthesis of male physiological hormones, thus promoting faster muscle building.
- Yogurt: not only rich in protein but also strengthens the flora with probiotics that support the digestive system. When the digestive system is improved, the absorption of nutrients will be better, without wasting nutrients from food.
- Foods and fruits rich in vitamin C such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, chili, kiwi, papaya, tomatoes, bell peppers: increase resistance while creating strength for muscle fibers that are not easily broken.
- Whey Protein supplements can be used to provide the necessary amount of protein for the nutritional needs of gym goers who gain muscle but are busy and do not have time to prepare it. Need advice from a nutritionist or doctor if you want to use it.
