How I envy you. Seriously… did you know that as a teenager you are in the very best position to build huge amounts of muscle naturally?
By naturally I mean – without taking anything such as steroids: there’s simply no need. Teenager’s bodies are absolutely flooded with natural growth hormone and, by taking advantage of this one-off time in your life, training with weights, and eating enough of the right foods – you’ll be looking big in no time.
Many of the worlds best athletes in all sorts – and yes, particularly in bodybuilding – began training with weights to build their muscles during their teenage years. And what a huge advantage they’ve gained from doing so.
Ok, so we’ve established it’s the best time to start, but, how do you go about it? I mean, bodybuilding can be a complex and misleading affair, after all. Well, you certainly came to the right place…
All you need to do is get yourself on a well planned beginner’s bodybuilding routine. A well planned beginner’s routine will include workouts of around 3-4 times a week, which is sufficient for a beginner to avoid overtraining. It will include compound movements such as squats, dead lifts, and bench presses. These movements are absolutely integral to putting on muscle mass – and should be a part of anybodies program; beginner or not.
Secondly, you need to eat plenty. And I do mean plenty. In order to ‘bulk up’ which is the phrase used by bodybuilders wishing to put muscle on, you need to eat around 15 calories per lb of bodyweight, plus 500 surplus – each and every day. In fact, some teenagers have a fast metabolism, so you may even need to eat more than that.
It’s recommended that you try to split your diet into a ratio of 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fats – meaning your calorie count is comprised of these macronutrients in these amounts, though it’s not always necessary to be so strict.
Thirdly, you need to rest. It can be beneficial to have a workout regime which includes several days off during the week to allow your muscles to grow. On your off days, you should avoid physical exercise, as this will simply starve your body of the calories it needs, and by working your muscles out again you’ll simply break them down before they’re ready to be worked again.