Background:

I answered a simple question on Quora about how to build muscle. The

response was tremendous, thousands of people had viewed that answer and
close to a 100 people asked me to help them achieve their goal.

Last night, a young man from the Indian Air Force approached me. He is the
reason for this little pdf. At first, I was just going to make a diet and workout
plan for him then I thought why not make it a generalised short book for all the
people who are giving their best in the gym but there are no visible results.

So, there it goes:

The basics:

When you work out a particular muscle, its fibre break because of the weight
used to do the workout.

To repair those broken fibre the body needs protein as protein is the basic
building block of the muscles. The body repairs the muscles to adapt to the
weight you lifted and as a result, they become bigger than they were before.
That is the reason it is advised to increase the weight every single work out.

Testosterone plays a big part here, the more it is, the more muscles you build.

Websites and every other source asks you to take as much protein as you can. I
have seen some people take 4-5 scoops of protein in a single serving that
amounts to upwards of a 100 gram per serving. But, there is no extra growth as
that person will expect.

The reason: our body can only absorb a particular amount of protein in one go
and the rest of it is excreted out of the body like waste.
So, the question that has been haunting the bodybuilders for the longest time,
“How much protein to take?”, It’s quite simple actually, one gram of protein
per kilogram of body weight.

Now, that does not mean that you should take 80 grams in a single sitting, NO!
you have to spread it throughout the day as our body can absorb around 30
grams in one go. (At least that is what the research shows right now).

Also, try to use different natural sources as you cannot rely on the whey protein
supplements forever.

Now, we come to Carbohydrates or Carbs, what role do these play in our body
transformation?. They are used up to provide energy to our body for the routine
tasks. If the carb intake is less, the body tends to use the protein as the source of
energy, and the result, well…you don’t get big.

So, what should one do when he/she is trying to gain muscles or lose fat? What
should be the diet?

The diet should be rich in protein for one and the intake of carbohydrates can be
varied according to your goal. Whether you are trying to lose fat or get big.

So, I am going to present a simple workout and diet plan for you, it does not
matter if you are trying to lose or gain. It will work. Just remember, if you are
trying to put on weight, eat more carbohydrates while you should consume less
if you are trying to lose.

The workout:

If you are a beginner, I would suggest a week to do some mix exercises so that
your body is accustomed to the weights and the start.

I would recommend five to seven exercises per muscle group. Each will take
around 35-40 minutes. If you have some free time, then I would recommend
two muscle group per day otherwise, keep it to one. It will take a little more
time for people doing one group per day to see the results for obvious reasons.
It’s up to you, whether you have time or not.

So, we will be doing 3 sets of each exercise with 8-12 repetitions and 45
seconds of rest between each set. Posture should be perfect and if you can do
more than 12 repetitions, increase the weight while if you are unable to do 8
repetitions, decrease the weight.

I have attached a YouTube link for each exercise. Ensure that the posture is
CORRECT to avoid any injury and make sure that the targeted muscle is
being worked.

1- CHEST

Start the warm up by 3 sets of push ups till failure, then move on to
the main exercises.

1. Barbell Bench Press:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRVjAtPip0Y
2. Barbell Incline Bench Press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbFgADa2PL8
3. Barbell decline Bench press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfyQBUKR8SE
4. Dumbbell bench press
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmB1G1K7v94
5. Dumbbell incline press https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iPEnn-
ltC8
6. Dumbbell fly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eozdVDA78K0
7. Cable Crossover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taI4XduLpTk
2- Triceps

Warm up with diamond push ups:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0DnG1_S92I

1. Skull Crushers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_KZxkY_0cM

2. Triceps Pushdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-
LAMcpzODU
3. Triceps extension: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gsUck-7M74
4. Triceps Kickback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SS6K3lAwZ8
5. Triceps Overhead Extension:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1f0JVPSZvw
6. Seated Dumbbell Extension:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbX7Wd8jQ-Q

3-Back

Warm up with pull ups. Same, 3 sets each till failure.

1. Lat Pull downs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YWNF3675Q

2. Reverse Lat pull down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzFTbsm7HU
3. Seated cable row: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZbfZ033f74
4. Standing Lat pushdowns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjCCGN2tU3Q
5. Single arm standing row:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z5NMUxkxxw
6. Deadlifts : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyJbvWAh6ec
 7. Bent over Barbell row:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT2GjY_Umpw

4. Biceps

Warm up with pull ups, 3 sets till failure. This one will be a bit different
check this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rigzbHWbllM

1. Straight Barbell curl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY1V6UbRHFM
2. Zig barbell curl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG2xJ0Q5QtI
3. Incline Dumbbell curl:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soxrZlIl35U
4. Hammer Curls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC3nLlEvin4
5. Concentration curls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AUGkch3tzc
6. Seated Dumbbell curls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7waGOXmo8I

5- Shoulders

Warm up with little dumbbells. Don’t use too much weight for warm up.

1. Military Press: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yjwXTZQDDI

2. Behind the neck overhead presses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA-Z3aFrnEA
3. Shoulder dumbbell press:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEwKCR5JCog
4. Dumbbell front raises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
t7fuZ0KhDA
 5. Dumbbell lateral raises:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcuY34Vz8WQ
6. Shrugs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRVVxmytaM

6- Legs

Do sits ups for warming up the legs. DON’T SKIP LEGS. Here you have to
do 4 sets instead of 3 for each exercise.

1. Barbell Squats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy28eq2PjcM

2. Leg extensions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyvSfVjQeL0
3. Leg Press: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oujca3_Shgw
4. Leg Curl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tq3QdYUuHs
5. Lunges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7KaRcUTQeE

****if you want to do 2 muscle groups in a day, do it like this (workout will
be 90 minutes to 100 minutes :

Day 1: Chest

Day 2: Back

Day 3: Legs and triceps.

Day 4: Shoulders and biceps.

DIET

Now, we are done with the exercise. What to eat? When to eat? I have prepared
a diet plan according to India. It is as follows:
Pre requisite: A whey protein (whichever you like) , Ashwagandha tablets
(whichever you like) and Multivitamin tablets (whichever you like).

For those who are really skinny, get a weight gainer (which includes creatine
and glutamine, check its specs before buying) as well. I don’t normally
recommend this but helps with the calorie surplus required.

So, if you are getting a weight gainer as well, please read protein shake as
protein + weight gainer.

Morning: 2 bananas + 1 bowl of sprouts + protein shake with milk. (that is

before the actual breakfast).

Breakfast: whatever you want to eat, avoid oily foods and try to eat things rich
in carbohydrates, like potatoes.

Lunch: Normal Lunch. Eat lentils as they are rich in protein. Rotis,
rice….whatever you like. Again, avoid too spicy and oily food.

Plus, a protein shake with milk after lunch.

Evenings: incorporate eggs in your diet. 3 or 4. Or you may eat a peanut butter
sandwich.

Nights: Dinner as usual and a protein shake with milk.

Take Ashwagandha and multivitamin tablet before sleep. It will help in boosting
testosterone levels, protein absorption and sound sleep.

Now, some important pointers:

 1. Just before the workout (5-10minutes) eat 2 bananas. It provides instant
energy.
2. Just after the workout, eat eggs. Remove the yellow part if trying to lose
fat otherwise eat that as well.
3. You will have to eat a lot…….at first you will feel full and won’t be able
to eat everything I told you to. But don’t worry, stomach size adjusts with
your diet, you will get there eventually.
4. Last but not the least, Rome was not built in a day….be patient for at
least 3 months. Results will appear.

WORK OUT LIKE YOU MEAN IT AND EAT LIKE YOU NEED IT.

I wish you all the best and hope that you see great results. Send me you 3-4
months transformation pictures on Instagram. My username is
“ankitshukla.0803”. You may send me a DM if you have any questions.