MUSCLEBLAZE

Hello Ziddis! We are all chasing health goals here with an information overload. From expensive memberships to overwhelming diet plans, from eating right to weights vs machines, we have so many choices and so little knowledge about them. Minimalist workout routine could be your best shot if you are trying to keep yourself healthy and build muscles just by doing body weight training.

Benefits of a Minimalist Workout Routine

Minimalist workouts are more than just a trend. They are a lifestyle that can revolutionise your fitness goals. Here’s why:

• They are convenient. You can do it at a park or at home. No need to buy expensive memberships. All you need is a push.
• They are time-efficient, so you do not have to commute to your gym or wait for machines to be vacated. You can wrap up your session faster with more productive work done.
• They are cost-effective as they do not need any fancy equipment or expensive membership, or complex sports gear. Just having a trusty pair of joggers and a shaker bottle for your workout boost is enough, which you can easily get at MuscleBlaze.

Key Movements for Building Muscle

To make sure you get the most out of your exercises, you need to focus on fundamental and compound movements. These will engage multiple muscle groups, making your workout session more fruitful while being minimalistic. Here’s what you can do:

• Push-ups with variations like decline and diamond to hit different target areas like chest, shoulder and triceps.
• Pull-ups to build upper body strength.
• Dips to work on your chest, shoulder and tricep muscles
• Squats to build strong legs and glutes. You can progress with jump squats, pistol squats or Bulgarian split squats
• Lunges are great for leg strength, stability and balance. Walking lunges or holding a heavy water bottle for lunges can add to the difficulty levels, making it more fruitful.
• Planks are the best core test and you can try side planks, plank reaches or plank to push-up movement to scale up the intensity.

These exercises cover every major muscle group and set the foundation for a strong, muscular physique without equipment.

How to Increase Intensity with Tempo, Reps, Holds, and Progression

Without weights, you might be thinking, how can one build strength and muscles, how to progress and how to make the right gains. Here’s how:

• Tempo Control: Slow down the lowering phase and increase the time under tension. For example, keep the dip in the squat for a few seconds before coming up and do that slowly.
• Higher Reps: Progression does not always mean increasing the intensity or weights. You can also do so by increasing the reps.
• Pauses: When the tension is built up, pause right there.
• Exercise Progressions: As you get stronger, move to harder variations like from regular squats to jumping squats or burpees.

This progressive overload works well even without weights. It is key to continuous muscle growth.

Minimalist Bodyweight Workout Plan

A minimalist routine doesn’t mean “easy.” It means smart. Here’s a simple split you can follow:

Day	Exercise	Sets & Reps
Day 1: Push Focus	Push-ups	4 sets of 15–20 reps
	Dips (use bars/chairs)	3 sets of 10–15 reps
	Pike push-ups	3 sets of 12–15 reps
	Plank shoulder taps	3 sets of 20 taps
Day 2: Lower Body Focus	Bodyweight squats	4 sets of 20 reps
	Walking lunges	3 sets of 20 steps
	Bulgarian split squats	3 sets of 10 reps per leg
	Wall sit	3 rounds of 30 seconds
Day 3: Pull Focus (If pull-up bar available)	Pull-ups	4 sets of 6–10 reps
	Negative pull-ups (if needed)	3 sets of 8 reps
	Inverted rows (under sturdy table)	3 sets of 12 reps
	Hollow body hold	3 rounds of 20 seconds
Day 4: Active Recovery/Core	Side planks	3 sets of 20 seconds per side
	Bird dogs	3 sets of 12 reps
	Glute bridges	3 sets of 15 reps
	Light stretching or yoga	–

If you follow this for the start of your fitness journey, you would get a baseline for how you should progress you can build on this to make the most of your workout.

Read Also: How to Build Your Own Workout Routine

Bodyweight Exercises for Muscle Growth

The key to healthy muscle growth is challenging your muscles consistently. Progressive overload, good form and proper recovery are the non-negotiables of muscle building. By focusing on movements that engage multiple muscle groups, you can stimulate your muscle fibres to their best potential. Some exercises that help us do this are push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats and more. Body weight training often improves our core stability and enhances our overall strength. Combining the right intensity with consistency will help you get the muscles strengthened without using weights.

Bodyweight Strength Training Tips

Check out these bodyweight strength training tips before you start your training.

• Focus on the full range of motion during every rep.
• Prioritise quality over reps
• Don’t neglect mobility and flexibility
• Stay consistent
• Show up every day
• Have enough protein for muscle health

Takeaway – Minimalist Workout Routine

Minimalist does not mean low effort. It just means making the most of what you have. To build a strong and healthy body, you do not need to work out at the gym for hours. You need to focus on form and intensity while staying consistent. So the next time you think to yourself that you do not have what it takes to start working out, stop yourself and know that you are the only equipment you need.

Hello Ziddis! Do you think those two eggs for breakfast and having some peanuts for snacking is enough protein? Do you think your one bowlful of dal and a spoonful of peanut butter can give your body the amount of protein it needs? Nope! It is time to think, calculate, count and act to make sure you are feeding your body enough protein. Here’s how you can do it and save yourself from overestimating your protein intake.

Protein Intake for Muscle Growth

Why is protein even important? In school, you must have learnt that protein is the building block for your body. That is exactly why it is important. Protein is important for your muscles to build, strengthen, and withstand pressure. Without adequate protein, your body will not have the essential building blocks to repair and grow muscle tissue. Muscle building needs more effort than simply hitting the gym. Without enough protein your muscles will turn weak and your body won’t have the building blocks it needs to repair and grow muscle tissue.

For muscle gain, the general recommendation is 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So if you weigh 70 kg, your daily target should be between 112 to 154 grams of protein – spread throughout the day.

The catch? You also need to hit about 25 – 30 grams of protein per meal to stimulate muscle protein synthesis optimally.

Protein Intake Calculation

For muscle gain, the general rule of thumb is to have 1 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight. If you weigh 70 kgs, your daily target needs to be 70 grams to 140 grams of protein, depending on your fitness goals. This can be spread out through meals.

What’s the catch, then? You should try to have 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal to manage your muscle protein synthesis and also your insulin levels.

Here is a simple calculation you can rely on:

• 2 boiled eggs can give you around 12 grams of protein
• One scoop of protein can give you 28 to 30 grams of protein
• 1 bowl of dal can give you 9 grams of protein
• 100 grams of paneer can give you 20 grams of protein
• A handful of nuts can give you 6 grams of protein.

This totals up to 42 grams, which is still below your minimum goal since the average weight of an Indian adult is 60 kgs. This is where people fall short and overestimate their daily protein intake.

To make sure you calculate your protein accurately:

• Read labels
• Use apps to track proteins and calories
• Be aware of portion sizes
• Remember that the weight of food is not how much protein it has.

Protein Intake for Athletes

Athletes or people going through intense training require 2 to 2.5 grams of protein per kg of their body weight, depending on their sport and goals. Recovery, endurance and performance are all directly linked to protein availability. Timing also matters here because for athletes, consuming protein with some carbs post-session is also beneficial, ideally within 30 minutes of the workout.

Protein Intake for Weight Loss

If you are trying to lose fat but maintain muscle, protein is your best friend. A high-protein diet can increase satiety, support fat loss and prevent muscle loss during calorie restriction. For weight loss, aim for 1 to 2 grams of protein per kg of your body weight. High protein meal curbs cravings, keeps you fuller and makes it easy to stick to your goals.

Protein Intake for Vegetarians

This is where it gets tricky. But it is not impossible. It is a myth that one needs to have non-veg to gain protein, while the truth is that even though many vegetarian sources are incomplete proteins, multiple options can help you. Though being a vegan can cut most of those out for you.

Some good vegetarian protein options:

• Greek yoghurt (10 grams per 100 grams)
• Paneer (18 grams per 100 grams)
• Soy chunks (52 grams per 100 grams dry weight)
• Tofu (8 grams per 100 grams)
• Lentils, rajma, chana
• Protein powders or bars specifically formulated for vegetarians

Tracking becomes even more essential if you’re a vegetarian to make sure you’re not overestimating based on volume alone.

Tips to Increase Your Protein Intake

Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast like eggs, paneer, protein powder shake, smoothie bowls

• Clean up your snacking by replacing biscuits with protein bars or roasted chickpeas and peanuts.
• Use supplements like whey protein, casein and plant protein powders
• Bulk up on EAA and creatine supplements to get the essential nutrients to power up your muscles.
• Add protein to every meal, aiming to have at least 20 to 30 grams of protein on your plate.
• Choose high protein alternatives like quinoa over rice, Greek yoghurt over regular yoghurt
• Double up on proteins by combining them, like having peanut butter toast with scrambled eggs.

Read Also: Why Tracking Your BMI is Just Not Enough

Takeaway

It is easy to assume you are hitting your protein goals, but these assumptions are often wrong. You highly overestimate the nutrition your food choices give you. The best way is to track your food intake and make sure you know how many calories and proteins you are consuming the right amount. Whether you are an athlete, on a weight loss journey or building muscle, knowing the right amount of protein you consuming is a non-negotiable.

Add protein, snack smarter, and you’re gonna hit your fitness goals.

Hello Ziddis! Have you been feeling tired and subsiding yawns all day too? We think sleep is only for rest, but did you know sleeping right can make you stronger, lift heavier and crush your macros better? The real secret to healthy muscle gain lies in something as simple as catching some good quality sleep. Let’s understand how a slumber party is your quickest and most effective fix to muscle-building, fitness and athletic performance.

Science of Sleep

Sleep isn’t just rest. It is a dynamic and restorative process where your body does some of its best behind-the-scenes work. During a typical night, we go through various stages of sleep like light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. Deep sleep is the best stage for recovery. This is when your body enters an anabolic state, which helps it repair tissues, make up for the wear and tear of muscles, strengthen the immune system and secrete the growth hormone, which is responsible for delivering your pumps.

Muscle Recovery Sleep

Sleep is hands down the best activity you can do post-workout after a hearty meal. The growth hormones that our body secretes during a deep sleep can help in:

• Stimulating tissue growth and repair
• Boost muscle protein synthesis
• Mobilise fat storage for energy production
• Reduce muscle breakdown.

If you have poor sleeping habits, make sure you fix that if you want a healthier recovery.

Sleep and Workout Performance

Have you ever tried pushing yourself at the gym after pulling an all-nighter? Not the best idea, is it? That is because lack of sleep can tank your reaction time, reduce endurance and mess with your focus and motivation. Poor sleep increases the chances of fatigue and injuries during your workout sessions, making the sessions feel harder than they are. Sleep-deprived athletes also have a higher risk of injury due to slower cognitive processing and coordination.

This is about what happens if you don’t sleep. How about if you are well-rested?

In that case, you will be able to push your limits, hit more reps, improve your endurance and get those pumps too. So sleep and workout performance have a close-knit relationship that directly impacts your fitness goals.

Sleep and Muscle Growth

When you sleep well, your muscle cells are better primed for protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is important for building and repairing muscle tissue. Studies show that even partial sleep deprivation can cause a lack of focus, which hampers your responses and decreases your body’s ability to adapt to resistance training. Sleep also regulates cortisol levels, which means your stress levels are in check. This will prevent your muscles from breaking down or storing fat that causes it to sabotage your gains.

Best Sleep Duration for Muscle Growth

How well you sleep is important, but so is how much you sleep. Aiming for a good quality 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night consistently is a great way to make sure you are prepared and well-rested to chase your fitness goals. Focus on deep and REM sleep to gain the most benefits.

Read Also: Sleeping can Build Your Muscles. Here’s Everything You Need to Know

How to Have the Most Productive Sleep

Your sleep needs to be your top priority if you are trying to improve your performance. Rest is necessary for muscle repair, but that does not just mean lying down on your couch. Here are some science-backed tips for a productive sleep:

• Have a set sleep schedule. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
• Avoid screens before bed because blue light can hamper the release of melatonin.
• Cool your room and make it dark.
• Get morning sunlight to give the right hint to your circadian rhythm.
• Limit caffeine in the evening
• Consider magnesium or ashwagandha supplements to calm your nervous system for a good, deep sleep.
• Include recovery support foods, which are also protein-rich, like protein powder or peanut butter.

Takeaway

Your muscles don’t just grow in the gym, they grow when you rest your body. Prioritise quality sleep if you want to unlock the secret to strength training, building endurance and healthy gains. It is free, natural and works like magic. Pair it up with the right food and voila! So make sure you are well-slept before you lift those weights because hustle is great, but sleep is the real secret.