You don’t have to be one of those die-hard bodybuilders at Snap Fitness to understand the importance of gaining muscle. I mean sure, there are definitely advantages to your physique if you have bigger muscles. You’ll look fitter and sexier; your clothes will fit you better.
But gaining muscle does more than that:
- Muscle boosts metabolic rate.
- Muscle decreases body fat.
- Muscle strengthens the bones, tendons and ligaments.
- Muscle increases your range of motion.
- Muscle lowers risk of certain diseases.
Your strategy for building muscle doesn’t need to be so rigid. You can still eat food you enjoy, you don’t have to spend all your free time at the gym, and you can definitely have fun while training. That said, here are some fundamental tips to help you build muscle in a way that is sustainable and effective.
1. Consume More Protein
The more protein you have in your body, the more muscles can grow. The body is always draining protein reserves so be sure to consume a sufficient amount of protein. Aim for 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Aside from getting adequate protein, you also need extra calorie to grow muscles.
2. Go Big with Your Workouts
You have to do more so you can challenge your body. Go for multi-joint workouts like squats, deadlifts, bench presses and pull-ups instead of isolation training. Basically, do exercises that challenge several muscles and joints at once. Using several muscle groups enables you to lift more weight and pushes you to use muscles together. Moreover, you also have to train heavy. It’s efficient and effective as it challenges the muscles eccentrically and concentrically.
3. Drink Protein Shake Before Your Workout
Researchers have found that weight lifters who consume a protein shake that contain carbs and amino acids before working out boosted protein synthesis more than those who drank their protein shake after the workout. You’ll need about 10 to 20 grams of protein for your shake so that’s about a scoop of protein powder.
4. Go for Progressive Overload To Continually Challenge Your Body
A major key to building muscle is pushing your body to handle bigger challenges progressively. Most gym-goers in general think that what this means you must lift heavier weights in every workout. But this isn’t entirely accurate. Don’t just aim to add weight on each set but also work to improve in each set. So you might be doing 10 reps again tomorrow but this time do it with a better or sharper form.
5. Maximize Your Time Under Tension
One way to progressively overload your muscles is to increase your “time under tension”. Basically, you’re muscles are working when under “tension” from the weight. Your biceps aren’t under tension if you stand holding dumbbells at your sides, but when you start to curl them upwards, then there’s “tension” there. Use this to your advantage and instead of merely lifting and lowering the dumbbell, you lift at a specific tempo. For example, you can lift quickly (half a second) and then lower slowly (3 seconds).
6. Get Enough Sleep
During sleep, your muscles are recovering. It’s also when you sleep that the hormones responsible for muscle growth are secreted. At the bare minimum, you should get 6 hours of sleep if your goal is to build muscle.