If you want to get more muscular and stronger or even become better at sports, the chances are you want to see real results as soon as possible.
However, putting on muscle is a bit more complicated than simply pumping weights. You need to have a solid weight training program as well as change your diet and lifestyle.
So, we will now look at a couple of muscle-building tips and strategies to help you with your goal.
1. Do Multi-Joint Exercises
One of the most effective ways to build muscle is through resistance training. This is especially true if you use compound movements such as the bench press, pull up, squat, lunge etc.
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Even though you can build muscle with different types of exercise, doing multi-joint exercises like the ones listed above will give you the best results. This is according to Michael Ormsbee who is the Institute of Sports Science and Medicine Interim Director located at the Florida State University.
When you do compound exercises, they cause the largest uptick in testosterone which is crucial for building muscle.
2. Lifting Heavy Isn’t Enough
When you perform explosive exercises such as sprinting or lifting weights, this affects your type II muscle fibers. That said, your type I muscle fibers are also important. These slow-twitch fibers can also help you to grow so make sure you still exercise them.
It is best to work your type I muscle fibers at least once or twice per week. This can be done by doing resistance training at lower weights and higher repetition ranges. For example, you can lift a lighter weight for 15+ reps and do at least 3 or 4 sets.
3. Sleep
You should aim to sleep at least 7 hours every night. If you don’t get enough sleep then you can negatively impact your protein synthesis which means that your muscle growth will slow down. A lack of sleep will also cause muscle degradation which is the opposite of your goals.
Additionally, if you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t benefit much from your human growth hormone levels. These typically rise dramatically when you’re deep in sleep. If you have issues sleeping or staying asleep, make sure to try a couple of natural remedies.
4. Be Responsible About Weight Increases
It is well known that in order to grow your muscles you need to challenge them. However, you do need to be cautious about how you do so. According to Thomas Paddock, of Home Gym Reviews if you start to increase the weight you lift too drastically, this can cause you to get injured. However, if you increase your weights too slowly, then this can cause you to stop getting good results or you may even stop seeing results altogether.
As a result, you need to achieve a good balance. You should ensure that you’re always lifting with good form and once you can easily perform the last few repetitions of any exercise, this means you need to up the weight.
5. Don’t Forget to Recover
Your muscle will actually grow and get bigger in the recovery time between your workouts as opposed to when you’re actually working out. So, you should aim to eat a lot of protein and avoid overtraining. You should always have at least one or two rest days every week so that your muscles can recover.
According to Ormsbee, if you train too hard too often and avoid resting, you can negatively impact your muscle growth.
Therefore, you should aim to have at least one or two rest days during the week which will allow your muscles to recover and get stronger. You can make use of your rest days by doing fun activities like cycling or hiking or even yoga.
Once you remain focused and consistent with your workouts, intensity as well as rest, you will achieve your goals.
6. Load Up On The Protein
When you lift weights, you will have to eat more protein so that your body can easily repair your muscles and grow new muscles. According to Charles LaRosa of Prepared Cooks, protein is made up of amino acids which are critical for building muscle.
So, when you are planning out your meals, you should aim to have at least 20 grams of protein in each meal since this is the best amount for growth. According to research, the human body doesn’t process more than this amount at a time. So, once you consume around 80 grams of protein every day, then this should be sufficient for you.
In order to figure out the specific amount of protein you should eat, aim to get between 0.5 to 0.9 grams of protein per lb of your weight. Of course, this depends on how intense you exercise.
If you truly want to build as much muscle as quickly as possible, then you should strive to consume more protein and eat a couple of extra protein-filled meals or snacks throughout your day.
