Building muscle is an ultimate goal for many people who begin a fitness journey. Muscle growth is key if you want to feel stronger, look better, and live an overall healthier lifestyle.
If you want to build some muscle or you’re curious about the ins and outs of muscle building, check out this guide!
How it works
Muscle growth happens when your muscles undergo work. When you train your muscles, microscopic tears form in their fibers. As these tears heal, your muscles grow and get stronger.
With proper rest and consistent training, your body will change and get stronger. Consistency is the key. Try to train 2-3 times a week to start and gradually increase your workload if you like it.
Benefits of muscle strength
The benefits of having muscle strength are endless. For one, it makes your life outside of the gym a lot easier. You’ll have more energy and performing tasks that require strength will be a walk in the park.
Training for muscular strength can also help you maintain a healthy bodyweight. It can increase your metabolism. Feeling strong can also do wonders for your confidence and feeling of self-worth.
The Three Keys:
Strength training
This is the most obvious requirement for building muscle. You have to do some kind of strength training. The only way you are going to build your muscles is if you train your muscles.
Strength training can come in a variety of different forms. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve weightlifting, though weightlifting is beneficial for your overall health throughout your life. Bodyweight training (exercises such as pushups, dips, and pullups) is a great way to train strength.
The key to strength training is to train with a progressive overload. What this means is every time you train you want to push your muscles harder. Focus on nailing down proper form. Add more weight, squeeze out a few more reps, or both! If you do this over a long period of time, you will build muscle.
Sleep and rest
You absolutely need to have proper recovery in between sessions of strength training. Overtraining will actually slow down your progress. When you are sore and your muscles haven’t recovered properly, you’re less likely to be able to properly move. You are more likely to experience an injury.
Most research suggests allowing 48 hours to let your muscles recover fully before training them again. Many strength programs train different muscle groups on different days to train each body part more efficiently.
Sleep is also very important. When you sleep, your body produces hormones that help you build muscle. Most research recommends 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night.
Nutrition
We’ve talked about it plenty of times on this blog, but you can’t outwork a bad diet. If you are serious about building muscle, you need to fuel your body the right way.
Protein, protein, protein. Protein is the fuel your muscles need to recover, grow, and sustain new mass. Without enough protein, you’ll find your progress in the gym is limited. Try to eat between 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Get your protein from quality meats like chicken and fish.
Carbs and healthy fats are also important. Use these to fuel your workouts. Overall, you should aim for a well-balanced diet with lots of protein.
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