Putting on muscle sounds easier said than done. Some people have an easy time, while many have a hard time putting on muscle, largely due to body type. There are general rules to gaining quality muscle that one can follow if they are serious about putting on muscle. Here are some muscle gaining rules that will have you bulking up and getting stringer naturally.
Lift Weights to Gain Muscle
Resistance training is probably the best type of fitness training one can do if they want to increase the amount of muscle mass they have as nothing stresses a person’s muscles like lifting weights. There are many forms of weight training, such as free weights, power lifting, circuit training, body weight training, weight lifting machine and many more.
A usual rule of thumb when lifting weights is to use a rep range that targets you desired muscle gain goal. If you want to build muscle that is toned and built for higher endurance than aim for a rep rang of 15 – 20 reps as this will help build a resistance to lactic acid overload. If you want to gain some serious muscle mass, then aim for the 4-8 rep range as this will really rip your muscle thus causing major muscle growth. Make sure to watch the amount of overall rest you take between sets as this has a major impact on your overall muscle growth.
If you are working out in the higher rep range then take a rest of 30 seconds as this will keep your heart going like a race car, and if you are working out in the lower rep range then try resting for a minute to give you muscles time to recuperate from a hard weight lifting set. Remember that lifting weights is basically a form of stimulating muscle fibers.
When you start to lift weights, make sure you are always performing the exercises properly with appropriate form as well as start with compound exercises until you build a solid foundation. Eventually with progression in your weight training routine, you should naturally start using more free weights as they will burn more total calories and help build your stabilizer muscles. Developing string stabilizer muscles is important to gaining more mass, increasing strength and preventing injuries out of the gym.
Get a Good Amount of Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways to gain muscle as sleep gives your body a chance to fully recover as there are a tone of hormones released during sleep time. Try to aim for 8 solid hours of sleep, as anything less is not good for muscle gain.
Water, Drink Water to Gain Muscle
You are probably wondering “How can drinking water help me gain muscle”? Well, its simple, dehydration can lead to muscle loss as dehydration prevents muscles from being repaired. Proper hydration is important for building muscle as it helps transport all nutrients to repair your muscles after a hard day at the gym, on top of this drinking water helps remove all the waste produced by your muscles during a hard weight lifting workout. Another reason to drink water is that when eating protein to build muscle, the kidneys need to work overtime to process the access protein, water enables the kidneys to properly remove the access protein and prevent kidney damage by doing so.
Make sure you are Eating the Right Amount of Calories
Building quality muscle means that you need the right amount of calories to get the job done. You need a good amount of carbs, protein and fat to enable for the production of quality muscle. You need protein to build muscle, carbs to provide the energy to build muscle as well as digest and use the protein and fat to regulate hormone, joint and body functions.
Eat more meals to Gain Muscle and Lose Weight
You are probably looking at the screen now, thinking “How can I eat more to lose weight”? Well, the truth is that eating smaller, more frequent meals will speed up your metabolic rate as well as leave you feeling satiated all day long. Another benefit of eating several times a day is that you will always have a positive balance of nutrients entering your muscles so they never enter a state of catabolysis (a state where your body uses muscle for energy). Try eating every 2.5 to 3 hours to get the most pout of your meals and give your body enough to time to digest the entire meal and nutrient content.
Protein Builds and Repairs Muscles
Protein is extremely important for muscle growth as it is broken down by the body into amino acids that help build muscle. When you try to gain muscle, aim to eat between 0.7 – 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Following a high protein diet will definitely help you build more quality muscle. Try using several sources of protein as they all contain different amino acid proportions. Some excellent sources of protein are, beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, beans, soy protein, and whey protein.
Eat Fat to Gain Muscle
Eating a proper amount of quality fat will help produce hormones that will make you stronger, studies have even shown that eating fat will naturally increase overall testosterone. Weight lifters have been following the anabolic diet as it is an amazing strength increasing diet that is based around the consumption of fat on top of the standard carbs and protein diet. They types of fat you eat are important as you want to focus on eating unsaturated fats and not on eating saturated fats. Some great sources of unsaturated fats are fresh almonds, olive oil, flaxseed oil, flaxseed, canola oil, avocado, omega 3 fatty acid pills and Brazil nuts.
Antioxidants
When doing any type of exercise, your body will receive damage from free radicals. To protect your body from damage done by these free radicals it is essential that you take antioxidants. Try supplementing Vitamins such as Vitamins C, E, A, as well as Selenium, Lycopene, Green Tea, grape seed extract and Flavonoid rich foods (containing Vitamin P). Taking these antioxidants will help you recover quickly and leave your body healthy and strong.
Take a Daily Multivitamin
Getting your daily vitamin and mineral requirement can be difficult, so a great way to get these daily minerals and vitamins is to take a quality multivitamin. Weight training places stress on your entire body, so there will be a need to eat a nutritional diet plan, and taking a multi-vitamin ensures that you are getting the nutrients your muscles need to grow healthy and strong. Try aiming for a multivitamin that comes from a reputable trusted vitamin company.
Repetition is the Mother of all Skill
Building muscle is not an overnight process, it take s time. This said, it is important to set attainable small goals as it may take a long time to reach your muscle gaining goals. Many people often quit their weight training program because they do not see immediate results, but you need to remember that with a proper diet plan and workout routine, you will get to your goal of building quality muscle mass.