Building muscle mass is very difficult – everyone knows that. Yes, you go to the gym and lift iron, but if you want to gain weight and muscle, you need a plan that goes beyond a random set of dumbbells and multiple sets on all machines. “Workouts without a plan just won’t get you to your goals,” says Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel. “You need a strategy.” T
his strategy should not be so rigid that there is no room for fun. On the contrary, you can still enjoy good food and you don’t have to spend hours in the gym if you train smart. In this article, we will provide ten working tips for gaining muscle mass, which will be useful for both beginners and those who have reached the training plateau.
Maximize Protein Synthesis
The more protein your body builds up—in a process called protein synthesis—the more your muscles grow. But your body is constantly depleting its protein stores for other purposes, such as hormone production. The result is less protein available for muscle building.
To counter this, you need to “make new proteins faster than your body breaks down old proteins,” says Michael Houston, professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech. Aim for about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight, which is about the maximum amount your body can use per day.
For example, a 160-pound person should consume 160 grams of protein per day – the amount he would get from a 230-gram chicken breast, 1 cup cottage cheese, a roast beef sandwich, two eggs, a glass of milk, and 60 grams of peanuts. Divide the rest of your daily calories equally between carbohydrates and fats.
Eat more
In addition to having enough protein, you need more calories. Use the following formula to calculate the amount you need to take daily to gain 2kg per week:
- Your weight: _____
- Multiply A by 12 to get basic calorie requirements: _____
- Multiply B by 1.6 to estimate resting metabolic rate (calories burned without taking into account exercise): _____
- Multiply the number of minutes you spend per week doing strength training by 5: _____
- Multiply the number of minutes per week you spend doing cardio, cycling, or playing sports by 8: _____
- Add D and E and divide by 7: _____
- Add C and F to get daily calorie requirements: _____
- Add 500 to G: _____.
This is your estimated daily calorie intake to gain 2kg per week. Give yourself 2 weeks for the results to show on the scale. If you haven’t gained by this time, increase your calories by 500 a day.
Work comprehensively
Yes, big biceps are great, but if you want full-body musculature, you need to challenge your body. And one of the keys to this is to work through the so-called “multi-joint” exercises. “Yes, isolation training has value,” says Samuel, “but it cannot be the core of your program.” Instead, you should perform exercises that affect several groups of joints and muscles at once.
Take, for example, a row of dumbbells: an ordinary visitor to the hall challenges the biceps, the broadest, and the press. Engaging multiple muscle groups at once allows you to lift more weight and is a key driver of muscle growth (more on that later). It also forces you to use the muscles together as you do in real life. “Multi-joint movements are key in your workouts,” Samuel says.
Make sure you include exercises like squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, and bench presses in your workout—all of which will stimulate multiple muscle groups at the same time to build mass. You can choose a suitable accessory (dumbbells, weights, or barbells) for strength training on our website in this section.
Weight is more important than reps
Not every set you do needs to be 10-15 reps. Yes, high rep sets can make a difference, but for multi-joint exercises like the squat and bench press, and deadlifts, don’t be afraid to do, say, 5 reps. “This will allow you to use more weight while building pure strength,” says Samuel.
As you progress, this new strength will allow you to lift heavy weights with more reps. One way you can approach this in training is to start with a low-rep exercise. Do 4 sets of 3-5 reps on the first exercise, then do 3 sets of 10-12 reps for all subsequent exercises. “It’s the best of both worlds,” says Samuel, “to build pure strength first and then build up reps.
Drink first
A 2001 study at the University of Texas found that athletes who drank a pre-workout shake containing amino acids and carbohydrates increased protein synthesis more than athletes who drank the same shake after exercise.
The shake contained 6 grams of essential amino acids—the muscle-building blocks of protein—and 35 grams of carbohydrates. “Because exercise increases blood flow to your working tissues, eating a carb-protein blend before exercise can lead to greater muscle uptake of amino acids,” says Dr. Kevin Tipton, an exercise and nutrition researcher at the University of Texas at Galveston.
For a shake, you’ll need 10 to 20 grams of protein—usually about one scoop of whey protein powder. Can’t digest protein drinks? You can get the same nutrients from a sandwich made with 115 grams of turkey with a slice of cheese on whole grain bread. But the drink is better. “Liquid meals are digested faster,” Kalman says. So drink a cocktail 30-60 minutes before your workout.
Related Article: Sports nutrition to increase strength, energy, and endurance
No need to “kill yourself”
Your body needs to move every day, but that doesn’t mean your workouts have to be to the point of exhaustion. “If you train hard every day, your body has no room to grow,” says Samuel. Strive to end each workout feeling good, not dead.
Limit your gym workouts to 12-16 full sets, and never go beyond that. This doesn’t mean you can’t do “violent” workouts often. But limit the workouts that push your body to breaking point to three per week and not one by one. “Muscles need time to recover to grow. Constantly training to exhaustion will be counterproductive,” says Samuel.
Post-workout carbs
Research shows that you will regenerate muscles faster on rest days if you feed your body carbohydrates. “After-dinner carbohydrate meals increase insulin levels, which in turn slows down the rate at which protein is broken down,” Kalman says. A banana, a sports drink, and a peanut butter sandwich are your best friends here.
Eat something every 3 hours
“If you don’t eat often enough, you can limit the rate at which your body makes new proteins,” Houston says. Take the required number of calories for the day and divide by six. This is about the amount you should be eating at every meal. Make sure you consume protein – about 20 grams – every 3 hours.
Some ice cream
This tip will be the easiest and most enjoyable to follow: Eat some ice cream 2 hours after your workout. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this snack triggers an insulin spike better than most foods. And it will curb protein breakdown post-workout.
Drink milk before bed
Eat a combination of carbs and protein 30 minutes before you go to bed. According to Kalman, the calories are more likely to stay with you while you sleep and reduce the breakdown of protein in your muscles.
Try a cup of bran with raisins and skim milk or a cup of cottage cheese with fruit. Eat again as soon as you wake up.
Lastly, “The harder you work, the better the results,” Kalman says. Drink this protein shake before every workout. Mix one scoop of protein with the following animal pack vitamins uk muscle-satiating ingredients: 1 teaspoon olive or flaxseed oil, 1/2 fat-free yogurt, and 1 g grape or apple juice. KJBU per shake: 335 calories, 27 grams of protein, 45 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of fat.
Choose the right inventory
Ineffective simulators can move you away from your cherished goal. We have selected five sports products that have shown high results in the development of muscle mass.
Giri. Due to the explosive style of exercises, kettlebell training perfectly pumps strength endurance, and muscular relief. Kettlebell training is a great solution for those who want to pump several muscle groups at once.
The work involves the dorsal, pectoral, and gluteal muscles, legs, arms, shoulders, and abs. Choose the weight of the kettlebell correctly: for beginners, it is better to start training with 8 kilograms for men and 4 kilograms for women, gradually increasing the load.
Professional athletes and experienced amateurs train with 16–24 kilograms and 8–16 kilograms, respectively.
The barbell is one of the best sports tools for gaining muscle mass. It allows you to take on heavier weights as strength increases, which directly affects the progress in mass gain.
The barbell squat is an exercise that develops the largest muscle group in the body, the lower belt. With competent squats, the power load is evenly distributed between the quadriceps and biceps of the thighs, it pumps the calves with the inclusion of the long back muscles.
The deadlift is a productive exercise for all muscle groups, including the latissimus dorsi, forearms, trapezius, posterior deltoid, biceps, back extensors, glutes, and thighs. For improved grip and a secure grip, we recommend the use of sports chalk when working with the barbell.
Home strength complexes are a great opportunity to equip an entire gym at home and work on strength and muscle mass at your own pace. Moreover, with the training complex, you no longer need an assistant (insurer) to safely perform some exercises. When training with complexes, you will regulate the degree of load by setting the desired number of weight discs on the lever.
