When most people think of building muscle and gaining weight, it seems like quite a long process with a lot of work involved. However, generally this is because people aren't really sure of the best techniques to use or the latest research involved, which can comparatively speed up the process. You can consistently see results while moving forward to reach your fitness goals.
- To grow muscle, eat more protein
Exercise and training break down your muscles.
Protein builds them back up. And the harder your lifting workouts, the more important of the muscle-building foods to consider is protein intake to solidify recovery.
According to research from the University of Striling, for optimal protein growth, weight lifters need to eat 0.25 to 0.30 grams of protein per kilogram body weight per meal. For a 175-pound person, that works out to 20 to 24 grams of protein at every meal. You'll get that in three to four eggs, a cup of Greek yogurt, or one scoop of protein powder.
- Increase your training volume
Training volume is your number of reps multiplied by your number of sets, is a primary determiner of hypertrophy. And to increase volume, you may actually need to go lower in weight than you might guess!
To get the volume your muscles need, it is recommended to perform each of your lifts for three to six sets of 10 to 20 reps.
- Decrease between set rest intervals
If you touch your phone between exercise sets, it better be to set its timer to 30 to 90 seconds. When lifting for hypertrophy, rest periods of 30 to 90 seconds encourage a quick release in muscle building hormones while also making sure that you really, truly fatigue your muscles.
Research published in the journal of applied physiology last year suggests that, irrespective of rep and set scheme, fatiguing your muscles is a prerequisite for hypertrophy. Don't be afraid to feel the burn.
- Try Supplementing with Creatine
Creatine helps in growing muscle by boosting your performance at high intensity lifting workouts, the natural compound effectively promotes muscle growth, according to the journal of the international society of sports nutrition.
In fact, in one journal of strength and conditioning research review, researchers concluded that, at a given weight, supplementing with creatine can help you lift 14 percent more reps than you can sans supplements.
For the best results, opt for creatine monohydrate, the most thoroughly researched form of the supplement.
- Get more sleep
Muscle recovery requires more than the right nutrition. It takes time of roughly eight hours per night dedicated to recovery. After all, when you sleep, your body releases human growth hormone, which helps grow muscle and keeps levels of the stress hormone cortisol in check.
Plus, according to a study in the journal of the American Medical Association, sleeping for five hours, as opposed to eight hours, per night for just one week cuts muscle-building testosterone levels by a whopping 10 to 15 percent.
The national sleep foundation recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 sleep seven to nine hours per night.
Now, when you know the above mantras to gain muscle. It is time to keep them in mind and implement them consistently to see the results coming!
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