So, you’re tired of being called “that skinny guy” and being frustrated at your skin-and-bones reflection in the mirror? It’s time to learn how to build muscle naturally and effectively. Here are just 7 simple secrets to help you achieve the mass you want.
Before we begin, a word of caution. This system will help you add weight. It’s great for those who want more meat on their bones and are not seeing results even after eating a lot, thanks to their fast metabolism. If you think you’ve already tried every idea under the sun, clear your mind and learn these powerful and effective methods to build muscle.
1. Train For Just An Hour Daily
Whatever you currently do for bodybuilding, keep on doing it. But limit your workout routines to an hour every day. The key to gaining weight and adding muscle is intensity rather than duration. If you focus on shorter, high intensity workouts, you’ll build muscle faster.
When you go longer than an hour, several hormonal changes kick in that will alter your metabolism in a way that makes it harder to gain muscle, because aminoacids start getting broken down to provide fuel (glucose) for your body’s energy.
2. Eat Regularly
Maybe you already think you eat too often. But that’s not what we’re talking about. To build muscle, your eating must become a regular habit. You don’t do it whenever you feel like eating. You do it on a schedule.
How quickly you metabolize food that you eat depends on your genetic make up. If you’re a fast metabolizer, you’ll burn up calories faster. With 3 high calorie meals, you will not have a sustained level of energy reserves in your body because the food will be digested and used up quickly. That’s why eating 5 meals daily at 2 to 3 hour intervals can ensure a more steady supply of nutrients around the clock. This matters when you’re looking to build muscle.
3. Take Supplements, But Don’t Depend On Them
Supplements are seductive. In our fast-paced world where everything is a rush, we love the simplicity and convenience of slipping a spoonful of supplement powder into a glass of milk, gulping it down, and considering our nutrient intake for the day complete.
But it won’t help you gain weight and add muscle if you rely on bodybuilding supplements for your entire dietary needs. Most supplements are designed to add water weight, not more muscle. Once you stop taking the supplement, you’ll lose the little weight you gained. The only supplements you should consider are protein powders. For the rest of your calorie needs, plan your bodybuilding diet and stick with it.
4. Count Your Calories
It sometimes feels as if you can’t put on weight regardless of how much you eat. That simply isn’t true. Every guide on how to build muscle advocates eating more protein and meeting your calorie needs. That’s for good reason – it works.
Keep a record of all that you eat in a week. Calculate the calorie value of this diet and compare it against your requirements. Sometimes you’ll need to replace an element in your regular diet with calorie-dense alternatives in order to meet your requirement. Whenever you’re not gaining weight and adding muscle, it’s because you are not providing your body with extra calories and protein necessary to build muscle.
5. Make Your Workouts Harder
We’ve already talked about the importance of keeping your workout sessions no longer than an hour. So how can you make them harder progressively? By increasing intensity.
There’s not much point in doing more reps at a level that you’re already comfortable. Instead, you should increase the load you’re lifting by adding on extra weights. As long as you are steadily progressing in the weight lifted in whatever bodybuilding program you follow, you’ll be able to build muscle.
6. Increase Your Rep Range
The biggest danger with any bodybuilding program or workout routine is hitting a plateau at which you become comfortable. You feel good about working out, but your muscles won’t develop beyond a point. That’s because you’re not progressively increasing the load on them.
Alter your rep range every 3 to 4 weeks to prevent this. You’ll place a new level of stress on your muscles, and they must grow to meet this added stress by becoming larger and stronger. Often, doing more reps can work better than doing an extra set or two in your workout.
7. Try Mass Gainers
Sometimes you just need a supplement. But not any old supplement, but a mass gainer. These are extremely rich in calories and can be taken as a shake. One drink could replace the calories from a substantial meal.
While mass gainers are a good option to boost your total calorie intake, you should not use them as an excuse to skip regular meals. You should have no less than 3 regular meals every day, and can take up to 3 shakes to make up any calorie and protein deficit.
There you have them. 7 secrets about how to build muscle quickly and effectively. Try them out and see the magic begin to unfold as your body bulks up and grows stronger. And to take it higher, sign up for a program like Muscle Gaining Secrets 2.0 by famed personal trainer Jason Ferruggia.