Have you ever wondered what the true key to gaining muscle mass is?
Because, believe it or not, gaining muscle mass is harder than losing fat; it requires a lot of effort, technique, focus, and consistency. We have prepared a guide to answer all your questions about muscle development and discover practical tips on nutrition and physical exercise.
Keep your goal in mind; be very determined when you enter the gym. Your mission should be to challenge your muscles so that each repetition is stronger, as your muscles need significant overstimulation to grow.
Train heavy. This may sound very basic and repetitive, but it is the most basic thing. If you don't progressively increase the weight you lift, it's very likely you won't grow. To grow, you need to develop strength, and you achieve strength by training HEAVY. You must understand that your muscle grows due to a phenomenon called overcompensation. When we train heavy, micro-tears occur in the muscle fibers, and your body, through overcompensation, regenerates these fibers, making them stronger for potential new attacks, thus generating hypertrophy and increasing your volume.
Intensity and volume. When I talk about intensity and volume, I mean taking advantage of your training time. Doing 1 or 2 exercises per muscle won't help you achieve your goals; you need to do 3 or 4 exercises per muscle. You'll achieve this by shortening the rest time between each set, pushing your body to the highest possible physical activity. This way, you'll use more muscle fibers that you might not have been using or stimulating before. This will generate overstimulation and force your muscles to grow. So, try to vary your exercises every six weeks. Aim for 3 to 4 effective exercises for each muscle you work.
Compound exercises. Yes, this type of exercise is very important, whether for losing fat and accelerating metabolism, as I mentioned in one of my articles, or for building muscle. Why does this happen? Simply because you engage several muscles with the same exercise.
Something we must keep in mind is to BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT OUR goals. Why do we emphasize this? Because many of us want strategies to lose fat and then alternate with gaining muscle, and at the same time, we want definition. By doing this, we become inefficient in all aspects. It's very rare to see someone lose fat and gain muscle mass at the same time, because these are two different processes. To lose fat, you need a caloric deficit, while to gain muscle mass, you need to increase your caloric intake. On the other hand, you shouldn't
do cardio, as cardio burns a lot of calories and prevents hypertrophy. You need an anabolic environment to grow, and cardio will prevent this from happening. I know many will be afraid of gaining fat while gaining muscle; this can happen, but the increase will not be significant, and for it to be so, you must be careful where your calories come from. What will happen is that you will retain a little more fluid because you are increasing your carbohydrates. My recommendation is not to start a bulking plan if you are not at your ideal weight and with a good body fat percentage.
Use free weights like barbells and dumbbells much more than machines. Machines are more recommended for beginners or those who want to lose fat but preserve the muscle they already have. Barbells and dumbbells use more muscles, as working with them requires us to maintain balance, improve posture, and your body is under more tension, leading to overstimulation. As I've already mentioned, overstimulation is the key to growth.
Rest. Yes, rest is something that should not be missing in either a fat loss plan or a muscle gain plan. Muscles grow during rest, so you should sleep between 7 and 8 hours. When you reach deep sleep, growth hormone is secreted, which will help your muscles grow and keep your body fat percentage low. Don't forget your rest days from training.
If you want to grow, you need to modify your diet. There must be an increase in calories, but be careful, those calories must provide a good amount of nutrients. If you start eating any type of food uncontrollably, you will not achieve your goal; on the contrary, your body fat percentage will increase. Your diet should include protein in every meal, complex carbohydrates, fruits, and good fats. Before training, I recommend a carbohydrate like oatmeal, fruit, among others + 1 serving of high-biological-value protein. Immediately after training, you can consume protein powder or another high-biological-value protein + a carbohydrate. You need to take advantage of the stable hormonal environment so it won't be stored as fat; instead, your muscle will use it for recovery.
Drink plenty of water. Since you're increasing your carbohydrate and protein intake, you need to consume more water. It will help with protein synthesis and toxin elimination.
Finally, I recommend BEING CONSISTENT AND PATIENT. Developing muscle mass is not something that happens overnight; it requires work and dedication. Avoid the quick path, which involves using substances that will cause severe damage. Remember that hard-earned muscle will last longer and provide you with health.