3 Keys To Building Muscle Mass

I know that we typically hear people complaining that they cannot lose weight. Personally, I am on the other end of the spectrum. My struggle has always been to put on weight. After a lot of trial and error, I finally found something that worked for me. It breaks down into 3 simple categories.

Step 1 To Building Muscle - Exercise


If you are not breaking down muscle, how do you expect it to get stronger. More important than just exercise, you need to know how to exercise in the right way for building muscle. The key is strength training with variety, and increasing intensity. It is not enough to just go lift weights. You need to keep your muscles guessing. If your chest workout is the same every week, your body is going to adapt to it. You will plateau quickly, and your muscle growth will me minimum, if existing at all. In order to make sure that you are increasing your difficulty, it is important to keep track of what you are lifting. If you don't know what you did last time, how are you supposed to have a goal for this time. I suggest hitting 1-2 body parts each day that you workout. You can put together muscles that work together, such as chest and triceps, or you can work opposing muscles, such as chest and back, or biceps and triceps. remember that you are supposed to be mixing things up, so you can do 1 for a few weeks, and then switch to a different combo for a few more weeks.

Step 2 - Nutrition

I have had plenty of people tell me that if I want to gain weight, I needed to be drinking milk shakes and eating peanut butter all of the time. That will not help you gain the weight that you want to be gaining. If you want your muscles to grow, you need to feed them the right way. That means that you need protein, carbs and fats. Also, water, lots of water. The key is to prevent your muscles from starving. You should be eating something every hour or two. Think small to medium snacks with 3 good meals. Eggs, whole wheat toast and a glass of milk make a great breakfast. Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread with an apple or a salad is a simple, healthy lunch. Chicken with whole wheat pasta and vegetables is one of my favorite dinners. Drink water and eat fruit, vegetables and other healthy snacks throughout the day.

Step 3 - Rest To Build Muscle

It takes a lot of energy to build muscle. If you are not getting enough sleep, you are taking away the time that your body needs for optimal growth. Be sure that you are getting at least 7 hours each night. This will give your body time to rest and recover. Without that rest time, your body will struggle to recover, and you may be wasting your time lifting.

If you are looking for a simple to follow program, the one that helped me put on 12 pounds of muscle in 90 days, check out Body Beast. It is from the creators of P90X, Insanity, and more of the top fitness programs on the market. For more fitness tips, check out my Health and Fitness Blog.

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