How to Put on Muscle - The Basics Of Weight Training
To put on muscle take a look at the following points. These can be described as the basics of weight training and should all be followed in order to put on muscle and maximise the results of your weight lifting routine. You should:
Eat 5-6 meals a day to put on muscle
Eating 5-6 meals a day will supply your body with a constant flow of nutrients coming from a wide variety of sources. This helps the body to recover from strenuous workouts and may also help speed your metabolism up throughout the day. Eating 5-6 meals a day also gives you the opportunity of supplying the body with quality calories in the form of carbohydrates, protein and fats helping to maximise muscle gains. Eating 5-6 meals a day is not required to put on muscle but look at it this way. If your consuming 5-6 small meals/snack a day it is going to make it a lot easier to meet both your daily calorie and protein requirements. If you tried meeting your calorie and protein requirement over the course of 2 or 3 meals it is going to be a lot harder if not impossible. With only 2-3 meals a day you will need to consume far larger meals which can prove difficult for some.
Consume 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight to put on muscle
When participating in strenuous activity such as weight lifting, your body’s nutritional needs will increase. Due to the pounding your muscles take during each workout, additional nutrients are required to help your body recover and put on muscle. One of which is going to be protein. Protein is a key nutrient when participating in any form of exercise as it helps to build and repair muscle. Try Consuming At Least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Protein is commonly known as the building block for muscles. It is made up of chains of amino acids that are used by our bodies to help us grow muscle, hair, nails and even skin.
Eat 250-500 calories over your maintenance level to put on muscle
In order to put on muscle, our bodies require extra calories. You should look to eat around 500 calories above your body’s maintenance level on a daily basis in order to start noticing results. Remember we are looking to add weight to our bodies in the form of muscle so additional food and calories are needed. Muscle weighs more than fat so don’t be surprised whilst weighing yourself to notice an increase in weight. Chances are you will put on a bit of fat as well as muscle when undergoing a weight training program. This is perfectly normal.
Get sufficient amounts of carbs, protein and fats to put on muscle
Calories in your diet should be made up of roughly 55% carbohydrates, 35% protein and 10% fats. Dont worry too much about following these ratios just keep it simple and ensure you get the majority of your calories from carbohydrates, protein and fats in that order. The carbs coming from your diet will give you the energy to carry out, maintain and recover from your workouts. Carbohydrates are the bodies preferred source of energy and the majority should ideally be coming from complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly overtime whereas simple carbohydrates are best suited for after your workouts as they are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. Protein will of course aid your muscles recovery and help to build new blocks of muscle whereas healthy fats carry out important functions in our body and should not be neglected.
Keep reps in the range of 5-12 to put on muscle.
Doing endless amounts of reps during a set looking to put on muscle is a complete waste of time. Muscle mass is built around The rep range of 5-12. For instance, if you can lift a 20lbs dumbbell for 10-12 reps, you then need to increase the weight by an additional 2-5 pounds and try completing those reps again the following workout. This method of training is known as progressive overload and should be incorporated into every weight lifting routine. Progressive overload will build muscle and strength overtime as long as the correct diet is followed to allow your body to grow. A higher number of reps are mainly associated with muscular endurance sports such as rowing.
Get enough rest to put on muscle!
Rest? Yes you read it correctly. Rest is another key factor when working out with weights, as it is with many other sports. Firstly, you should try and get as much sleep as you possibly can as the body carries out a number of important functions when we are asleep. Muscle is actually built whilst we are asleep so bear this in mind when deciding upon another late night. How much do you need? It’s hard to tell but as long as you are getting around 7-8 hours of sleep a night, you should be fine. You will also need to be getting enough rest between workouts. Now as a beginner or even if you’re a bit more experienced, it’s best to work each muscle group once per week, maybe twice if you are a more experienced weight lifter. This workout/workouts should be intense and include at least 3 sets of 3 exercises to put on muscle.
Vary workouts to put on muscle
This point relates to the subject of Progressive overload. After sticking with the same training routine for a set period of time and performing the same number of reps, sets or exercises you will need to change it. You dont need to totally revamp your workout but try making small changes such as increasing the number of reps completed, adding extra weight to your barbell or substituting a certain exercise for a totally different one. Always look to improve from your last workout whether it is performing an extra rep or adding additional weight to a dumbbell/barbell lift, try your best to do it. The more you improve the stronger you will get and the more muscle you will put on.
Drink 2-3 litres of water a day to help put on muscle
Water is an important part of any diet and should be consumed on a regular basis. 2 litres is a good amount to shoot for. Water helps to flush the body of harmful toxins and eliminates waste. Around two thirds of our bodies are made up of water and without it our bodies simply cannot function. Water will help the body function at full capacity which will have a good effect on both your training and general health.
Get out of bed at a reasonable hour to help put on muscle
This may sound silly but is true. You should get up at a reasonable hour in order to give your body the chance of consuming all the meals you have planned for the day. This way you’re not cramming all your meals into a small time frame.
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