How to Gain Muscle More Efficiently

There’s a lot of garbage out there in the diet and fitness industry, but what really works? It seems to me that people like to overcomplicate things. There are a few simple truths, which I’m sure you’ve been told before, but if you don’t start with the basic truths when aiming for a fitness goal, you’re sure to miss.

For starters:  To gain muscle you must consume more calories than you burn! 

To gain muscle, you’re going to have to stress your muscles in a way they’re not use to; like lifting a heavy weight multiple times. This will create tiny tears in your muscles, which is why you feel sore a day or two after working out.  Your body thinks of this as a threat and repairs your muscle stronger than before.  They’ll be repaired strong enough that, if you were to do that same exact workout again at the same weight, your muscle wouldn’t tear this time.  

You need extra calories so you don’t feel weak during your workouts, so you can build more healthy tissue (muscle) and so you can hold onto your new muscle gains. Think of it as having a bigger engine. You’re going to have to consume more calories if you want to hold onto that muscle and not stall out.  It’s said that you must consume an extra 2,500 calories spread out over a week to gain a pound of muscle in that week, so you do the math. 

Don’t fill up on junk food though, because you really are what you eat. Help your body out by choosing healthy foods and it’ll be easier for you to construct a more muscular physique. And don’t be afraid to eat a little more than you normally would.  You’ll probably have a bigger appetite anyway. 

Protein is a key nutrient needed to build muscle, so make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet. If you aren’t getting enough protein from food sources then protein powders are a cheap and easy way to get a lot of protein. Just don’t get hooked on buying supplement after supplement. Sure, I’ve had some decent gains from using creatine and glutamine but it became an unneeded expense. They may help you get to your goal faster but are you going to take them forever? Once you stop taking them, you might be a little discouraged that you don’t progress the same as you use to. So, by doing things more naturally, there’s less of a chance for an upset down the road and you can have more pride in accomplishing your goals on your own. 

And I’d hope that you wouldn’t get discouraged whenever someone else is lifting way more than you in the gym; these things take time. Besides, if a 6 foot tall guy can bench press 300lbs he’s doing more work than a 5 foot tall guy would if he benched the same weight. Don’t pay so much attention to just the weight you’re moving; you also have to look at how far you’re moving the weight and how fast. The 6 foot tall guy probably has longer arms, which means he’ll have to move the weight farther. The farther you move the weight, the more work you put in. You also have to look at how much you weigh. If you and your friend have the same length arms, are both benching the same weight, but they weigh more than you then you’re stronger than them pound for pound. 

So I hope that after hearing this one more time that you’ll take it to heart and start actively making changes to your diet, not just your workouts.  Once you do, I think you’ll come to find that you’re reaching your goals a lot faster than you were before.   

If you want to learn 5 more steps you need to know in order to reach your fitness goals then go to http://www.dynamicplateautraining.com and get closer to your goals today!