Learning how to build muscle fast is easy, putting it into practice is the hard part. Most people think that if you lift more, you will gain more muscle mass. This is simply not the case.
Building muscle has as much to do with diet as training, if not more.
You can’t build muscle without a calorie surplus, just like you can’t build muscle without resistance training.
To build muscle fast, you need to optimize your diet and training regimen. Here’s how to do it.
1. Avoid low-carb diets
While low-carb diets are great for cutting fat, they won’t help you gain muscle mass. You need carbohydrates for fuel so you can exercise more efficiently.
Carbohydrates are important before training sessions and immediately after training sessions. Carbohydrates are your main muscle fuel.
By consuming complex carbohydrates, you restore the glycogen stores within your muscles.[1] for increased activity and fullness. This is an important factor in the effectiveness of a training session.
2. Avoid all alcohol
Alcohol, even in small amounts, can have important effects on sleep and recovery. In a 1980 study, alcohol in small doses (0.8 g/kg) before bedtime suppressed plasma growth hormone by 70-75%.[2].
If you add the effects of dehydration and cortisol release, it’s nothing but a recipe for disaster.
3. Get more protein
There is a lot of confusion surrounding protein these days. One item says you don’t eat enough, the other says you eat too much.
So what is the key?
For moderately active and very active adults, it is reasonable to consume about 2-3 grams of protein for each kilogram of body weight.[3]
Studies show that consuming too much protein has an extremely low chance of negative side effects. Furthermore, protein is essential in many bodily functions.
4. Lift heavy weights
Protein alone cannot build muscle. To really increase size, you need to lift heavy weights. Or use your body weight to achieve the desired resistance.
In the gym, you might focus on lifting 6 sets of 6 reps with a weight heavy enough to hit failure on the last two sets. This should be enough to make some serious profits.
5. Switch up your workouts
This does not necessarily mean changing exercises. Vary your sets and reps, rest time, and intensity. This will help you break those dreaded plateaus.
I hope this list will help you achieve your desired physique. But this can only help you if you continually take daily action. Avoid analysis paralysis and get down to business.
References:
1. Louise M Burke, Bente Kiens, and John L. Ivy
Carbohydrates and fats for training and recovery
Pages 15-30 | Accepted August 7, 2003, published online: February 18, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0264041031000140527
2. Prinz, PN et al., The effect of alcohol on sleep and nighttime plasma cortisol and growth hormone concentrations, J. Clin. Endocrine. Metabol., 50(4), 759-764, 1980
3. Paul Hovan Jr., May 10, 2016
https://www.issaonline.edu/blog/index.cfm/2016/how-much-is-too-much-protein-myths-busted
