Has the new normal affected your physique like millions? Dream of Muscle gain seems quite far away. Closing of gyms for months, working from home and irregular eating habits have hampered the fitness goals of millions of people across the world. Whether it is muscle loss or unhealthy gains, people have struggled to maintain their fitness during the past six months. Things become more difficult for fitness enthusiasts or bodybuilders preparing for competitions like Mr. Olympia. People tend to overdo certain things just to meet their goals in time and building healthy muscles at a fast pace is one of those goals. Failing in meeting these goals may lead to frustration.
There is no rocket science about building muscle mass but sticking to that basic sometimes appears to be one of the most difficult things. Caloric surplus, protein and carbohydrates rich diet and proper workout are the few things that will help you in healthy muscle gain irrespective of your body type and workout time. The basics are always the same whether you are a beginner or a bodybuilder. But, there are some small points that further escalate the muscle breaking and building process. If you manage to make all these small things fall in place, the muscle building will follow.
Several international studies have proved that your muscles witness visible changes after 10 days to 2 weeks of strength training. A good diet complements these changes and the progress acts as an encouragement to push yourself harder. The question is, how can you increase the pace of muscle building to reach your goal? After a lot of brainstorming, I’ve compiled a list of 6 such points that can play a critical role in muscle building.
Good Sleep
A lot of people work hard at the gym, are always on caloric surplus and yet fail to meet their goals. The reason is that they ignore another important aspect of bodybuilding that is getting good and uninterrupted sleep. When you work out, your muscle tissues break. Proteins help your muscles in recovering and reforming. But for this to happen, your body needs to digest the food, break down the proteins for absorption. Sleep is essential for the process of recovery and better protein absorption. Make sure that you get an uninterrupted sleep of 7 to 8 hours after having your dinner.
Consistency
Consistency is the key in anything you do and weight training is no different. You need to be both patient and consistent for a healthy muscle gain as it does take time. If you go to the gym 6 days a week, you should do weight training at least 4 of the 6 days. Train each muscle group twice in a week and be consistent in terms of the weights and the reps you hit. Consistency will help you in establishing a muscle mind connection and your muscles will respond better to the training.
Form Over Weight
Do not take “Go Heavy or Go Home” too seriously. Yes, lifting heavy weights is the key to forcing your muscles to grow but the form is equally important. There’s no point in lifting weights until the form is not right. There’s a reason you hit different muscle groups on different days and if those muscle groups are not engaged due to improper form, all your hard work is going into vain. Proper form is very necessary to train your muscles without tiring your body. It is also important to avoid injuries.
Eating Protein
For muscle building, protein is the most important of all the nutrients. Based on your diet preference, prepare a diet chart and make sure that you are consuming 0.8 to 1.0 grams of protein per kg of body weight. Make sure that a good share of your protein intake is consumed in the breakfast meal itself. A heavy breakfast is key to healthy gains. You need to be packed up with protein and carbs in the morning itself for satisfactory performance at the gym.
Also Read, Stuck With No Muscle Growth?: These 8 Mistakes Might Be The Reason
Caloric Surplus
I can’t put more emphasis on this point. Whether you are a beginner or an expert bodybuilder, remaining in caloric surplus is the key to healthy gains and every trainer will tell you this. If you are someone with a fast metabolism rate and find it difficult to put on weight, this point is even more important for you. Instead of having a heavy meal, try to eat your calories in 5 to 6 small meals at regular intervals. This will help in healthy gains without affecting your digestive system.
Rest
Another important point for building muscles is taking proper rest. Rest and workout complement each other. You can not ignore one and completely rely on the other one. Whether it is the rest between two sets, rest after you reach home from the gym or good sleep, proper rest is necessary for refuelling the energy consumed during the workout. It is also vital for proper recovery of muscle tissues after their breakage during the workout.
