How to Gain Muscle Mass

If it were easy to gain muscle, everyone would be walking our streets looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. However, gaining muscle mass is a difficult process that takes time, energy and willpower.

In this article we’re going to explore how to gain muscle mass in the least amount of time. By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll have the basic knowledge and tools to begin gaining muscle at a remarkable rate.

Gaining Muscle Requires a Protein Rich Diet

Your diet is the single most important aspect muscle building. You can lift all day long, but if you don’t have a diet that’s both nutritious and full of protein, you’re basically wasting your time. Ideally, you should be consuming anywhere from 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. For example, if you weigh 170 pounds, you should be eating at least 150 grams of protein on a daily basis.

Not only does protein help your body create more muscle mass, but if you’re working out consistently, but not eating enough protein, you will actually lose strength and muscle mass, which you definitely don’t want.

Fresh vegetables, fish, poultry, lean cuts of beef, low-fat dairy products, eggs, protein shakes, whole grains and fresh fruits should be the staples of your diet if you want to gain muscle mass. High fat foods, foods high in preservatives and processed foods should be avoided at all costs.

In order to meet your protein requirements, you’re going to have to eat more than 2 or 3 meals per day. You should have something to eat every 3-4 hours, which means eating 5-6 meals every day. This will help keep your metabolism high, and allow you to meet the energy requirements of your body.

Gain Muscle Mass through Exercise

The quickest way of gaining muscle mass quickly is by doing exercises that work large muscle groups, such as your legs and upper body. Isolation exercises, such as the bicep curl, are fine for the seasoned bodybuilder, but not for the beginner.

Instead, focus on exercises that work more than one muscle, which will burn more calories, and obviously, target more muscles. For instance, the squat, bench press and lunge are prime examples of exercises that work large muscle groups.

When pondering how to gain muscle mass, you should also evaluate the frequency that you lift. In order to make significant gains in the muscle mass department, you should be lifting at least 3 times per week, on alternating days of the week. You should never lift using the same muscle on consecutive days. Your body needs time to repair the damage caused and to build more muscle.

Gain Muscle by Resting

The final thing you need to focus on the gain muscle is to make sure to get plenty of rest.  As mentioned above you should never train the same muscle two days in a row and should allow enough time for the muscle to repair itself and recover before working it out again.

Also, be sure that you are getting plenty of rest by sleeping at least 8 hours a night.  This is a crucial time for your body to recover and build muscle.  If you don’t get enough sleep you can end of overtraining and getting sick, which will take you out of the gym for one to two weeks.  You don’t want that to happen.

How do you gain muscle mass?

You do it by eating the right foods, at the right times, and by working hard in the gym, and getting plenty of rest and recovery time. That’s the real secret to success. If you do all three of these things, you’ll achieve your goal of having a fitter, well-muscled body in no time.

Still looking for that secret to muscle building success?  Check out all of our muscle building articles packed full of everything you need to build muscle fast.