Build Muscle – Have you been hitting the gym almost everyday yet failing to make those muscle gains you imagined when you first signed up? You’re not alone, plenty of people trying to build muscle quickly have trouble with figuring out what works to achieve the muscle hypertrophy they want to see in the mirror. Muscle hypertrophy is defined as the growth of muscle cells, the growth of these cells translate into larger, fuller muscles…the gains we all seek. One of the key components of building muscle quickly is getting the right Protein Powder that suits your diet and lifestyle, but that’s not all; below are six tried and true tips to build muscle quicker than you can say “deadlift.”
Get More Protein
To build muscle you need protein, there’s no way around it and sometimes we might not get enough in our daily diets. Supplementing with protein powder is probably the easiest way to make sure you’re getting enough to not just sustain your normal bodily functions but add on serious hard muscle. It is usually recommended to take in about 7g of protein per 20lbs of weight, this can be increased depending on your goals but your most opportune time to ingest protein powder drinks is during the anabolic window that exists 15 to 60 minutes after you workout as your muscles recover. Today, we have more available protein powder sources than just whey, there’s pea, egg, casein, hemp, mixed plant, and brown rice among others that will fit your diet requirements.
Slow Down
Of course we need to actually hit the gym to take advantage of protein powder, but we may need to slow down our movements to build muscle faster. It may sound strange but going slower increases hypertrophy faster, your workout movements have a hard phase (concentric) and an easy phase (eccentric), going “harder” on the “easy” return movement puts tension on the muscle groups being used. Take for instance the standard bench press, we exert plenty of force to get our chest and triceps to push the weight up, but by slowing down the return of that bar to your chest you’re engaging those same muscles and even others depending on the movement.
Do Compound Exercises
So you have your protein powder ready to go post-workout, you’re mentally prepared to tackle your workout at the gym, but what exercises are you going to do? Compound exercises are just what they sound like, they are movements that engage multiple muscle groups which make them at times the most difficult to master. Take for instance the squat, it is the bread and butter compound exercise that is guaranteed to build muscle fast if done right, it activates your core, works your lower body, and is sure to push you close to your limit. These compound movements allow you to lift more weight which is what’s needed to tire out your muscles for further growth.
Work Muscles More Often
Isolating muscle movements during workouts means that you might not hit them often enough to create more mass. To build muscle fast and take advantage of the protein shakes you’ve been ingesting try working out muscle groups two to three times a week if you’re not in the gym everyday. Doing an upper and lower body split while performing exercises multiple times a week will help trigger the hormones needed to make gains. You want to avoid overtraining but if you lower the reps and increase the weight you should be able to work until your muscles reach a healthy level of fatigue.
Rest and Recover
Speaking of the anabolic window, protein powder along with your workouts are most effective when you rest after a hard workout. The body needs to repair the strain put on your body from reaching your personal best the day prior, so take it easy. To grow muscle mass you have to take rest days, this is a time where you want whatever activities you perform to be less stressful on your muscles, trade the weight set for a long walk but don’t go carbohydrate crazy on your couch either.
Continue to Challenge Your Muscles
While building the temple that is your body, you must challenge yourself with new workouts and more weight. Hitting a plateau physically by doing the same routine at the same pace will keep you in shape but will decrease gains. Humans are able to adapt quickly so to get the most out of your workouts try having different sets of routines depending on the week that target different muscles and try more weight where applicable.
Go Make Gains!
Building muscle quickly can be easy if the correct steps are taken, with the listed tips above added into your workout you should be able to create the body you imagined when you first signed up to the gym. Protein powder, rest, compound exercises and new methods should be added to anyone’s routine to make the most out of a healthy lifestyle; it’s not just about how you look but how great you feel pushing yourself to the limit.