Over the past few months a lot of people have been asking me how they can build up muscle. In this post we are going to discuss three key ways to put on the muscle mass that you’re looking for:

1. Rest
2. Diet
3. Workouts

1. Rest

You might be thinking, “Rest? What is rest going to do for me?” Well, rest can do a lot for anyone who is attempting to gain muscle mass. Growth happens when your body is at rest, but remember that you have to put the hard work in at the gym to get the most from your rest. After you are finished with your activities for the day, get to sleep! There is no need to be up until late at night. Get to bed and let that growth take place.

2. Diet

Diet is very important to the muscle building process. What you need to understand is that, through diet, you are not just going to gain weight (fat)—you will gain muscle mass.

Everyone has a metabolism. Now think of this metabolism as a base line to regulate your dietary intake. Say your individual metabolism requires 2500 calories a day. If you eat 2000 calories a day you’ll lose weight, and if you eat 3000 calories a day you’ll gain weight.

A very important point: don’t just fill up on any old food. Eat healthy and balanced! The ratio that most people use to gain weight is:

• 50% carbohydrates (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, etc)
• 20% protein (chicken breast, fish, turkey, etc)
• 30% healthy fats, fruit and veggies (olive oil, nuts, etc)

3. Workouts

The most fun part of gaining muscle is the workout. When trying to gain muscle focus on the big muscle groups. Do workouts like squats, dead-lifts, barbell row, benching. The big muscle groups are where the heavy muscle is. Also, most of the movements are power lifts. You will need to keep the reps to a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6. Do not do a high number (like 15) of repetitions—this builds endurance, not muscle mass. Lift hard and get the muscle you’re looking for.

In Summary…

• Start by getting adequate rest. Get to bed before midnight.
• Go above your nutritional baseline, but eat a balanced, high-calorie diet.
• Do some heavy lifting on those big muscle groups.

Note: with this plan you will gain the muscle mass that you’re looking to gain!

Edited by Melissa Lechler