When you think about becoming the happiest and healthiest version of you, what do you think about?
Weight loss?
Confidence?
Endurance?
Strength and muscle growth?
If one of your fitness goals is to build muscle, improve strength and ultimately gain a healthy amount of weight, there are a few key do’s and don’t that should be on your radar.
DO’S:
EAT. EAT. EAT.
To effectively build strength, build muscle and gain some weight, you have to eat. Your muscles require fuel to grow and that fuel is food… and lot’s of it. Avoid a caloric deficit and ensure you are eating a balanced diet. Your meals should feature vegetables and legumes, carbohydrates, healthy fats and of course, protein.
STRETCH IT OUT.
If you are working out multiple days a week with a focus on strength and resistance training, it is imperative that you prioritize stretching. Take the time to work through the muscles that you have strained and potentially overworked. Consistently stretching will help to lengthen muscle tissue and improve flexibility, making for better range of motion, in addition to combating lactic acid build up.
QUALITY SLEEP
To sustainably and effectively increase muscle mass, sleep has to be as much of a priority as getting to the gym. Protein synthesis, hormone regulation and tissue growth and repair all happen while you are sleeping. Make it a point to get in bed at a time that will allow you to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep. If you are someone who has a hard time staying asleep or if you wake up feeling lethargic, introduce a dietary supplement sleep formula.
DIVERSIFY YOUR TRAINING.
The key to muscle growth is not to lift heavy weights every single day. Your body requires a mix of strength and resistance training, in addition to active recovery days to increase its muscle mass. This means not doing the same thing everyday. Welcome a training regime that promotes a blend of heavy weight/low reps, low weight/high reps, HIIT workouts, and even cardio-vascularly challenging workouts like boxing.
DON’TS:
MAX OUT.
If you are looking to gain muscle mass, your goal should not be to max out on the weight you lift in all of your training sessions. If you push your body to its extreme time and time again, your body will have a harder time recovering and will be far more prone to injury.
TAKE LOW-QUALITY SUPPLEMENTS.
There is a right way and a wrong way to take dietary supplements to support your health and fitness goals. If your goal is to gain muscle and build strength, protein supplements should be a go to. It is essential that you find a high-quality protein supplement that is easily digested and a complete protein source.
MOVE TOO FAST.
When lifting weights, focus on not moving too fast through your reps. Yes, this will increase the burn, but it will also increase mechanical tension, metabolites build up and hypertrophic growth -- each of which are key to increasing your muscle mass.
REST TOO LONG.
Don’t rest too long during your weight lifting sessions. In fact, you should rest no more than 60 seconds between your sets if your goal is to build strength and gain muscle.