Everything You Need to Know About Muscle Building

Packing on serious muscle mass takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Training properly while following the right routines and diets can make this journey a lot more bearable. Even though every individual’s body is different, there are some basic rules that everyone should follow. You will learn how and why different routines work, along with how foods and supplements can give you a head start.

Routines for Muscle Building

5×5 Workout Routine

The basic compound exercises are bread and butter of every strength training. 5×5 routine puts into focus basic movements such as squats, bench presses, deadlifts and rows to target your whole body. The main idea is to have one workout per day, three times per week. Those days are usually Monday/Wednesday/Friday, with a two-day rest on the weekend.

There is usually a total of 5 exercises, all done with a barbell for 5 sets and 5 reps. Without machines, it’s up to the trainee to balance the weight while going through the motion correctly, effectively working the whole body. The program is meant for both beginners – to help them build muscle quickly, and more advanced lifters – to help them break plateaus and increase the weight lifted.

Plan

You’re supposed to start light, about 50% of your total 5 rep max. With each exercise you manage to complete 5 reps for 5 sets, you’ll add 2,5kg/5lb to it on the next workout. Between each set, you should rest for about 90 seconds.

Why It Works

With free weights, you have to engage your whole body. For example, during the bench-press not only do your chest and arms work, but also your whole core and legs in an attempt to push up the weight.
You start light. This helps prevent soreness while not being too overwhelming in the beginning. Still, with the constant weight increase each week you’ll notice the results and avoid the annoying plateau.
There are enough rest days. Since compound movements are so complicated and activate your whole body, two days of training in a row could absolutely kill your gains. With three working days, your muscles get plenty of time to recover.

Bodybuilding Routine

Alongside training, successful bodybuilders follow a strict rest and nutrition regime. With every hard workout, the muscle fibers get torn up and need to be regenerated. Sleeping and resting help your body patch up those microtears more quickly, reducing the risk of injury and improving the overall performance.

Many bodybuilders also use a so-called push/pull/legs routine, where they train different body parts compared to the type of movement they do. Some train through bro-splits. Others train 4, 5 or even 6 days a week. It all depends on the person, and you’ll have to find out what works best for you. Overall, 5×5 strength training is a good, balanced program for anyone starting out.

Dieting and Nutrition

Calories

To build muscle, you have to be in a caloric surplus. This means consuming more calories than your body can burn. The key here is eating healthy, as binging on junk food will add more fat than muscle. There are different calculators to help you find out your ideal daily intake. Add slowly to that amount and see how your body reacts.

Protein

Protein contains essential amino acids, which help recover your muscles. Ideally, you should consume foods rich in protein both before and after your workouts. Some of those include eggs, brown rice, cottage cheese, etc. All of them are extremely simple to prepare and eat after your training.

Meats help tremendously when building lean muscle mass. Beef contains almost 30g of protein per 100g of meat, which is more than enough for newcomers.

Beginners are at most risk of not getting enough protein. You should aim for about .75 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

Carbs and Fats

Consuming complex carbohydrates will keep you full for a longer time and provide more efficient energy use. This includes beans, rice, and veggies. They are the main source of energy. Also, they help your body process protein much more efficiently. Complex carbs are highly important for muscle glycogen resynthesis, a muscle renewal process.

Healthy fats are contained in fish, nuts, cheese, etc. They actually help your body burn fatter, and insufficient intake can deprive your body of essential nutrients.

Avoid simple carbs at all costs. Those are found in sugar-rich foods, such as chocolate, sweets, and cookies. They have almost no nutritional value, and the insulin jump can make you feel exhausted.
Still, sugar is an essential part of post-workout recovery. Just make sure to choose foods rich in unrefined sugar, such as fruits.

Supplementation for Strength

Powdered Protein

We already discussed the importance of protein. They come in different powdered forms, including soy, pea, hemp and the most popular one, whey.

Whey in its powdered form contains approximately 25g of protein per scoop. For those with busy lives, the convenience of mixing it with water and drinking it is irreplaceable. It’s rich in BCAA, affordable and tasty.

Whey protein speeds up recovery after exercise and effectively boosts muscle growth. However, that’s the same effect that protein-rich foods have. Protein powders are just a lot more convenient and cheaper.

Creatine

Creatine effectively boosts the production of ATP, the most basic form of energy in your body’s cells. Along with that, it can slow down the loss of bone mass and boost the ability to perform more reps/exercises in the long term.

Our body resynthesizes at a faster rate, allowing it to sustain increased intensity with shorter rest periods. Studies show that it can improve mental performance by boosting the brain’s creatine levels, which increases a person’s awareness.

Foods high in creatine are fish, egg yolks and pork. The easiest and most efficient way to consume Creatine is via powdered supplement which is extremely cheap.

YK11

SARMsWorld state that this is known for its ability to stimulate muscle recovery, YK11 works by binding to myostatin, a type of protein. Myostatin limits and inhibits muscle growth, and YK11 breaks those limitations. It increases follistatin levels to enhance your body’s ability to produce muscle cells. You must look at the websites where SARMs for sale are available.

As with creatine, it also has an effect on bone health and strength. A lot of users have reported massive strength gains in just a couple of months by using YK11, which would otherwise take years. However, it should only be purchased from trusted sources while following correct dosages.

Final Thoughts

By combining proper training methods, right nutrition and supplementation you’ll see an increase in strength in no time. Keep in mind that if a routine works well for someone, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work well for you. Experiment try out new things and keep grinding.