Maximum muscle gain

When it comes to building muscle, there are so many conflicting information that you might feel confused on where to start and how to start. So here in an article in which, I am going to put in place some of the most important strategies to consider while trying to gain muscle.

Positive calorie diet and frequent meals
The main place where most of the bodybuilders fail miserably is on diet. Working out in the gym is only half the equation. We break down the muscle tissue in the gym. If we do not provide it with proper nutrition at the right time, it will never grow. So in order to make the body to stay in anabolic state and to provide the muscles with nutrition consistently one must consume anywhere between 5-8 meals a day. The body must be provided with building materials every 2-3 hours during the day.

If we do not provide the body with extra calories, our body will never gain weight. So if you are planning to gain muscle and gain it fast, you have to consume a minimum of 10% more calories than what you require. This does not mean that you should resort to junk foods. You have to consume around one third of your calories from protein and two third from your complex carbohydrates and a very small quantity of fats. I ask to keep the fats low because fats are hidden in most of the food sources.

Protein - The base of muscle gain
Of the 3 major nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) protein is, without a doubt the most important nutrient for those who are looking to gain muscle size and strength. Protein is found in each and every cell of the body and its main role is to build and repair body tissue. Without sufficient protein intake, it will be impossible for your body to synthesize a significant amount of muscle mass. Imagine your body as a building under construction. Your workouts are workers and the main building material to build muscle is protein (like bricks for the building). If the workers don’t have bricks they will stop working. Similarly your workouts will go down the drain if you do not provide your body with adequate protein. So consume at least 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight when you want to improve your muscle mass and gain weight.

Focus on compound movements
If you want to make solid gains in muscle size and strength, you absolutely need to train with free weights and focus on basics. That is focus on the compound exercises. A compound exercise is any lift that stimulates more than one muscle group at a time. Examples of compound exercises are squat, dead lift, bench press, chin up, barbell row, overhead press, dip and lunge. Compound exercises will allow you to handle more weights and will stimulate more muscles fiber per exercise.

The training intensity
The major factor separating those with moderate gains and those with maximal gains is the training intensity. In order to take your muscle fibers to their maximal potential you have to take them to the limit on each and every workout. In simple words take them to their failure point.
The point at which no further repetitions can be completed using proper form is called as temporary muscle failure.
Moderate intensity leads to moderate gains and maximal intensity leads to maximal gains. It is as simple as that.

Avoid overtraining
The number one enemy for maximal muscle gains is overtraining. Most of the youngsters are taken away by the notation “more is better”. But one has to understand the mechanism of growth. Muscle never grows at the gym; it grows after the workout when provided with adequate rest and nutrients for reconstruction. If more is better was the correct approach, then training 24/7 would have been a great idea and pros would have never left the gym. But it is not the case. Even steroid freaks limit their workouts to an hour or two. If you spend too much time in the gym, you will actually take yourself farther away from your goals rather than closer to them. Remember, recovery is absolutely vital for muscle growth. If you don't provide your body with the proper recovery time in between workouts, your muscles will never have a chance to grow.


Track your progress and be consistent
Building muscle was never an easy task. If it had been as some writers mention in their articles, everyone around would have been an Arnold and a Mentzer. But it is not the case. Everyone on the planet is unique and each one of us has different genetics. So in order to achieve your goals you have to check your progress periodically. Even one rep increase using the same weights on the next workout or lifting some extra weights on the next workout will be a very big gain. Tracking your progress will motivate you better than any personal trainer or even better than psychologists. So never forget to track your goals in terms of weights, reps, size and weight. Noting down the lifts and reps each workout is a good practice. Taking measurements and weight every week is a very good practice too.
Be consistent in each and every workout and try to take your working sets to failure and even beyond. As I said earlier, maximal intensity leads to maximal gains.

All the best!!!