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The Most Effective Steps to Gaining Muscle

5 pro tips on how to put on and keep muscle

By Paisley HansenPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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The Secret To Growing Muscle

With the pressures of social media to look good all the time, the fitness industry has started to boom. Women are trying to tone their bodies, while men are working hard to build muscle. Building muscle can be difficult for a lot of people. Many people are unsure where to start, and others just don’t have the genetics to pack on the pounds. Whatever your case may be, knowing the steps to building muscle will make it a lot easier.

Focus On Your Diet

What you are putting into your body is crucial to growing muscle. While you are trying to grow muscle, you will want to be sure that you are in a caloric surplus. This means that you will want to be consuming more calories than you are burning. However, you shouldn’t be consuming all of your calories from fast food and junk. It is okay to have a little more dessert or a few more snacks throughout the day, but the majority of your calories should come from healthy, whole foods. Your body, goals, and activity level are the things that are going to determine the number of calories you should eat.

Your diet should consist of three major groups of food; fats, carbohydrates, and protein. There are loads of different diets, but the one that you should stick to is going to be higher protein, and then you can have high carbs or high fats. If you want, then you can just have the same percentage of fat and carbs, but most people tend to favor one. Protein is one of the most important things when it comes to gaining muscle. Your body uses protein to build new muscle, and maintain the muscle that you already have.

Follow A Muscle Building Routine

There are a lot of different workout routines to follow. You can find the majority of them online, for free! Some workout regimens will have you doing heavy weight and few reps; this is used more for strength gains. To gain muscle you will want to lift moderately heavy weight for 12 to 20 repetitions of three to five sets. This will cause hypertrophy, and in turn, cause your muscles to grow.

Add-In Supplements

Supplements are starting to become a part of everyone's life. There is a supplement for almost anything. You can take collagen to help support your joints and skin, or there is protein powder to ensure that you are meeting your protein goals. So, of course, there is a supplement you can take for muscle growth; they’re called testosterone boosters. Boosting your testosterone levels will promote the hormones that are needed to put on muscle. There are so many different ones on the market that there is no telling what the best testosterone booster is, but just look at the reviews and find the one that works for you.

Get Plenty Of Rest

Getting enough sleep is so important for everyone. It is especially important if you are trying to build muscle. When you are working out, you are essentially tearing your muscles apart, so when you are sleeping is when they repair themselves. This is why so many professional bodybuilders and athletes sleep so much, because they need this time to let their muscles recuperate. So, don’t skip out on the sleep—try to get at least eight hours a night for the best results.

Start Gaining Muscle Today!

It doesn’t take a college degree to figure out how to build muscle. While a degree may help you in some aspects, if you just follow these basic steps then building muscle should be a breeze. There is always a little bit of a learning curve, but once you decide what works best for you, then it will be a lot easier. You may have to play around with exercises or the amount/type of calories you are consuming, but after you get it figured out you will be able to gain muscle like you never have before.

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About the Creator

Paisley Hansen

Paisley Hansen is a freelance writer and expert in health, fitness, beauty, and fashion. When she isn’t writing she can usually be found reading a good book or hitting the gym.

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