In this complete guide to building muscle, I am going lay out everything you need to know so you can get more lean, more toned, more defined, and build the body of your dreams.
My goal in this article is to:
Show you how to become more confident than you ever have before.
Show you that building muscle is simple as long as you stay consistent and follow the guidelines.
Answer all of your questions so that you can become a smarter lifter.
Cut through all of the B.S. that is out there and show you the only things you NEED to focus on.
That doesn’t mean that it won’t take time. Oh, because it will.
But, if you go in with the mindset of working hard, staying consistent, and staying patient… you will achieve more than you ever thought possible.
By the end of this article, you will have all the knowledge and tools necessary to build a strong and lean body that you can be confident in for many years to come.
Introduction to Building Muscle
What is one of the main reasons people tend to start strength training? To build muscle and look better.
With social media more prevalent than ever, everyone wants to have the best physique out there.
Therefore, building a solid foundation of muscle is appealing.
Instead, focus on being the best you that you can be.
Focus on going hard in the gym and pushing yourself to build muscle.
It takes a shit ton of time. The amount of muscle you think you want to build in a year will probably take you 5 years of consistently training hard.
If you want to see realistic results from amazing people, check out my clients success in building muscle and burning fat.
The effort, consistency, and commitment it takes to get that low of body fat is not worth it. Your whole social life goes out the window. You have to be extremely restrictive. On top of all of that, you feel like poop.
Keep in mind, building muscle does not necessary mean you’re going to look like a bulky meat head.
The point of building muscle is NOT to get ready for a bodybuilding show.
It is not to become a bikini model. (Obviously, if you want to then that’s great for you and I respect/support you.)
Having muscle on your body is actually what gives you that lean and toned look and allows you to stay lean long term.
If you want to put hours week in an and week out and take a bunch of anabolic steroids, then be my guest. This guide is not for you then.
This “Complete Guide to Building Muscle” is for you – the average person, who wants to get stronger, leaner, toned, and boost your metabolism so that you can burn more fat, and eat more while staying lean. article is for YOU.
Why Strength Train?
Strength training is the only form of exercises that allows you to burn more calories the longer you do it because it builds and keeps muscle on your body.
Strength training improves your all around performance and posture so that you can have a new and improved quality of life.
The more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn.
The only way you can build muscle is if you strength train, provide your body with enough fuel, and eat enough protein to send a strong signal to the body to build muscle.
Your body keeps adapting to this stress, which is how it get stronger and the muscle is created.
I hope you enjoy this article and can take something away from it. You can always reach me here if you have any further questions.
Training vs Exercising in Relation to Building Muscle
Exercise vs Training
Although they may sound the same, training and exercising are completely different.
Exercising is going through the motions and gives you that initial feel good benefit of burning calories while you’re doing it.
Things like CrossFit, boot camp classes, spin classes, or any type of cardio or activity that focuses on making you sweat.
It can be great in the short term but sucks long term. Have you ever stalled with your progress after a few weeks/months even though you have been keeping track of your calories? This is part of the reason why.
Training is having the purpose and intent on a goal and progressing that goal. Strength training properly is the goal.
You do not go into the gym without a purpose.
Your purpose is to always do better than you did the last time.
The goal is to progress. Not to sweat.
Weight lifting isn’t sexy. It may not may you sweat and feel like you kicked ass that day. But, it gets results, is great for your health, and is fun.
The Muscle Building Mindset
If you focus on burning a certain amount of calories or looking a certain way, then training is going to be a miserable experience for you.
Having the right mindset will make the journey to your goals that much more enjoyable.
By focusing on burning more and more calories and looking a certain way, you are punishing yourself.
You will start to resent exercise.
Exercise should be something that is fun and that we enjoy. Not something you dread.
To do this, set goals for yourself.
Maybe you want to do a pushup, pull-up, or hit a certain weight with squats. It can be anything.
But you have to progressively work towards hitting that goal.
You have to start small and work your way up.
Focus on getting stronger each time you complete an exercise. Focus on getting that extra rep, more weight, more control, etc.
By focusing on performance rather than aesthetics, training will be a lot more enjoyable and motivating.
You will find that the results will still come even when your main focus is on performance.
What is in a muscle and how does the muscle grow?
Ok. Now to the fun stuff.
Before we get into how to train and what exactly you should be doing, let’s talk about some basic functional anatomy to give you a quick background of what is exactly going on with your muscles when you strength train.
It all starts with creating and sending a signal.
To build muscle you have to give it a reason to grow by challenging it.
(Remember training vs exercise?)
A muscle is made up of different tissues and muscle fibers that work together to contract to create a force.
This force is created to pick things up, move your body, and keep your body in good position (posture).
A force/contraction of the muscle is created when a signal is sent from your brain to the muscle.
Each muscle works together to perform a function, which is why compound movements are the most efficient exercises to get stronger and build muscle. (More will be explained on this later)
Muscle grows when you provide a strong enough resistance to it and challenge it.
The stronger you get, the more efficient your body becomes at using the muscle it has.
And BOOM. You now have more muscle.
I hope you enjoyed this little crash course on how muscles work and grow.
Benefits of Building Muscle: Male or Female
Strength training is for both men and women. Yes I said women too.
The more muscle you have, the better you will look.
I know. I know. I just got done saying how looks should not be your main driver of training. But it’s a fact.
I once had another trainer tell me that she doesn’t have her female clients lift heavy because she doesn’t want them to get “bulky”.
I cringed when I heard that.
You won’t look bulky if you’re a female.
This is a huge misconception and will be explained later on in the article.
You will look more toned. When you build muscle, it tones up your body.
So your arms and shoulders will look toned, your waist will start to shrink, and you will develop some nice glutes as well.
If you are a male, you will noticeably look more musclular and lean. Your chest, arms, back, and shoulders will noticeably be different.
1. The more fat you will burn:
The more muscle that you have on your body, the more calories and fat you will burn due to an increased metabolism.
Building up the muscle tones the muscle. Combine this with a new increased metabolism and it is a recipe to a leaner and more toned physique.
2. The more you will be able to eat and stay lean:
Muscle is extremely expensive for your body to keep.
So, for your body to keep it, it needs to provide a lot of attention and energy which burns calories.
As a result, it has to increase its metabolism.
For example, if you’re burning 2,000 calories per day you would have to eat under 2,000 calories to lose weight.
If you add 5 pounds of muscle, lets say you now burn 2,400 calories per day.
That gives you more calories to eat per day while staying at maintenance or in a calorie deficit.
Therefore, over time it will be easier to keep the fat off and stay lean.
3. You will be more confident:
The more muscle you have the more toned you will look.
This is because your body will be burning more calories from fat and those bigger muscles curve out your body.
Now, you may not look like a supermodel or a superhero but that’s ok. It is very hard to get to that point which you probably do not have the time for.
Being toned with good muscle definition is enough to be proud of while still enjoying your life.
4.The better you will feel:
The more muscle you have the better you will feel.
Your mobility and flexibility can improve which is important for every day functions, movements, and quality of life.
Some other ways you will feel better include:
- You may get a sense of feeling stronger and more powerful.
- Your joints may feel better.
- Your bones will get stronger.
- Your posture can improve.
- You will improve your blood sugar levels.
All of these things add up into making you a better you and feeling your best.
I am sure you have experienced those aches and pains before.
They aren’t much fun. With a proper strength training program made specifically for you, you can fix these issues without spending unnecessary money at the doctors or physical therapy. (unless you have a serious injury of course)
5. Building muscle is great for longevity:
The more muscle you have, and the stronger you get, the more you will thank yourself later on in life.
- You won’t have as hard of a time moving around.
- Your joints and bones will be stronger.
- You still can exercise.
- Your injury risk will be lower.
This is because as we get older, our bodies start to get rid of their muscles and its function.
As a result, you start to lose strength, balance, and stability.
By building up a good foundation now by starting to strength train you can combat this.
If you don’t, you can increase the risk of poor health, fatigue, loss of function in some muscles/limbs, fall risk, and injury risk as you get older.
6. Strength Training is Good For Your Health
As you build more muscle, your belly fat tends to go down as well.
Belly fat has been shown to be associated with high levels of disease.
So decreasing the amount you have can be super beneficial.
Muscle is also associated with a decreased risk of all cause mortality.
The more muscle you have, the less likely you are to die of a chronic disease.
Strength training has also been shown to control blood sugar levels, improve heart health, decrease the risk of cancer, and improve mental health.
As you can see, packing on muscle through strength training has its many benefits in all aspects of life.
Strength Training 101: The Key to a More Toned Body
Remember, to build muscle, you have to send a strong enough signal to the body.
This is created by producing a strong enough stress so that the body has to adapt to get better and stronger so that it is better prepared if something like this happens again.
In order to keep getting stronger and building muscle, you have to stress your body even more to create a new adaption.
Muscles tell themselves that they aren’t big enough for the job so they have to get bigger and stronger for the next time. They say they need to get better.
When resistance is added through weights or body weight, the muscles break down and get smaller.
This is because the muscle fibers that make up the muscle tear. As the muscle fibers repair back up, the muscle grows back bigger.
Let’s now dive into the different components of strength training…
The Compound 6: Best Exercises For Building Muscle
This is where the common saying of “work smarter not harder” comes into play.
There is no need to follow these crazy programs with a bunch of different sets, techniques and “confusing” the muscle.
That is all great if you are a professional bodybuilder.
But, we are not. You and I are everyday people who want to keep it simple and be the most efficient we can be by focusing on the basics and getting stronger.
The most effective and efficient way to build muscle is done by focusing on compound movements.
Compound movements are multi joint exercises that work multiple muscle groups and therefore send a greater muscle building signal and boost your metabolism.
They are great for engaging your core and stability.
They are great for everyday normal human functional movement and will help you move around better in everyday life and improve your quality of life.
The main compound movements are:
Squat & Lunge
Deadlift
Overhead Press
Bench Press
Row
Chin-Up/Pull-up
For example, a squat works your legs, back and core. While the bench press press works your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Your core and scapula muscles are also worked to help stabilize your upper body.
The best part is that anyone, including you, can start with these movements. There are regressions and variations for each movement.
Therefore, whether you are a beginner or an advanced lifter, you can do some form of these movements.
Isolation/Accessory Exercises
Compound movements should always include the bulk of your training program. However, isolation exercises do have their place as well.
Isolation movements focus on one muscle at a time.
These are great if you have a lagging body part that you want to build up to look better or fix due to imbalances or poor posture.
But, compound movements are king and you should always start your workouts with them.
Then, if you have extra time and something you want to work on, that is when incorporating isolation movements can be a good idea. Some examples of isolation movements are:
- Bicep Curl
- Tricep Push Pushdown
- Leg extensions
- Leg curls
- Side lateral raises
- Face Pulls
- Rear Delt Fly
A combination of both compound and isolation exercises is always the most optimal.
Do all the compound movements and use isolation exercises to build up body parts on your body that you want and to fix postural issues.
The Best Rep Range For Building Muscle
The simple answer is that there is no best rep range for building muscle. Muscle can be built within any rep range so use all of them.
Some reps ranges may be more beneficial for certain goals than others (low reps more strength vs high reps more endurance). To say that you can only build muscle within one rep range is wrong based on my personal experience.
Typically, low reps (1-5) increase strength, medium reps (8-12) increase muscle growth, and high reps (15-20) increase endurance.
While this may have some truth to it, it doesn’t mean that those ranges are for those specific goals.
Each rep range allows for muscle growth if you progressive overload.
I have my clients work in all rep ranges depending on their goals.
There will be a phase of low reps, medium reps, and high reps.
This allows the body to adapt to the stress while continuing to change the signal so that you can build muscle.
By staying in one rep range, the body won’t adapt.
Think of it like this. The stronger you are, the more weight you can lift, and the more muscle you can build.
By phasing low and high rep ranges, it allows you to build strength so you can then lift heavier weight in each rep range.
Therefore, to keep building muscle and getting stronger, it’s important to keep making sure your body has to adapt to a new stimulus.
The newer the adaption is compared to what your body is use to the more it needs to adapt.
This adaptation is done by progressive overloading and changing the rep ranges.
How Much Volume Is Needed To Build Muscle?
To be honest I don’t know the answer to this question.
Volume is a fancy version of how much sets and reps you are doing. There are many factors that come into play that it depends on the individual.
So here is what I will say..
A good way to look at how much volume or the amount of sets and reps you complete in a workout depends on two things in my opinion:
- The level of experience you have with lifting weights.
- How you are recovering.
If you are a beginner, the less volume you will need.
This is because your body is not yet used to lifting weights.
Strength training is a stress on your body. Destroying yourself in the gym the first few weeks is going to leave you feeling miserable and sore.
You have to allow your body to recover and adapt so that in the future you can increase the total amount of volume.
You may be asking yourself, “what should I do?
Well, as the level of effort goes up, the amount you do must go down and vice versa.
If you are training hard and training to failure, you won’t need as much volume because you need to recover.
On the other hand, if you’re not training with much effort and intensity, than more volume is needed to build muscle.
I have heard all different things from many different people.
If I had to choose, I would suggest somewhere between the ranges of 10-20 sets per muscle group each week.
If you’re a beginner stick towards the lower end and the higher end if you are more advanced.
The Best Muscle Building Training Routine:
The best training routine is the one that you enjoy and know that you can stick to.
Pick a routine you like that allows you to recover the most based on your lifestyle and schedule is most important.
2-3 Day Routine:
- Perfect if you are a beginner.
- Typically 2 full body days
- 3 days an upper/lower/full body split
4 Day Routine:
- Good if you are intermediate.
- An upper/lower/upper/lower split is good here.
5-6 Day Routine:
- Only the advanced trainee should use this split.
- Upper/lower/upper/lower split with an extra day to work on a lagging body part.
- You can also split up body parts (back,chest,shoulders,arms, legs)
- If you are super advanced and want to go for 6 days, a push-pull-legs and repeating that twice per week may be a good direction to go in.
If you are a beginner, starting off with five days of training probably is not smart.
On the opposite end, if you are experienced, you probably do not want to be training only 1-2 days a week.
A general rule is to aim to work each muscle group 2-3 times per week.
This should allow for enough of a stimulus and signal for the body to build muscle.
Muscle protein synthesis (muscle building signal) can stay elevated anywhere from 24-48 hours after exercise (for more info go here).
The goal is to create that signal as often as possible without running yourself into the ground.
Full body training a few days a week with compound movements is going to give you the best bang for your buck results. Every muscle will be worked multiple times.
“But, what about bodybuilders?
Don’t they train single body parts on separate days of the week?
Wouldn’t they know best how to build muscle?
So why not follow that routine?”
Training single body parts during the week is not very effective for the average person.
Before you start arguing about knowing someone who lifts 5 days a week or how do bodybuilders build muscle on body part splits, well here is something to consider:
Bodybuilders have great muscle building genetics that create a stronger muscle building signal that lasts longer and they use anabolic steroids that also creates a better and longer signal.
By training a full body 2-3 times per week and focusing on compound movements, you will produce more of a muscle building signal, allow for enough recovery, and an adaptation to take place that is needed for building muscle.
How to Properly Lift Weights and Make Progress in the Gym.
There is more to lifting weights than simply going to the dumbbell rack, picking up a weight, and mindlessly going through the motions.
Lifting weights is not about throwing heavy weights around with crappy form because your ego tells you to. No body cares how much you lift.
This is not doing anything for your body in relation to building muscle and can cause you to injure yourself.
Lifting weights requires control, intention, and practice to improve on the exercises so you can better connect to your muscles.
The slower and more controlled you lift the weight the better.
Our muscles do not know how much weight is being lifted.
All they know is that they are being challenged by some resistance.
The more of a challenge your muscles experience, the better the signal they send to the body to grow.
Slow and controlled is the goal.
There will be times where your brain wants to give up before your muscles.
As much as you think you can’t do another rep because it burns, I promise you that you can.
Those hard reps are where the true growth happens.
Those 2-4 hard reps matter more than the 8-10 easy reps.
Tempo:
If you bring the weight up in the concentric movement (on the way up), squeeze at the top, and go slow in the eccentric movement (on the way down), you are putting a lot of tension on the muscle and really making it work.
Whether you are lifting heavy or lifting lighter, form matters. The only thing that may change is the tempo.
While lifting heavy weight, you can go at a faster tempo (1:1:1). Lifting lighter weight you can go at a slower tempo (1:2:2).
The first number is the concentric portion in seconds.
The second number is the top of the movement in seconds.
The third numbered centric portion in seconds.
This leads into the next topic which may be more important than any other when it comes to building muscle. That is the principle of progressive overload.
The Main Key to Building Muscle: Progressive Overload
The only way to make gains in the gym is to progressive overload. You have to give your body a reason to grow and change.
Progressive overload is when you gradually increase the difficulty of the exercise. There are many forms of progressive overload:
Types of progressive overload:
- Increase weight you are using.
- Increase the amount of reps you are doing.
- Increase the total volume by adding in more sets.
- Increase time under tension by slowing the weight down and focusing on controlling the movement with good form.
- Train more frequently during the week.
- Decrease rest time between your sets
- Perform a different variation of the exercise.
- Add in some advanced techniques like drop sets, pause reps, supersets, cluster sets, etc.
Your muscles adapt when you challenge them. The more you continue to challenge them, the more they will adapt, the more efficient they will be, and the bigger they will get.
Let’s say for example that you are bench pressing 135 pounds for 4 straight weeks.
Well, eventually your muscles will adapt to this 135 pounds to the point where it won’t challenge the muscle anymore.
As a result, the muscle has no reason to grow.
Focus on only one thing at a time. You do not want to overtrain your body.
Pick one for a month, and continue to work on it until you feel like you can’t progress anymore.
Now that you know what is required for a muscle to grow, let’s talk about the best exercises to create that stress the muscle needs.
The Importance of Rest:
Rest is super important for allowing your muscles to recover and build. Without rest your muscles can’t repair.
Rest is when the muscle gets bigger by building itself back up.
Imagine rest as being like a house getting torn down and remodeled into a bigger house. Same concept.
Also, if you are exhausted and try working out without much rest, your performance may be hurt. So the effort needed to grow may not be there.
Not to mention, exercise is a stress on your body.
If you are burning yourself out and pushing through it, you damn well better expect to get sick, lose muscle, and quit all together.
Be smart. Listen to your body. If you are tired and sore, take the day off or at the very least take an easy that day.
Remember…you are playing the long game here.
Sleep and Its Importance to Building Muscle
Having a good night of sleep is important for recovery.
This is when your body is able to relax and repair itself from the previous days’ stressors including working out.
It will also have the benefit of improving your hormones, reducing cravings, help build muscle, improve strength, and burn more fat by increasing your metabolism.
This is why it’s vital to set up a nighttime routine for yourself at least an hour before bed that allows your brain to wind down.
While your sleeping, human growth hormone, a muscle building hormone, is enhanced.
When you lack sleep, it is the opposite. It creates a poor environment for muscle building causing the body to want to get rid of it.
- Affects performance by getting tired quicker from lack of sleep.
- Balanced hormones like testosterone and HGH which are important for building muscle, It lowers cortisol which is a stress hormone that can actually break down muscle.
- Lack of sleep, increases hunger hormones (ghelin) and decreases full hormone (leptin)
Get off electronic an hour before bed or use blue blocker glasses since that is not always possible.
Have a consistent sleep/wake schedule per day.
Reduce caffeinee before bed.
A study has shown that even though you may lose weight still, the more sleep you get the more fat you will lose.
So the more quality sleep you get, the better results you will get. Aim for 7-9 hours per night in general.
So get your sleep! An hour of extra sleep is more important than your favorite Netflix show.
Next time you take a few weeks off or get injured, don’t stress. The muscle will come back way quicker than it was built.
Training to Failure:
This is a perfect transition from discussing rest.
Failure is when you can’t possibly do anymore reps with good form even if someone offered you a million dollars.
Training to failure is something that can lead to overtraining and eventual burnout which is where you do not want to be.
Training to failure can have its place in muscle building the more advanced you get.
But too much of it can be detrimental to your progress.
If you constantly train to failure, you are sending a stronger signal to your body to heal itself from all of the damage you created rather than creating a signal of adapting the muscle to grow bigger and get stronger.
A better way to train is to leave 1-3 reps in the tank.
If you start to notice your form breaking and the weight getting increasingly more difficult, then it’s time to stop.
This way, you can build muscle without burning out.
Importance of Mobility Work:
Many of us have poor posture from the technologically driven world in which we live.
With living sedentary lifestyles that involve sitting down, looking at phones and computers, our bodies create this hunched over forward posture.
This leads to imbalances within your muscle, aches and pains, and could result in injuries in the gym and everyday life.
Basically, mobility is the range of motion of a muscle that you have control over.
For example, if you can lift your arm straight up past your ear, then you have good mobility.
If you cannot do this without assistance, you have poor mobility.
Poor posture is created from one muscle overpowering other muscles.
As a result of bad posture, the weaker muscles are sleeping and need to be woken up.
This is exactly what mobility work does.
The muscles are already there so you do not necessarily have to build them up rather just wake them up.
A great way to incorporate this into your routine is to have priming sessions before your workouts.
This is where you work on mobility and wake up the muscles being worked in that session.
Not only does this help improve posture but it will also give you more of an effective workout to make sure that you are using the correct muscles and connecting with them better to send a better muscle building signal.
For example, if you are going to do squats – hip, ankle, and thoracic mobility drills may be a good idea.
How Long Should Your Workouts Be?
No need to overcomplicate this. You can get a lot done in the gym in a short amount of time.
It all depends on how much time you have and how much you enjoy working out.
I would say anywhere from 20-60 minutes is a good range to get a workout in with 60 minutes being the max.
Make sure you are in the gym to train. This is your time away from the outside world. So put your phone down and get to work.
Muscle memory:
It is much easier to regain lost muscle than it is to build muscle from the ground up at the beginning.
Once the signal or connection is created, it will always be there.
Once you build up the muscle once, your muscle has neurological connections to the brain that will always be there.
Even if you atrophy a muscle, it is always easier to gain it back because that connection has already been established.
It is like learning to ride a bike. This is because the motor skills are created and established.
How to Eat To Build Muscle
Even though you are focused on building muscle, you still need to keep track of your nutrition.
Protein matters for building muscle. Carbs matter for recovery and giving you energy for your workouts. And fat matters for your health and hormone production.
This isn’t a ticket to eat like an asshole. The goal is not to get as big as possible. T
he goal is to build as much muscle as possible with as little body fat as possible.
Calories and Macronutrients For Building Muscle:
The amount of calories you should eat to build muscle are 110% of your maintenance calories.
To estimate your maintenance calories, multiply your body weight x 15.
This is just an estimation and may need some tinkering as there is no way to exactly measure how many calories you are burning each day consistently.
Aim for .8-1g of protein per pound of BW.
The nice thing when you are bulking compared to cutting, you do not need as much protein due to the high amount of calories you are eating so your body is less likely to break down muscle for energy.
Do you need to be in a calorie surplus to build muscle?
No, but bieng on a calorie surplus does help a lot.
When you eat less calories than you burn, this is what we call a calorie deficit.
Check out my Ultimate Guide to Fat Loss for everything you need to know to lose fat.
On the other hand, eating more calories than you burn per day, this is what we call a calorie surplus.
Technically, you can build muscle in a calorie deficit.
This is especially true if you are a beginner, coming back from a break, or you take some type of steroid.
The more advanced you become, the harder it becomes to build muscle, especially in a deficit.
When you eat in a surplus, you are providing your body with extra energy to put towards packing on some size.
When you are in a surplus, you will gain some fat which is something you have to be ok with.
Keep in mind, when you first go into a surplus, you will gain a few pounds.
This is because of your muscle being replenished with glycogen.
If you are gaining weight too quickly, it is most likely fat.
It should be a slow gain in weight. Somewhere between .25-1 pounds per week at most. Anything more than that is most likely fat.
You can minimize gaining fat by not over doing it with your caloric intake or the amount of food you eat.
If you anything and everything , then you will look like shit. Most of the weight gained will be fat rather than muscle.
If you eat in a slight surplus, you will gain muscle, little body fat, and stay relatively lean. Then, when it’s time to cut to lose fat, it becomes a lot easier.
But what If you are not gaining weight? Then you need to slightly increase the amount of calories you are eating.
Protein and carbs are king but don’t forget about fat.
Protein is the king for building muscle.
It is what your body uses to repair the muscle to make it grow bigger. This is essential.
Aim for .8-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
You need to give your muscles the proper tools to build themselves back up and recover properly.
If you under eat protein, your body doesn’t have the tools it needs to build up your muscles and can even break down the muscle you already have as energy – especially if you have a low body fat percentage.
(And no…You won’t eat too much protein unless you have a kidney issue)
Some examples of protein are:
- Chicken
- Beef
- Turkey
- Eggs/egg whites
- Protein bars
- Protein powders and shakes
- Fish
- Greek Yogurt
- Legumes
The other essential macronutrient is fat. Your body needs fat for hormone production and health.
You don’t need too much fat. Maybe at the very least 15-20% of your calories from fat.
- Eggs
- Full fat dairy
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Nut Butters
- Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
Then there is carbs, which we all love. The rest of your calories can come from carbs or fat. It doesn’t matter.
Carbohydrates can help you build muscle; they provide the muscle with energy through glycogen.
- Rice
- Oatmeal
- Potato’s
- Fruits
- Vegetables
Some research has shown that if you eat access fat in a surplus it is easier to store as fat in the body than eating access carbs or protein in a surplus.
Very minimal, but something to keep in mind.
Muscle Building Supplements:
Always aim for whole food first before getting into supplements.
99% of results will come from proper training, nutrition, and sleep.
Only 1% of results will come from supplements.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine Monohydrate is of the most studied supplements.
Has shown to aid in building muscle and increasing your performance in the gym.
There may be some benefits to the brain and heart as well.
Could be some side effects where you gain weight due to the muscle drawing in more water the longer you stay on it, the faster your muscles will build and recover faster as you stay on Creatine.
Make sure it’s Monohydrate and not another form.
If there was a supplement to take, this would be it.
Protein Powder
A protein powder can be beneficial if you have trouble getting in enough protein. They are also great to make high protein recipes with.
Total protein in the day matters most. There is no need to take any post workout if you do not want.
If you workout two times a day, then it may be a good idea to take one after your first workout to recover for a second.
Otherwise, focus o the total amount you are getting in per day.
Casein and Whey Protein are two great options. Neither one is better than the other.
If you don’t handle dairy very well, a vegan protein powder is fine too.
Vitamins and minerals (multi vitamin, Fish oil for omega 3 which body cant produce, vitamin D, magnesium, etc.)
Getting these from whole food is always ideal.
But, that may not be realistic for you depending on your lifestyle.
So taking vitamin and mineral supplements will make sure you are getting the correct daily amount..
Caffeine
Caffeine gives you an energy boost, which allows you to move around more which burns more calories and slightly increases your metabolism.
Take before a workout but be careful how much you take per day.
The upper limit for safe consumption is 400mg per day in healthy individuals but your body eventually adapts to the doses.
My personal favorite source of caffeine is coffee. It’s cheap, tastes good, and is super effective.
How to Build Your Own Workout Routine
To build your own workout routine, the first thing you need to figure out is how may days you plan on working out.
This is dependent on your availability and experience.
Beginner (2-3 Days)
Intermediate (3-4 Days)
Advanced (3-5 Days)
These are the splits you can follow depending on how many days you plan on working out:
- 2 Days: Full Body
- 3 Days: Upper/Lower/Full Body or 3 Full Body Days
- 4 Days: Upper/Lower/Upper/Lower
- 5 Days: Push/Pull/Legs/Push/Pull
Creating the Workout:
Step 1: Create a warmup – Choose between:
- Mobility/Stretching
- Priming a weak muscle group by activating it.
- Walking on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes to get your blood flowing.
Step 2: Pick 1-2 main compound movement depending on your goal:
- These will be the main movements that you want to focus on and get stronger at. Make sure to warm up before you get into you heavier lifting sets.
- Variations of Squats, deadlifts, Presses, Rows, Lunges, Pull-ups
- (3-8 Rep Range)
Step 3: Pick 3-6 accessory/isolation movements
- This is where you can work on individual muscle groups.
- Legs, Shoulders, Back, Arms, Abs, Glutes, Chest
- Can superset them to increase effort and decrease time.
- (8-15 Rep Range)
Step 4 (Optional): Finisher
- Metabolic finisher to burn calories
- Work on Abdominal development
Guide to Basic Workout Terminology:
Rep: One complete motion of an exercise
Set: Group of consecutive repetitions
Rest: Amount of time take between sets
PB; Physioball
DB: Dumbbell
KB: Kettlebell
BB: Barbell
Super Set: Two consecutive exercises without rest
Giant Set: Three or more exercises without rest
Drop Set: Continuing exercise after failure by dropping the weight to a lower weight.
Tempo: Rate or pace at which an exercise is performed. It is how long the muscle is under load or tension.
TUT: (Time Under Tension) the amount of time you are performing a movement with good form.
Circuit: Alternating between several exercises that target different muscle groups.
Reps To Tension (RTT): do exercise until form breaks down and then hold.
As Many Reps As Possible: Do as many reps as you can until you can’t do anymore with good form. In other words, as soon as your form starts to break than STOP.
Concentric: When the muscle shortens while lifting weight (bringing the weigh up)
Eccentric (negative portion): When the muscle lengthens while lifting the weight (lowering the weight)
Remember, building muscle takes time.
It requires work, persistence, and patience.
What you expect to build in a year will probably take you 3 years.
That’s ok. Because the process to building muscle is fun.
Once you have it, your brain will always have the connection so if you lose it it will always be easier to rebuild.
Don’t forget to challenge yourself. It is ok if its hard!
Now onto some frequently asked questions and disputing common fitness B.S.
Do you need a gym membership & equipment to build muscle ?
Eventually you will need some equipment but a gym membership is not necessary.
With that said, you can start off with body weight movements and make good initial progress with those. Squats, pushups, pullups, and lunges are your best bet.
However, to keep your body adapting, you eventually need to have at least a set of adjustable dumbbells and a stability ball to perform some of the compound movements which are most important for building muscle.
Who is lifting weights and building muscle for?
Lifting weights is for everyone.
Ectomorphs, mesomorphs, endomorphs, young, old, female, male – it doesn’t matter.
Anyone can build muscle from lifting properly.
Everyone has different genetics so some will take longer to build muscle than others, while some people also have a higher potential to build muscle.
What if you are a hardgainer?
A hardgainer is someone who has a hard time gaining weight and muscle due to having a high metabolism.
As a result, hardgainer’s need to eat more. This can be very frustrating and understandably so.
There are ways around this, though.
If you are a hardgainer, track your calories and see how much you are eating because you may be surprised. You are most likely eating way less than you need to.
You are not giving your body the energy it needs to build muscle.
Your total calorie intake should be in or around (Bodyweight x 20) calories per pound of bodyweight.
Make sure you are eating enough protein by setting it at 0.8-1g per pound of bodyweight.
As for training, focus on the heavy compound movements and getting stronger because that will really send a strong muscle building signal to the body.
As a hardgainer, you are already burning a lot of calories so you do not need to lift that often for it to be effective.
A 2-3 day full body split is a good place to start.
It is possible to build muscle if you are a hardgainer. Make sure to stay consistent, eat enough calories, eat enough protein, and focus on compound lifts.
If you do these things, than will build muscle over time.
What if you are skinny fat? Should your focus be on building muscle or losing fat?
Skinny fat is where you have a normal weight for your height (BMI) but have a low lean body mass (muscle) and a high body fat percentage.
This is typical if you eat in a calorie deficit for a long time that has low protein.
Another cause of this is your main focus is on cardio without much focus on strength training.
As a result, you lose muscle once your body doesn’t want to lose any more fat.
The same thing goes for skinny fat as if you were a hardgainer.
Focus on eating enough protein.
Focus on the main compound lifts to get stronger.
If you are consistent with this, you will start to see yourself look more toned over time since you are building muscle, toning your body, and burning fat.
Training for cutting vs bulking:
Training is the same for both with some slight differences.
Focus on heavy compound lifts and getting stronger.
The squat, deadlift, press, row, and pullup will always be your foundational movements no matter what.
The only difference when you cut is you may have to increase your step goal each day, incorporate some cardio, and reduce your calories to help you stay in a calorie deficit.
You may not be able to do as much volume depending on how many calories you are eating due to the lack of energy and recovery.
Dirty vs clean bulk:
You do not need to only eat healthy clean foods 100% of the time.
80-90% of the food you eat should come from healthy foods while the other 10-20% can come from whatever you want.
Healthy food is important for the way your body feels and performs.
This is because there are nutrients within these foods that your body needs to be healthy and properly function.
Without these, your gym performance and recovery will not be as great.
Lean bulking is when you eat clean foods the majority of the time in a slight surplus.
It is controlled so that you gain the most amount of muscle as possible and minimal fat.
On the other hand, dirty bulking is when you go all out.
There is no restrictions. No limits on what or how much to eat.
This means all of the cheeseburgers, pizza, and ice cream you can think of.
The issue with dirty bulking is that it leads to more fat gain than muscle.
You won’t gain more muscle during a dirty bulk than you would during a lean bulk.
You will gain the same amount of muscle eating in a 10% surplus compared to a 50% surplus.
Most of the added pounds will be from fat.
Will you gain fat when building muscle?
If you are a beginner, you can build muscle while being in a deficit – also known as body recomposition.
If you are intermediate to advanced, it is still possible to build muscle in a slight deficit or at maintenance but it is harder and a lot more unlikely.
Therefore, a calorie surplus is your best option.
You will gain some body fat when you eat in a surplus. This is expected and is ok.
Remember, going on a bulk doesn’t mean to eat everything and anything.
You still need to track your calories (slightly above maintenance) to make sure you are providing your body with enough energy to build muscle but not too much where you pack on pounds of fat.
Can you build muscle while in a deficit?
It’s a lot harder to build muscle when you’re eating less than your burning.
With that said, there are a few ways that it becomes possible.
- Beginners
- Someone who is coming back from injury or a long period of time off of training
- Taking steroids
Being in a surplus makes it easier to build muscle.
More research is starting to come out on how it is possible but not optimal to build muscle in a deficit.
These are mostly on untrained individuals though.
For intermediate to advanced lifters, your best bet may be to eat at or slightly above maintenance for muscle growth.
If you have weight to lose, then I would recommend being in a slight deficit to build muscle so you can burn fat as well.
If you’re a beginner that is skinny with very little muscle, then eating enough calories to support your higher metabolism is my recommendation.
Are drugs necessary to build muscle?
This one should be an obvious no.
Do they help? Of course they do. I am not going to lie. I have nothing against taking steroids.
If you take some type of steroid or performance enhancing drug, you will grow muscle faster and get bigger than you would’ve if you didn’t take anything. But for your health, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth it.
Consult with a doctor before considering taking any type of performance enhancing drug.
How often should you change your workout plans?
The body adapts to a new stimulus and this is what allows the body to get stronger and build muscle.
However, if you stick with the same routine and rep range for too long, the body gets used to it and does not have to adapt anymore.
As a result, you will more than likely hit a plateau.
A good timeframe to change workout routines is 3-6 weeks.
Will cardio hurt your gains?
It depends on which type of cardio you are doing. (Light, Moderate, Intense)
It also depends on your goals.
If your goal is to build the most amount of muscle as possible then cardio may not be a good option for you.
Keep in mind that your heart is the most important muscle in your body.
It may not be sexy as having big guns, a thick back, or big glutes, but it is more important for your overall health.
So a few pounds of lost muscle may be worth improved health.
Your body is very good at adapting to things but it is not very efficient at adapting to multiple things at once.
If you are strength training, your body will adapt by building muscle and getting stronger.
If you focus on cardio, your body will adapt by improving its cardiovascular health, stamina, and endurance.
Unfortunately, it’s very hard for the body to do both at the same time.
So focus on one as your main goal but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do the other one. Strength train with some light to moderate cardio a few times a week.
What if you only have 20-30 minutes to train. Is it possible to still build muscle?
Absolutely you can. Sometimes 20-30 minutes is all you need.
More is not always better. Being smarter is better.
You don’t have to go 100% balls to the wall every workout.
Learn to listen to your body to know when it’s time to scale the intensity and volume back.
If you’re sore to the point that you can’t move, then you know you did too much.
The goal is to do the least amount as possible to get results.
Within that short 20-30 minute period of time, you may need to superset (back to back exercises without rest) compound movements and focus on progressive overload.
This would look something like squats and bench press, dips and rows, etc.
You’d be surprised at how effective a workout like that will be. Plus, you may get some metabolic conditioning in there too.
How fast can you expect to grow muscle?
| Realistic Rates of Muscle Growth Per Month | ||
| Fitness Level | Men | Women |
| Beginner | 1.5-2.5lb | .65-1lb |
| Intermediate | .75-1.5lb | .3-.5lb |
| Advanced | <.75lb | <.3lb |
Will women look bulky if they lift weights?
Lifting weights if you are a female will NOT make you bulky.
This is one of the biggest fitness myths when it comes to weightlifting and may tend to scare some women off.
Typically, women get that bulky look if they eat too many calories and train like crazy.
It is very hard for women to build as much muscle as men. That is why you do not see it as much.
To get bulky, you would have to be super advanced, eat a lot of calories, and have super crazy genetics. So, the likelihood of that happening is low.
Lifting weights is going to build muscle, boost your metabolism, which will result in a more toned body.
When you build muscle you tone it. The increased metabolism will help burn and keep the fat off.
As a result, you will feel stronger, powerful, and more confident than you ever have.
Some of the major areas to focus on are your glutes, hamstrings, and shoulders.
These are the areas that will really pop out.
Is there a certain age to strength train?
Strength training at any age is beneficial. T
here was a common myth that I used to believe which was working out to young stunts your growth.
Working out at a young age is great for your body.
When you’re a kid, do you wait until a certain age to play sports? No. You do not say that playing sports will stunt your growth. The same goes for lifting weights.
So why should young teens and children start to lift weights? It is great for
- Their bones and joint health.
- Can help them improve in school and be less likely to be unhealthy.
- Can improve their athletic performance and competitiveness.
- It is something that is fun and kids can engage with their friends with.
If kids can play sports, they should be able to lift weights. To my knowledge, there is no evidence to support weightlifting as being bad for kids.
It is something that they will carry with them for the rest of their life.
Can I build abs just doing ab work?
Yes you can build abs just doing ab exercises with proper progressive overload.
Abs are just like any other muscle in that regard.
That doesn’t mean that they will always show. Building muscle tones the muscle and makes it look better.
However, to see the abs, you have to have a low enough body fat percentage.
With that said, if you build up your abdominal muscles, they can be visible at higher body fat percentages.
You also have to think of the other benefits of having a strong core has on your balance, coordination, and posture as well.
Not to mention it helps stabilize your lower back which is super important in preventing future pain.
Does eating more meals build more muscle?
When it comes to building muscle, you need to eat protein, eat enough calories, and strength train.
As long as you do these three things, you should be on the right track.
Over time , eating more meals could build slightly more muscle by giving the body a better signal and tools to repair the muscle into a bigger muscle.
However, I don’t think it is something to stress over.
The difference 6 meals compared to 3 would make is very minimal.
This is something a professional body builder would have to keep in mind. Not someone like you who wants to lean out and build muscle.
The last thing I will say is that the more meals you eat, the easier it is to get food and protein down to support muscle growth.
That may be something to keep in mind if you have trouble eating enough protein and calories.
Can I fast and build muscle?
Yes you can as long as total protein and calories are high enough.
Is it optimal? Probably not. Is it possible, yes.
Eating breakfast can help you build muscle by starting your day off with energy from food.
This may give you more energy to workout harder and longer.
Fill the breakfast with protein and you are starting your day off in a muscle building zone.
It all depends on personal preference.
If you truly enjoy fasting because it fits your lifestyle and schedule better, then by all means do that.
However, like I said, eating more meals may have a very tiny advantage to muscle protein synthesis and may be easier to eat the amount of calories you need.
So do what will work best for you.
Importance of post workout meal or protein shake:
If you’re hungry and out of energy after a workout, then yeah of course eat a meal or drink a protein shake.
If you are doing it to get it into that “anabolic window” to build muscle, then it’s pointless.
The anabolic window lasts a lot longer than originally thought and the total amount of daily protein matters most.
Not how much you get in right after you workout.
That is a marketing strategy by supplement companies to get you to buy their product.
As log as you get in enough protein and calories at the end of the day, you should be fine.
Is Pre Workout Necessary?
No, you do not need anything – especially pre workout.
Pre-workout can help and it is not bad. But you do not need it.
The best and cheapest pre workout is coffee in my opinion.
What About BCAA’s?
BCAA’s are also known as branch chain amino acids.
You can get all the BCAA’s you need from food.
If you eat enough protein in your diet then there is absolutely no need to supplement with them.
Summary to building muscle
To build muscle requires a lot of time, effort, and patience.
To build muscle, you need 3 MAIN things:
- Protein: To allow your muscles to grow and repair.
- .8-1 g/lb.
- Energy: You have to provide your body with enough calories from food to allow yourself to build muscle
- Training stimulus: Strength Training
- Need a reason for the muscle to grow.
- Force it to do something that it doesn’t want to do and then it’s forced to grow.
- Ease your way into it and trainer harder and harder the next time.
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