Inside: Dos and don’ts of building muscle healthily. Collaborative post.
Many people dream of building muscle to achieve their desired bodies. Defined muscles can significantly boost our self-esteem and make us stronger and healthier. However, most people want to generate results as fast as possible, not considering the potential risks of rushing the process.
Building muscle is a long-term commitment that involves patience and consistency. You must focus on areas like nutrition, sleep, and other lifestyle choices that contribute to your goal. Still, muscle gain rates are different based on every individual’s health condition.
Regardless, you should expect the muscle gain to be visible within months or a few years, which is why so many people give up.
You can build muscle mass if you’re consistent enough and learn what to do and avoid. So, let’s get through some of the dos and don’ts of training for building muscle.
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Do combine strength training with cardio
Strength training is the main workout needed for producing muscle because it increases bone density and builds muscular endurance. Ideally, people should do strengthening exercises for major muscle groups at least twice a week, but your workout session might look different.
Lifting weights, doing squats, or using powerbands are only a few examples of exercises that will work your muscles like crazy. Luckily, the number of training exercises abounds on the internet, so choose those that are doable in the long term and will not harm your health. Deadlifts, pistol squats, or pull-ups are usually fit for more experienced people.
However, strength training will be inefficient without cardio, which helps support muscle growth, improve your fitness levels, and benefit your heart’s health. You can do cardio more frequently per week, as it prepares your body to reduce the risk of injury in the future. Running is a great example of cardio, but if you want to take it to the next level, try working with a heavy jump rope to boost endurance.
Don’t neglect your body
While building muscles, neglecting your body means not listening to what it tells you. Being tired while working out is a good sign, but overdoing it will always end up in injuries. That’s why resting and knowing when to stop the workout are crucial to maintaining a consistent routine.
You shouldn’t work out on all days of the week, so choose one day, such as Sunday, to not pursue any significant physical activity other than walking or running. At the same time, learn to do alternative workouts and not do lifting three consecutive days. Rather than that, choose one day for lifting and the following one for cardio.
Finally, find the balance between challenging yourself and exposing yourself to risks. A good challenge is lifting a weight that will drain you after 15 repetitions, but it’s a bad idea to aim for an exercise that will crush you after a few seconds just for the grind. Start slow and increase weights in time so your muscles will tear and recover faster.
Do devise a nutritious meal plan
If your meals are inconsistent, you won’t be able to gain muscle and maintain it for longer. This subject can get complicated because you might need to calculate the calories, protein, and carbs you need to build muscle mass adequately.
For example, you should supply your calories by about 300-500 more than your baseline. The baseline depends on age, sex, and lean body mass, which needs to be assessed. The daily protein intake should be about 1.6 grams per kg, while fats only 0.5-1.5 grams per kg daily. Consulting a registered dietician will help you get these numbers right.
Other frequently used strategies to gain muscles include bulking and cutting. Bulking means eating more nutritious foods for the muscles to grow, while cutting involves the reduction of calories to decrease body fat. These methods can be efficient if done properly.
Don’t disregard warming up
Most people overlook warming up and stretching during any kind of exercise because they’re boring and might make them look silly at the gym. However, introducing them into daily training sessions will ensure muscles won’t break that easily since “warm muscles” are ready to lift weights more than “cold muscles.”
The least you can do is do a basic warm-up of walking or your preferred aerobic activity. Still, if you want to do things right, create a warm-up session based on the four types of warm-ups:
- Dynamic exercises include leg swings, arm circles and torso twists;
- Cardiovascular warm-up includes jogging, cycling or doing jumping jacks;
- Specific muscle activation involves glute bridges, planks and push-up variations;
- Mobility drills include hip circles, neck rolls, and write mobility drills;
Ideally, you should do about three minutes of each warm-up type to increase blood flow and enhance your workouts.
Do watch out for your form
Lifting weights with the wrong form can cause more damage than help you because it can expose you to muscle imbalances and pain. You won’t get your results and might even develop a herniated disc. Watch yourself in the mirror and try to fix the posture if your shoulders are hunched and you feel tension in your neck. The ideal posture is to stand up straight with the chest up, which is especially important to maintain when doing pull-ups.
Other exercises require you to arch your back when lifting or keeping your elbows close to the ribcage when benching. If you’re unsure about your posture, ask for a professional to help correct it. Long-term poor posture will only hinder your progress.
Are you ready to become more muscular?
Building muscles seems like one of the easiest things to do when trying to shape your body, but its difficulty is considerable, mainly for beginners. This type of training implies you know your lifting limits, are eating nutritious foods, prioritise sleep, and have the correct posture, which can be overwhelming at first. Therefore, talking to specialised dietitians and trainers who can tell you exactly what you need to do is recommended. You play the part of discipline and consistency.