The 15 Most Basic Facts About Building More Muscle For Beginners

Protein is vital in every meal because it builds and maintains muscle. Aim for one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day — less active people need less — and this should be spread over five to six small meals.

Don’t take it too far, though. Excess protein, especially from animal sources, has been linked to kidney stones.

Protein is used to build muscle only if you consume enough carbohydrate calories to fuel your body. Otherwise, your body uses protein for fuel. Carbohydrates provide energy for muscle function and serve as fuel for the brain. Choose minimally processed carbohydrates, such as vegetables, steel-cut oats, and quinoa.

Eating five or six small meals a day keeps your body’s metabolism. If you don’t eat regularly, the easiest substance for your body to eat is muscle, not fat. The body is resistant to fat loss and turns to attack lean muscle first. Keep plenty of fuel in the tank so you don’t burn your muscles.

Beach muscles and Olympic weightlifting attract more attention. But the many small stabilizing muscles around the shoulders, hips, and abs —collectively known as the core—provide a solid foundation. Challenging the stability and mobility of these key muscles with medicine balls, ball handling, mini-belts, and rotational movements (lifting, chopping) can pay off enormously.

Training at a consistent time of day is a good thing. But doing regular exercise isn’t because the body will adapt quickly. Keep challenging yourself by adding different moves. When you turn to familiar exercises , aim for your personal best.

Our sedentary, technology-based culture has produced a hunched population with tight hips and bad backs from sitting too long. Without a properly functioning set of glutes, it can be difficult to effectively build muscle. By learning to move through your hips and activate and engage your glutes, you’ll be well on your way to moving correctly and working your muscles effectively, with a reduced risk of injury.

Contrary to popular belief, women don’t get muscular unless they take steroids or other harmful supplements. Women lack the testosterone needed to put on this muscle .

At the end of your workout, your body is screaming for nourishment. The sooner you refuel your fuel tank, the faster your body will recover and your muscles will grow. One easy strategy is to keep a post-workout recovery mix in your gym bag and a shaker bottle that you can mix up right after your workout.

Water sports like swimming, surfing, and stand-up paddle boarding are great ways to build muscle. But no matter how you train, drinking enough water is crucial to building muscle. Drinking enough water before, during, and after exercise can improve performance by up to 25%. Stay hydrated by drinking <>/<> to <> ounces of water per pound of body weight per day.

You can build muscle by hauling logs, flipping tires, hauling water bottles, paddling, at monkey bars, and countless other ways. The best muscle-building exercises are those that mimic everyday movements. They’re also more fun and can get you ready for an obstacle course if you so choose.

Why spend time on isolation exercises like bicep curls or leg extensions when you can get more benefit from exercises that engage more of your body? Consider swivel, chop and oscillating motions for a greater range of motion.

Smartphones generate silly workouts. Don’t be the guy at the gym who fiddles with his phone for two minutes between sets. You’ll lose the focus and intensity you need to build muscle. Even better, don’t rest between sets. Superset is a pushing exercise, like a set of push-ups, followed by a pulling exercise like a dumbbell row. You will produce better performance because the non-working muscles recover faster while the opposite muscles work.

We tend to lose muscle mass as we age, starting in our thirties and especially when we hit our fifties. That doesn’t mean we can’t slow down the process and keep what we have. Strength training is an effective way to maintain mobility and independence in later life.