The science behind gaining muscle mass is no science at all. All you need to do is throw a ton of weight and eat a ton of grub, and sleep like a lion.
Muscle gain is achieved through a caloric increase of at least 500 calories above your normal intake and eating at least one gram of protein per body weight, an increase in the amount of stress you apply to your muscles and adequate recovery (sleep).
Let's break this down shall we:
1. You should be eating 5-6 small meals per day. These meals should consist mainly of lean protein, low glycemic-index carbs and veggies. Protein shakes are an excellent post-workout way to gain muscle. After a strenuous workout, your muscles are starving for nutrients. I would avoid whole foods post-workout, because they digest too slowly to be rapidly absorbed by those screaming muscle fibers.
2. You should stick mainly to exercises that utilize large muscle groups: deadlifts, squats, bench press, pull-ups and presses. I don't want to see you doing forearm concentration curls and wondering why you aren't huge yet! I would stick to lower body one session, then upper body the next. The hormone release of large, whole body movements is what you are after. Every few weeks I want you to "switch it up". Change your rep speed, rest period between sets and exercise choices. One final thought is: Less is more! Stick to 12 sets per muscle group and a range of 4-8 reps per set. Use slow and concentrated reps and squeeze out each rep. You want to set those muscle fibers on fire. I'm going to throw in the importance of stretching in this section. A tight muscle is a small muscle! Stretching can actually speed up recovery time between workouts, avoid injury and keep your movements fluid. Yoga can be an excellent way to promote muscle growth.
3. Sleep! I suggest at least seven hours of good quality sleep per night, supplemented with a pre or post workout nap. Try to alleviate any stressors from your life. Stress raises Cortisol levels that will kill any muscle gain efforts. Limiting cardio can be placed in this section. Your main focus is breaking down muscle fibers with heavy weights, then feeding those broken muscle fibers, then letting those fibers recoup through rest. If you are pounding out two hours on the elliptical every day, you are hamstringing yourself. Limit cardio to 30 minutes, three times per week.
Good luck on your muscle gain journey! Now eat that chicken breast and pound me out a set of squats!
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