4 Basic Fundamentals to Build Muscle Fast
There are many techniques on how to get more muscle mass, but it all boils down to 4 basic fundamentals: Exercising with the right form, with the right weight, providing the right nutrition to your muscles and recovering properly.
Let's go over each fundamental to recognize their importance and order: 1.
Exercise Using the Right Form Exercises are a combination of sets and repetitions.
It is crucial that each rep is done in perfect form to achieve results.
To make a repetition in perfect form means 3 things: using the right muscles to complete the repetition, going through the entire range of motion of the muscle and keeping your body core completely stable and balanced while performing the movement.
Here is an example of proper form: If you are performing an arm curl, you must focus on using your bicep muscle only.
Even though is important to stabilize all core muscles and distribute force throughout your arm in deltoids and neck, the muscle that must become fatigued is the biceps.
Furthermore when lifting the weight, the arm must contract and extend as much as possible throughout the entire motion without releasing tension.
Last but not least, your whole body must be in a balanced position, your core must be straight, your feet shoulder width apart and your face looking straight.
All elements are important when executing proper form, the main importance of this step is to avoid injury, as performing an exercise while being in an unbalanced position or using the wrong muscles will lead to injury or insufficient gains.
2.
Exercise Using the Right Weight This step is sometimes overlooked and stretched to its limits.
Most athletes have gotten the results they want because they know how to identify how much weight they need to lift in order to achieve their goal.
If your goal is to gain muscle mass, The trick is to simply use a weight that does not let you do more than 8 reps without fatigue, the complete workout for one muscle should consists of three sets of 8 reps with little rest in between sets (60 seconds to 90 seconds).
The last set reps of the third set should completely fatigue the target muscle.
If you reach the point of failure in the last reps it is useful to have somebody with you that can spot your progress and help you complete those final reps if needed.
With this method you can identify when to use more or less weight, if the weights you have chosen let you do the three sets with perfect form and without fatigue then you need to lift more.
3.
Provide the Right Nutrition To Your Muscles 80% of building muscles depends on what you eat.
A combination of the right amount of calories, choosing the correct balance of nutrients, and constantly fueling the body are the key nutritional elements to building a powerful, built body.
If gaining mass is the objective of your workout you should consume an average of 18-20 daily calories per each pound you weight.
(Example: if a person currently weight 140 pounds, he or she must consume 2500 calories a day to see a significant increase in mass).
The food groups that must be consumed the most are: lean proteins (such as lean beef, fish chicken, tofu, almonds), followed by healthy carbs (brown rice, sweet potato, whole grain pasta), and followed by vegetables and fruits.
Foods that should be avoided are unhealthy fats (such as animal and saturated fats) and foods with hi sugar content (like cereals and white bread).
The last component of a nutrition plan to build muscle mass is to fuel the body constantly with lean protein, this requires you to eat at least 6 times a day.
Incorporating healthy snack between meals is the key to keep your muscles fueled.
A healthy snack could consist in a combination of a fruit or vegetable with a small protein like a banana with a yogurt, or almonds and grapes.
4.
Recovering properly The recovery process is just as important as the exercise itself.
When the muscle has reached the point of fatigue during workout, the muscle tissue has broken at a cellular level, and will only grow during the night by using the healthy protein that you have consumed.
In this process the body creates new muscle cells to protect the broken cells and once they heal the muscle will grow bigger.
The recovery process continues for about two to three days, and this is the reason you must rest your muscles at least one day before attempting to exercise the same muscle again.
There are many other factors that are involved in a complete workout plan which are beyond the scope of this article, but the above fundamentals are the most important to take into consideration.
Let's go over each fundamental to recognize their importance and order: 1.
Exercise Using the Right Form Exercises are a combination of sets and repetitions.
It is crucial that each rep is done in perfect form to achieve results.
To make a repetition in perfect form means 3 things: using the right muscles to complete the repetition, going through the entire range of motion of the muscle and keeping your body core completely stable and balanced while performing the movement.
Here is an example of proper form: If you are performing an arm curl, you must focus on using your bicep muscle only.
Even though is important to stabilize all core muscles and distribute force throughout your arm in deltoids and neck, the muscle that must become fatigued is the biceps.
Furthermore when lifting the weight, the arm must contract and extend as much as possible throughout the entire motion without releasing tension.
Last but not least, your whole body must be in a balanced position, your core must be straight, your feet shoulder width apart and your face looking straight.
All elements are important when executing proper form, the main importance of this step is to avoid injury, as performing an exercise while being in an unbalanced position or using the wrong muscles will lead to injury or insufficient gains.
2.
Exercise Using the Right Weight This step is sometimes overlooked and stretched to its limits.
Most athletes have gotten the results they want because they know how to identify how much weight they need to lift in order to achieve their goal.
If your goal is to gain muscle mass, The trick is to simply use a weight that does not let you do more than 8 reps without fatigue, the complete workout for one muscle should consists of three sets of 8 reps with little rest in between sets (60 seconds to 90 seconds).
The last set reps of the third set should completely fatigue the target muscle.
If you reach the point of failure in the last reps it is useful to have somebody with you that can spot your progress and help you complete those final reps if needed.
With this method you can identify when to use more or less weight, if the weights you have chosen let you do the three sets with perfect form and without fatigue then you need to lift more.
3.
Provide the Right Nutrition To Your Muscles 80% of building muscles depends on what you eat.
A combination of the right amount of calories, choosing the correct balance of nutrients, and constantly fueling the body are the key nutritional elements to building a powerful, built body.
If gaining mass is the objective of your workout you should consume an average of 18-20 daily calories per each pound you weight.
(Example: if a person currently weight 140 pounds, he or she must consume 2500 calories a day to see a significant increase in mass).
The food groups that must be consumed the most are: lean proteins (such as lean beef, fish chicken, tofu, almonds), followed by healthy carbs (brown rice, sweet potato, whole grain pasta), and followed by vegetables and fruits.
Foods that should be avoided are unhealthy fats (such as animal and saturated fats) and foods with hi sugar content (like cereals and white bread).
The last component of a nutrition plan to build muscle mass is to fuel the body constantly with lean protein, this requires you to eat at least 6 times a day.
Incorporating healthy snack between meals is the key to keep your muscles fueled.
A healthy snack could consist in a combination of a fruit or vegetable with a small protein like a banana with a yogurt, or almonds and grapes.
4.
Recovering properly The recovery process is just as important as the exercise itself.
When the muscle has reached the point of fatigue during workout, the muscle tissue has broken at a cellular level, and will only grow during the night by using the healthy protein that you have consumed.
In this process the body creates new muscle cells to protect the broken cells and once they heal the muscle will grow bigger.
The recovery process continues for about two to three days, and this is the reason you must rest your muscles at least one day before attempting to exercise the same muscle again.
There are many other factors that are involved in a complete workout plan which are beyond the scope of this article, but the above fundamentals are the most important to take into consideration.
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