Healthy ways to gain muscle mass or bulk up
Gaining muscle mass doesn’t happen overnight. It requires commitment and a fine balance between diet, exercise, and rest. Muscle mass increase occurs when the muscles go through hypertrophy. When you lift weights and stress your muscles, tears in the muscle fibers occur and activate the satellite cells. These cells move to the location of the tear and begin repairs by fusing together.
Most bodybuilders, fitness pros, and casual gym goers use pre workout supplements before taking any other form of a heavy training exercise, allowing for a more efficient session. There’s also available mass gainer from Supplement Mart if you’re looking for quick and safe muscle building. Do take note that supplementation works best with proper diet, healthy living, and continuous exercise as stated above. That’s right – no magic here, folks.
Start eating more protein and carbs. This might sound obvious, but for those looking to bulk up quickly, it starts with what you eat. Along with an increase in protein intake, carbohydrates also play a big role in increasing muscle mass. Carbohydrates provide muscles with energy before working out and should be consumed an hour before training, and 15 minutes after. Fresh fat sources like walnuts, almonds, avocado, fish oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil and sunflower oils are recommended.
Increase repetitions. Lower reps (around three to six) are used for developing and maintaining overall strength, but if you want to gain muscle mass, sticking to seven – twelve repetitions per exercise is recommended.
Target large muscle groups. If you’re aiming for big results, you need to focus on training large muscle groups. Focus on your quads, hamstrings, chest and back. Training these larger muscle groups will allow your body to burn more calories and therefore cut down on your body fat.
Stay dehydrated. Water intake is key when it comes to increasing muscle mass. Water is retained within our muscles, so obviously, being dehydrated can result in dry looking skin and muscles. Not only this, dehydration also reduces your energy, causing you to easily tire when training. In short, staying hydrated is beneficial for overall bodily and muscle function.
Get enough sleep. Proper sleep is essential when it comes to gaining weight. The majority of muscle repair and growth of the muscle itself is activated while we rest. This is why proper rest days and sleep is vital for the development of muscle mass. Trained muscles should be given around 48 to 72 hours for full recovery. Aim for at least seven or eight hours of sleep per night.
Train under an hour. You should keep whichever program you’re doing to no more than an hour at a time. Ensure that you’re focusing on keeping the intensity higher rather than making the workout drag on. Focus on keeping your rest periods under a minute and try limiting small talks with other gym members.
Consider a mass gainer. Yeah, most articles on gaining weight bash the supplement industry, but the truth is, if you really cannot eat more whole foods, you should consider a mass gainer. They are for instance come in the form of shake (as most are). So instead of having rice, chicken, and veggies, you could simply make do with a shake.
End Note
That’s it. Now it’s time to start putting these tips into action and you’ll sure to start gaining tangible muscle mass soon. Remember, the key is commitment – tenacity! Best of luck.