How To Build Muscle Mass

In spite of what late-night infomercials and over-hyped supplements promise, there is no silver bullet on how to building muscle mass. Indeed, the only thing that’s guaranteed to help you build muscle mass is the right combination of diet and exercise.

Although most people associate the word diet with weight loss, the right diet is equally important in gaining weight and muscle. It’s impossible to build muscle quickly and healthfully without a high calorie, high protein diet.

If you’re trying to build muscle mass, the general rule is that you should consume one gram of protein for every pound of body weight daily. It’s difficult to do this without supplements so I’d recommend the use of a whey protein, a casein protein or both.

These protein supplements will help build muscle mass more quickly if taken at the right time. Casein is best taken at night and in the morning when the body’s protein stores are depleted; whey is faster acting and is best taken immediately after a workout.

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But your body needs more than protein supplements so make sure to include lots of lean red meats and fish in your diet. In terms of calories, the right muscle building diet will be about 3,500 to 4,000 calories of meats, fish, carbs, fruits and vegetables. Extra calories from junk food and snacks will just harm your muscle building effort.

As I mentioned earlier, the second key component in any plan to build muscle mass is a challenging exercise regimen. Your workout should be built around the use of free weights and bodyweight exercises.

That being said, if you’re starting from scratch, it’s often necessary to begin exercising with resistance machines in order to build the strength that will enable you to do free weight exercises. It’s important to start free weight exercises such as bicep curls, squats and chest presses as soon as possible when trying to build muscle mass because they work more muscles than a machine does.

Machines often focus on one muscle like a bicep or pectoral and don’t work out ancillary muscles. But by using free weights and working ancillary muscles you’ll build muscle mass faster than if you just worked out primary muscle groups.

Free weights work more muscles than machines do because they incorporate a larger range of motion that works a number of muscles in a single rep. This larger range of motion is also more natural so it should help you avoid injuries that are sometimes caused by the rigid motions of machines.

Bodyweight exercises are also important in building muscle mass and it’s generally a good idea to include a set of burnout chin ups and push ups in any strength training routine.

By following these dietary guidelines and exercising diligently with free weights and bodyweight exercises, it’s possible to build muscle mass healthfully and at a quick pace. Just avoid infomercial products and supplements that promise quick fixes on how to build muscle mass, exercise four to five times a week and you’ll see progress in no time.

If you liked this article you will probably also like to read our article on How Long Does It Take To Build Muscle.