Wondering how to gain muscle? There are many fads, gimmicks, and “quick fixes” to be found, but there is really only one healthy way to gain muscle mass. You don’t need to be gifted with great genetics or use potentially dangerous illegal hormones or steroids.
Page Contents
How To Gain Muscle Naturally
How Do You Gain Muscle?
Gaining muscle mass breaks down to two very important, and frankly, obvious tasks.
- Workout
- Increase caloric intake
Now, yes, this is very obvious, but in all honesty, there are a lot of people who don’t stay true to this. Back when I first started working out, I ended up eating 12 eggs every morning in order to increase mass.
Now, you don’t have to go and eat 12 eggs every morning, but there are things you can do to increase your caloric intake.
Increase Caloric Intake
What does it mean to increase caloric intake?
Increasing your caloric intake means that you eat more food than your usual daily intake.
Don’t be afraid of carbs. Make sure they are from healthy sources, like avocado, which supplies healthy fats and carbs. muscle mass isn’t gained without carbs, they fuel your regenerative muscle fibers.
Keep in mind that you should not just eat anything. You need to increase your Protein and Carb load. Some food items to focus on include:
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Bread
- Vegetables
- Protein shakes
Eat things that are good for you. You want to increase the amount of food you eat, but only food that will benefit your health.
Working out
There are a lot of people out there who will say one type of workout is better than another. In reality, most workout methods relatively have the same outcome.
Workout schedules are usually boiled down to these two:
- One day a week
- 3-4 times a week
A study done by two Ph.D. doctors, Michael H. Thomas and Steve P. Burns, in partnership with The International Journal of Exercise Science, gives us some scientific evidence on the differences between these two methods.
The study consisted of 7 women and 12 men in an 8-week strength training program. They all were around the same age and had a relatively similar workout history.
The participants were split into two separate groups. The first group – the High-frequency training group (HTF), worked out each muscle group, 3 times a week, exercising 3 sets per muscle group each session (three total-body workouts a week).
The second group – the Low-frequency training group (LFT), this group trained all muscle groups, split into 9 sets per session, one time a week.
After the 8 week training, HFT gained a (1.9%) lean muscle mass and the LFT group gained (2.0%) in lean muscle mass.
HFT increased their chest press strength by (11%) and their hack squat by (21%). While the LFT group increased their chest press strength by (7.0%) and their hack squat by (24%).
With this research, we can see that there isn’t much of a marginal difference between these two groups.
The International Journal of Exercise Science, read more.
Conclusion
So what have we learned, and how can you gain muscle mass? From my own experience and reading up on the research, you need to eat, and work out. These are very obvious, but dedication is key. Eat good, healthy, protein-packed foods, and don’t be afraid of carbs, good carbs. Make sure to work out, and don’t get caught up on the scheduling. The research we read shows that it doesn’t really matter how frequent you go, just go! Stay dedicated and you’ll reach your goal!
