Building Muscle Tissue
When it comes to fitness goals, building muscle is one of the most popular ones out there. And, whether you are trying to lose weight or build mass, it is highly probable that muscle building will feature somewhere in your training programme in one form or another. There is a lot more to building muscle tissue than you may think and there are a few things that you should keep in mind during your training if you want to achieve the results you are striving for.
A quick science lesson
In order to understand fully how you build muscle tissue it can be a good idea to understand the science behind it. There is one primary way in which muscle grows and that actually revolves around your body repairing itself due to muscle damage. That isn’t quite as extreme as it sounds. When you overload your muscle tissue by using heavy weights it becomes damaged, your body repairs the muscle tissue, making it bigger and stronger. This in turn makes it easier for you the next time you lift weights.
In other words, you are putting your existing muscle tissue under stress and your body is responding to it. Over time your body will adapt to this stress and be better able to deal with it, and ultimately this is what helps you to build your muscle tissue.
What do I need to do?
There some very simple “rules” that you should follow in order to build muscle:
- You should be looking to train each group of muscles around 2-3 times a week
- You should be focusing on constant tension on your muscle during your training session
- You need to make a plan and stay committed to it – if you keep altering it your progress will be hampered
- You will need to increase volume over time – this is reps, sets and weights
- Ensure that you allow your body time to recover correctly
- Be patient
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, if you want to ensure that you are building muscle in the right way it will take time for you to see the results that you want but it will be worth it. We can’t stress how important recovery time is; if you are not giving your muscles the right amount of time to heal, then you will be hampering your progress.
The right diet and supplements
If you want to build muscle, then you need to treat your body properly and this means feeding it the right things. Building muscle is not about losing weight, so when we refer to diet, we are talking about eating more of the right things not less of everything. A healthy balanced diet, that offers you a calorie surplus and is rich in protein is the right start.
But when it comes to muscle building, one thing people often overlook is the effect supplements can have on your ability to build muscle quickly. A pre-workout can help increase your energy, focus and concentration, and can even help improve your strength. Therefore, these can be a great addition to your routine. And let’s not forget about recovery too. Many people find adding protein powders to their diet in the form of protein shakes can be a great way to get their protein count up, as they are a very practical way to increase protein intake on the go. But you could also opt for a mass gainer, some branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) glutamine and creatine too; they could help improve your recovery so you can maintain your new muscle mass even longer.
As we said, some things won’t happen overnight, and muscle tissue building is one of those things. But with the right diet, a few supplements and a good exercise programme, you’re sure to achieve the muscle gain you’re looking for.
