To gain muscle mass, you'll need a well-designed training program, discipline and plenty of hard work. Even when all three of these factors are in place, gaining muscle can sometimes be a slow process. By learning just a few easy tricks, you can accelerate your progress and enjoy faster muscle gains.
Avoid Overtraining
In your effort to get fast muscle growth, it's easy to fall into the trap of overtraining. Overtraining means training past the point where your body can adequately recover. It's especially easy to overtrain when you start weight training because your general physical preparedness is low. To avoid overtraining, limit your strength workouts to no more than one hour, four days per week. According to the American Council on Exercise, some common symptoms of overtraining include muscle aches, poor sleep, injuries and irritability.
Eat More Calories
One of the most common reasons for slow muscle growth is not maintaining a caloric surplus. In order to fuel muscle growth, you must eat more calories than you burn each day, with the majority coming from whole, unprocessed foods. To fuel your workouts, eat lots of complex carbs such as brown rice, yams, and whole wheat pasta. Give your muscles the raw materials they need for growth by eating lean proteins like chicken breast, tuna and lean beef. Eat lots of fruits and veggies for their vitamins and fiber, which will keep your digestive system healthy and allow you to draw as much nutrition as possible from your diet.
Sleep to Grow
Never underestimate the role that sleep plays in muscle growth. Your muscles do not grow during training, they grow at rest. Deep sleep is the time when muscles are able to repair themselves and grow stronger. Follow the Mayo Clinic's guideline of seven to eight hours of sleep per night so you are adequately recovered from training. You can improve the amount and quality of your sleep by avoiding stress, bright lights and heavy foods before bed.
Member Comments