Building muscle effectively results from a combination of effective diet and training practices. By consuming enough calories along with enough protein, as well as maintaining a consistent and effective weight training regimen with a moderated lifestyle, you'll find yourself packing on the muscle mass in no time.
Caloric Surplus
To place your body in the optimal state for muscular growth, you must maintain a caloric surplus. That is to say, you must consume more calories than you burn on a daily basis. To ensure this, start by calculating your basal metabolic rate--the rate at which your idle body burns calories every 24 hours. Use an online calculator such as bmrcalculator.org.
Now, adjust for your personal level of daily activity using the Harris Benedict Multiplier: if you're lightly active, multiply your BMR total by 1.375. If you're moderately active, multiply by 1.55. If you're heavily active, multiply by 1.725. Construct a diet that exceeds this final figure by at least 1,000 daily calories; this will give your body ample fuel for growth.
Protein Intake
In addition to gross caloric intake, the types of calories you consume also matter. While carbohydrates and fats are necessary, protein is the bodybuilder's primary nutrient. Protein contains amino acids, which form the building blocks for human muscle tissue. As such, you'll want to consume a large proportion of protein at each meal. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends that you consume 0.8 g per pound of body weight per day. To meet this quota, build your meals around meat, fish, eggs, beans, tofu, and other protein-rich foods.
Weight Training
Weight training is the best way to provide your muscles with the stimulus necessary for growth. For best results, train at least three times a week, on nonconsecutive days to allow for muscle recovery and growth, basing each workout around the following fundamental compound exercises: bench press, shoulder press, row, squat and deadlift. You may supplement these movements with isolation exercises of your choice. For each exercise, complete three to four sets of 8 to 12 repetitions, resting approximately 90 seconds between sets.
Other Lifestyle Considerations
The use of alcohol and other recreational drugs can have a detrimental effect on the production of hormones such as testosterone, which are integral to the muscle building process. As such, avoid these substances as much as possible.
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