The 5 Best Ways To Gain Muscle Mass Naturally
Muscle growth is a lot like losing weight. You can do everything right and still not see the results you want. Or, you can do the things that are a little bit outside the box to see results that are life-changing.
Gaining muscle isn’t just about lifting heavier weights or eating larger portions. In order for your body to grow, it needs to have enough protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to support new muscle growth.
Luckily, muscle growth is something that you can support on your own. All you need to do is pay attention to your body, eat a well-balanced diet and rest when you need it. Here are the 5 best ways to gain muscle mass naturally.
1. Increase your protein consumption
This is the foundation of any muscle gain program. And it’s the most important tip of all.
Protein is the key to building muscle. It makes up a large portion of your muscle tissue. And it’s not just any protein—it’s essential amino acids.
Amino acids are the building blocks of muscle tissue. They are responsible for helping your body repair and build muscle.
Unfortunately, most people consume too little protein on a daily basis. According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended daily allowance for protein is between 0.8 and 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight.
If you weigh 150 pounds, that’s between 66 grams and 97 grams of protein per day.
To gain muscle, you need to surpass these numbers and consume more protein than normal. Since muscle tissue is built from amino acids, consuming more will cause your body to build more of it.
2. Get more rest
You’ve probably heard this one before—muscles only grow when they’re relaxed. But what does that even mean?
Well, it’s actually pretty simple. Only when muscles are relaxed can new muscle tissue grow. That’s why you have to give your muscles time to rest—they have to be able to recuperate and grow. This means you can’t just jump into the gym the second you come home from work. You have to give your muscles at least 48 hours to recover before you put any weight on them. And 48 hours is a generous amount of time in this case—you only need a few hours.
To give your muscles the best chance at growth, you need to give them time to rest. This means no heavy cardio, lifting weights or other activities that taxes your muscles.
It also means you need to give your muscles time to recuperate after training. If you push yourself too hard, they won’t have enough time to grow.
3. Exercise regularly
This one is as simple as it gets. You need to exercise. Yes, even when you’re trying to gain muscle.
Exercising will cause your muscles to grow, no matter what you’re doing. There are different ways to do it and you can choose which one is best for you.
Jogging, elliptical training, swimming, walking, yoga or using an exercise bike are all examples of cardiovascular exercise.
Strength training is when you lift weights. It’s not for the faint of heart. But if you want to gain muscle, it’s a must.
There are many different exercises you can do to strengthen your muscles. And they all have their advantages. You just have to find the ones that are right for you.
4. Optimize your diet
This is the most important tip of all. You have to know what you’re eating.
You’ve probably heard this before—you have to eat to gain muscle, not the other way around. But what does that even mean?
Well, it’s actually pretty simple. You have to put calories into your body to gain muscle. That’s it. You might be thinking, “How can I put calories into my body if I’m not eating any calories?”
That’s where supplementation comes into play. You can use protein shakes, protein-containing foods (e.g. protein bar, protein shake) or take protein-containing supplements (e.g. protein powder, amino acids) to add calories into your diet.
5. Get to sleep
This one is simple too. You have to get enough sleep. You know how when you’re tired, you just don’t feel like doing anything? Well, your muscles feel the same way.
When you don’t get enough sleep, you’re essentially tired all the time. Your body is running on less energy because you’re not giving it the chance to fully recuperate.
This means your muscles don’t get the chance to grow because they’re not getting the adequate amount of rest they need.
To gain muscle, you need to make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. This should be easy since you need to set aside at least an hour for sleeping.
Conclusion
To gain muscle, you have to do more than lift heavier weights or eat larger portions. You have to take advantage of all five of these ways to gain muscle mass naturally. If you do, you should start seeing results in no time.