Feeling physically fit and healthy is important, but who doesn’t also want to show off sculpted, toned muscles that they’ve worked really hard for? The topic of building muscle and “bulking up” isn’t discussed often, since most people are primarily interested in losing weight and shedding fat. This means that for the people who are looking to strictly build muscle it can be hard to find guidance and information on how to do that. Before you even begin thinking about embarking on a new program with the goal of building muscle it’s important that you figure out what your body type is. We are all different and have different needs – the three different categories to consider include:
- Ectomorphs – a naturally skinny body type that is resistant to gaining weight and can enjoy eating whatever they like without gaining fat.
- Mesomorphs – a body type that typically describes an athlete, someone who can gain or lose weight and muscle pretty easily.
- Endomorphs – a person who quickly gains weight and muscle but struggles with losing it.
Once you understand which body type you fall under it will make it easier for you to find and follow a customized fitness plan to help you build muscle mass. For example, an ectomorph will have to combine a workout routine with a carb-rich diet to ensure they have what they need to bulk up and build muscle mass. Here are our 5 rules to building muscle mass to help you tone and sculpt your body, so you look and feel incredible!
- Skip Cardio
Have you ever noticed how skinny marathon runners are? These athletes are always training for their next race, which makes it tough to build muscle. When you indulge in a lot of cardio exercises you burn a large number of calories so your body will look for ways to be more efficient like losing unnecessary muscle and fat. If you are adamant about incorporating cardio into your training, then figure out how many calories you burn during those workouts and make sure you eat enough to make up for it.
- Indulge in Weight Training
In order to build muscle mass, weight training needs to be the basis of your entire fitness routine. Free weights are more effective than training machines because they force all your muscle groups to work harder while performing the reps. Machines tend to support part of the load for you, which means you are not getting an effective workout. Additionally, the best way to build bigger and more powerful muscles is to lift heavy and perform a low number of reps. Once you can do more than eight reps easily then you’ll know it’s time to move up to a heavier weight.
- Modify your Workouts
Have you ever heard of a weight loss or fitness plateau? This happen when you work out hard but stop seeing results and lose momentum towards reaching your ultimate goals. If this happens you need to make small, simple and effective adjustments to your workouts like:
- Choose to lift heavier weights
- Move slower as you lift weights to engage your muscles
- Change your routine every six to eight weeks so you don’t slow down your progress
- Make sure your form is proper and safe
- Eat Well
You know how important nutrition is if you are trying to lose weight and shed body fat, well the same goes for building muscle mass. The difference is that you need to eat more calories than what you are burning, but the types of foods you eat need to provide you with healthy and lean protein, nutrient dense carbs and healthy fats. A good example of a balanced meal for building muscle mass could be steak with potatoes and leafy greens. You can also indulge in protein rich snacks in between meals like nuts and smoothies.
- Rest Often
Believe it or not, getting a good amount of rest is extremely important when trying to build muscle mass. Make sure to take at least one full day off every week from workout out so that your muscles have time to adapt and rebuild. Building muscle mass takes a lot of work so make sure you are also getting a good night’s rest every night, no less than eight hours.
The team at our clinic is here to help you achieve your wellness goals, whether that means offering guidance for building muscle mass or providing support throughout our weight loss programs. If you have any questions about services, or if you’re ready to embark on your health journey, please contact us.
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