Building muscle mass: how do you do that?
You want to look athletic and muscular, but you find it difficult to build muscle mass. However, did you know that when building muscle, not only the exercise itself, but also your diet and the number of hours you sleep are important? In this article we tell you more about building muscle mass and how you can do this best.
Which sport do you choose?
If you want to build muscle mass, it is often best to go to the gym. Here you can train the muscles with weights. It is also possible to build muscles with other sports - such as (kick)boxing or swimming. The advantage of the gym, however, is that you know exactly which muscle groups you target with each exercise and in this way you can easily determine which muscles you train.
You can opt for exercises that train almost the entire body and you can opt for so-called isolation exercises that only target a certain muscle group. It is recommended to train the entire body, so that it remains in proportion. However, you can train certain muscles in the body more than others if your goals are to mainly get these muscles bigger.
Strength training or bodybuilding
The exercises in the gym (not counting cardio) are suitable for both strength training and bodybuilding. What exactly is the difference between these two terms? With strength training you pick up as high weights as possible and you only do a few reps per set (usually five to ten). If you choose bodybuilding, you pick lower weights and do about ten to twenty reps per set.
If you only go to the gym to build muscle mass, bodybuilding is probably the best choice. This is because you build muscle mass the fastest and you also train the muscles drier. The disadvantage of bodybuilding, however, is that you build up very little strength with it. This is because you only train with lower weights. Your condition, on the other hand, will improve. With strength training you build up muscle mass less quickly, but at the same time you improve in strength. So it just depends on what you find most important.
Which exercises are best?
You can build muscle mass with all weightlifting exercises in the gym, but which exercises are the best? You can choose to train on equipment, but you can also train with free weights (barbells and dumbbells). We advise you to opt for free weights as much as possible, since you then have to use the small muscles yourself to keep your balance. This means that you train more muscles and you perform a movement that you could also perform in this way in everyday life. This ensures that you can also apply the strength you have built up in daily life.
It is also a good idea to include so-called compound exercises in your schedule. With these types of exercises you train almost the entire body in one go. Some well-known and very good compound exercises are the squat and the deadlift. There are also various variations here, where the focus is more on a specific muscle group. The squat and the deadlift are two exercises that fall under 'powerlifting'. In addition, the bench press also falls under this, with which you mainly train the chest muscles. If you only do these three exercises three training days a week, you will see that you will get results in a short time. However, most people choose to do other exercises for variation and support.
What schedule is best for you?
If you start with strength training or bodybuilding, it is best to opt for a full body schedule. These types of schedules are less heavy than split schedules. You train all muscle groups in the body every training day. In any case, go to the gym three times a week, because then you will quickly achieve good results. But also keep it to three times a week, because your muscles need at least 48 hours of rest between two training sessions to recover properly.
Have you been doing strength training or bodybuilding for a while and do you want to build even more muscle mass? Then you can switch to a so-called split schedule. You train one, two or three different muscle groups every training day. This is heavier and in this way you also build muscle mass faster. You can also go to the gym more often with this schedule, such as four or five times a week. The point is that a certain muscle group has 48 hours of rest, but in the meantime you can train another muscle group.
The right nutrition
If you do strength training or bodybuilding, it is important that you also choose the right nutrition. Proteins ensure that your muscles repair and grow, so you need to make sure you get enough protein. As a bodybuilder or strength athlete, you should in any case take in at least two grams of protein per kilogram of fat-free body weight every day. Therefore, make sure that every meal and snack you eat consists in part of protein. Also eat a protein-rich product, such as a protein shake, immediately after exercising. It is also good to eat low-fat cottage cheese before going to bed, as your muscles will grow and recover better during sleep.
In addition, you also have to make sure that you get enough healthy carbohydrates. These nutrients give you energy and therefore ensure that you perform better. It is therefore best to have a small, carbohydrate-rich snack just before exercising. After exercising, you should also replenish your energy with carbohydrates as soon as possible. Therefore, eat a carbohydrate-rich snack or a meal containing carbohydrates and proteins within an hour and a half after exercising.
Get enough sleep
Since your muscles grow and repair during your sleep, it is important that you get enough sleep. Every night you need about six to nine hours of sleep (depending on your personal needs). Especially on a training day it is important that you sleep enough hours to recover properly, but this is also necessary on other days. You should also get enough sleep the night before your training day, so that you have enough energy for training and can perform well.
When will the first results be noticeable?
If you start with strength training or bodybuilding and you do the right exercises, you can see the first results within a few months. Building muscle mass goes even faster if you also choose good nutrition and get enough sleep every night. Do you want to build muscle mass as quickly as possible? Then choose a good training schedule with good exercises, make a nutrition schedule with sufficient proteins and carbohydrates and sleep about six to nine hours every night!