Muscles, we have over 600 of them. They make up between 1/2 and 1/3 of our body weight. And along with connective tissue, they bind us together, hold us up and help us move. Muscles need your constant attention. The way you treat them on the daily basis determines whether they will wither or grow. It is simple. More strength equals more muscle and the heavier the weights you lift, the stronger your body becomes, the bigger your muscles grow.
Hormone Awareness
By optimizing anabolic hormones (testosterone, growth peptides, etc.) and minimizing catabolic hormones (cortisol, adrenal hormones, etc.) muscles grow. In order to build a muscle, you must have the right hormones. They need to be optimized. We all have different genetics and that is the reason why we should not compare ourselves to someone else. Some athletes are born with lots of muscle cells and perfect hormones for building muscle and losing fat. The right hormonal environment will make you grow muscle without exercise, diets, and supplements.
Exercise
Muscle needs to be stimulated in order to grow. The correct form of exercise also produces important hormones and growth factors that will build muscle. For this to happen, you need to lift weights. Dumbbells, barbells, cables, machines, or just your own bodyweight. Moreover, squeeze the muscle, do not just lift it. Feel it, contract it, be strict, go for a good pump and be patient. It takes patience and time. Most people try to build muscle by doing high rep isolation exercises until pumped and sore. But this rarely works because you can not lift heavy enough to trigger muscle growth. Only lifters who are already strong or use drugs can build muscle by doing mostly isolation exercises like curls and flies.
Feed The Muscle
Now that you have stimulated the muscle, have produced the right hormones, it is time to feed your muscles. If you do not feed your muscle, the workouts will cause you to actually lose muscle. Increase your calories by 250-500 daily and see how you look and feel after a month. Reduce calories if you feel that it is not the right amount for you, and increase if you need to. Focus on really nutrient-dense foods, food that have a lot of vitamins, minerals, that are high in fiber.
These foods are primarily good for health. Most athletes consume large amounts of protein. The most you will ever need is 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. No processed meat. Diet should be 25% fat from healthy sources such as coconut, extra virgin olive oil, macadamia nut oil, raw nuts and seeds and some avocados. Do not forget the carbohydrates, moderate to low glycemic carbohydrates.
You want to always keep your ratio carbohydrates to the fiber at 5:1. It can get lower than that, for example, if you have a piece of bread and it says 20 grams carbs and 5 grams of fiber – it is 4:1 (in that range). But if you have another piece of bread that is 20 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber, it is 10:1. What essentially is going to happen is you are going to conk out, you will not have the energy to train and you are going to be starving because you are going to be hypoglycemic. Your blood sugar is going to be low, which leaves you not being able to focus on your training.
Stay away from the processed carbs and simple sugars. Eat vegetables, rice, yams, sweet potatoes, small amounts of fruits, legumes and other whole grains. When it comes to breakfast, If you lower your carbs, increase the fats and have a high amount of protein you program your metabolism for the rest of the day to metabolize fat instead of carbohydrates. Which means you spare your carb source and you are leaner at the end of the day.
Rest
Just like a baby, you need rest to grow. When it comes to increasing your gains, sleeping is crucial. When compared to the people that slept 5 hours per night, people that slept eight hours per night lost 55% more fat while preserving 60% more muscle. Go to bed before midnight and wake up naturally. Rest improves your anabolic hormones.
