Alec Titan
Building muscle is a challenging but rewarding endeavour. To build muscle, you need to push your muscles to handle progressively greater challenges. This doesn't necessarily mean lifting heavier weights in every workout, but rather finding ways to improve on every set of an exercise. For example, you can increase the amount of time your muscles are under tension by slowing down the eccentric phase of each exercise you perform. It's also important to vary your workouts, include exercises for all major muscle groups, and gradually increase the weight or resistance as you progress.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of sets | 3 sets of 3–5 compound movements, followed by 3 sets of 1–2 isolation movements per workout |
| Repetition range | Heavier weights for compound movements, higher repetition ranges for isolation movements |
| Muscle tension | Leave muscles under tension for longer than a typical set |
| Sleep | Muscles recover and grow during sleep |
| Macronutrients | Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are essential for muscle growth |
| Progressive overload | Pushing muscles to handle progressively greater challenges |
| Eccentric effort | Slow down the eccentric phase of each exercise or integrate eccentric-only variations into your routine |
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What You'll Learn
Compound movements
To add more muscle, it's important to vary your workouts and include exercises for all major muscle groups. It's also key to gradually increase the weight or resistance as you progress. This means pushing your muscles to handle progressively greater challenges. However, this doesn't mean you have to lift heavier weights in every workout. Instead, you can push yourself in different ways, such as by increasing the time under tension.
To build muscle effectively, it is recommended to perform 3 sets of 3-5 compound movements, followed by 3 sets of 1-2 isolation movements per workout. Compound movements are typically performed with heavier weights and lower repetitions, while isolation movements are performed with lighter weights and higher repetitions.
For example, when performing a squat, you are doing an eccentric action as you lower into the squat, and a concentric action as you return to standing. Research has shown that eccentric work is better at triggering muscle growth. To increase the amount of eccentric effort in your workout, you can slow down the eccentric phase or integrate eccentric-only variations into your routine.
It is important to note that proper form is essential when performing compound movements to maximise results and minimise the risk of injury. Additionally, getting enough sleep is crucial as it allows your muscles to recover and your body to grow.
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Isolation movements
Additionally, isolation movements can be useful for improving your form and technique. By focusing on a single muscle group, you can pay closer attention to your body positioning and movement patterns. This can help you refine your technique and make sure you are performing the exercises correctly, which can lead to better results and a lower risk of injury.
It's important to note that isolation movements should be combined with compound movements and other types of exercises for a well-rounded workout routine. Varying your workouts and gradually increasing the weight or resistance will help you build muscle effectively.
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Time under tension
To add more muscle, it's important to vary your workouts, include exercises for all major muscle groups, and gradually increase the weight or resistance as you progress. You should also pay attention to your diet, focusing on macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
One technique to build muscle is to increase the time under tension during a set. This involves leaving your muscles under tension for longer than a typical set, which can help spark muscle growth. For example, when performing a squat, you can slow down the eccentric phase (when the agonist muscle lengthens) and speed up the concentric phase (when the agonist muscle contracts) to add more time under tension. This can be applied to other exercises like deadlifts, curls, pull-ups, and push-ups.
It's important to note that time under tension does not work for explosive exercises like kettlebell swings, snatches, or cleans. Additionally, simply lifting heavier weights is not always feasible or effective. Instead, focus on improving in some way on every set of an exercise, whether it's increasing the weight, the number of reps, or the time under tension.
Sleep is also an important factor in muscle growth. During sleep, your muscles recover and your body grows, so make sure you're getting enough rest to support your muscle-building efforts.
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Macronutrients
Consuming an adequate balance of carbs, protein, and fat is especially important for muscle gain and maintenance. Carbohydrates serve as the body’s primary and preferred energy source. They also fuel physical activity and aid in muscle recovery. Proteins are the building blocks of muscles, tissues, and cells, and sufficient protein intake is necessary for muscle protein synthesis and repair.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and there are 20 of them. For you to gain and maintain strength and size, protein is the most important macronutrient. To make sure you’re getting enough, don’t rely on protein powder alone. Be sure to incorporate good sources of protein, such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy.
Supplements are very important to nearly any training goal you might have. Protein supports muscle repair and growth, glutamine aids immune support and recovery, and BCAA provides energy and endurance.
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Concentric and eccentric phases
To build muscle, you need to focus on two main areas: your workouts and your diet.
When it comes to your workouts, it's important to vary your routine and include exercises for all major muscle groups. Gradually increasing the weight or resistance as you progress will also help to build muscle. It's also key to perform each exercise with proper form to maximise results and minimise the risk of injury.
One way to build muscle is to focus on the concentric and eccentric phases of each exercise. The concentric phase is when the agonist muscle contracts, and the eccentric phase is when the agonist muscle lengthens. For example, when you lower into a squat, you're performing an eccentric action, and when you return to standing, that's concentric. Research published in the *European Journal of Applied Physiology* found that eccentric work is better at triggering hypertrophy. To increase the amount of eccentric effort in your workout, you can either slow down the eccentric phase of each exercise or integrate eccentric-only variations into your routine.
To build muscle, it's also important to push your muscles to handle progressively greater challenges. This doesn't necessarily mean lifting heavier weights in every workout, but rather finding ways to improve on every set of an exercise. For example, you can increase the time under tension during a set, which can help spark muscle growth. This involves tweaking exercises like squats, deadlifts, curls, pull-ups and push-ups to add more time under tension, pushing your muscles farther on every rep.
Finally, your diet plays a crucial role in building muscle. To maximise muscle growth, you need to pay attention to macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
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Frequently asked questions
To build muscle, it's important to vary your workouts, include exercises for all major muscle groups, and gradually increase the weight or resistance as you progress.
A good rule of thumb is to perform 3 sets of 3-5 compound movements, followed by 3 sets of 1-2 isolation movements per workout.
When lifting weights, you will have a concentric (agonist muscle contracting) and eccentric (agonist muscle lengthening) phase. Research suggests that eccentric work is better at triggering hypertrophy, so you should either slow down the eccentric phase of each exercise or integrate eccentric-only variations into your routine.
Sleep is often overlooked when it comes to building muscle, but it's important to remember that when you're asleep, your muscles are recovering and your body is growing. It's also important to pay attention to macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
