How to Build Muscle Naturally

There are a ton of different supplements and bulking products out on the market today; some of them safe and some of them dangerous.  One of the best things you can do in order to gain your intended amount of muscle safely is to follow the scientific principles of Building muscle.

When stress is applied to muscles they become torn and broken down, the body then goes into repair mode and repairs the muscle. In doing this the muscle is made bigger and stronger. There are basically 4 things you want to remember in order to maximize your muscle growth.

In order to gain bulk you will have to lift heavy weights. When bulking it is important to keep your rep range to around 6-8. Studies have also shown that along with this rep range; working out using compound exercises such as the bench press, shoulder press, deadlifts, squats etc. actually promotes more muscle growth by stimulating the max number of muscle fibers at a time.

Nutrition is half the battle when adding muscle mass to your body.  After a muscle has been torn down it is in dire need of carbohydrates and protein.  Experts say that after your workout you have about a 45 min window to replenish your body’s glycogen stores, before the damage to your muscles is greater than your body can repair.  It is important to eat about 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, and to stick to complex carbs such as whole wheat bread, fruits, vegetables, etc.  Your goal should be to eat about 500 calories more than what you burn off in a single day.

Your body mainly does all of its repairs while you are asleep. It is because of this that if you are trying to bulk up you need to get at least 8-10 hrs of sleep a night. If you do not allow your body enough time to heal then you will actually start losing muscle rather than gaining it.

One of the most common misconceptions that people have about building muscle is more is better. This could not be further from the truth. This is what is called overtraining and is responsible for small gains, muscle loss, plateaus and other drawbacks. You have to give your muscles adequate rests in between workout sessions. It has been said by many experts that less is often more. Working out each muscle group once a week is often all you will need to see good results.

If you are looking at taking any kind of supplements, I would recommend going with creatine, and a multivitamin. Don’t get me wrong there are some other great products out there but for the most part they don’t really give you the results you  would expect for the price you pay for them.