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Our society is constantly fighting against all types of discrimination and is clearly evolving in this field, but at the same time persists in valuing physical criteria that are not accessible to all. This is why many people deploy all their efforts to reach these canons of beauty conveyed mainly by social networks.
Thus, men, for the most part, strive to develop their muscle mass to display their dream body. But if the goal seems clearly defined, the means to achieve it remain less well identified, so I will deliver some tips that will allow you to increase your muscle mass quickly.
© Can Stock Photo / deandrobot
1. Regular training will develop your athletic body
Of course, the first recommendation, which is not very unexpected, relates to physical exercise. But these must be targeted: not all workouts produce the same results for all athletes. It all depends in part on your initial morphology.
Moreover, after a few weeks, the exercises that increased your muscle mass no longer seem to produce effects. It is therefore important to vary the movements, intensify and prolong each exercise. It is also important to carefully note the type of training done at each session and the results observed, this will allow you to gauge the effectiveness of the exercises.
A progression in your weight gain must be constantly observed
During the training itself, you must observe some basic rules, common to all sports. Thus, the warm-up appears to be a necessity. First of all, it prevents accidents, but it also increases the efficiency of the exercises by developing your endurance. I therefore advise you to concentrate your efforts by doing series of intense exercises, but of limited duration, because repetition, by requesting the same muscles, strengthens their mass. You must also vary the exercises in order to solicit your entire body. Indeed, an athlete’s bust on thin legs would not be very aesthetic.
Some exercises, such as barbell or dumbbell lifts, squats, rowing, and floor movements build muscle mass if you do them regularly. However, be careful not to exhaust your body, it does not seem necessary to impose an intensive daily training. You can alternate with cardio sessions, which I strongly recommend if you want to reduce your body fat.
2. Food is a precious help
It seems natural to increase your body mass by eating more. However, I would like to point out that not everything is allowed: you must not confuse muscle mass with fat mass. Therefore, you must control your diet! The best way to avoid overeating that could be detrimental to your goal is to plan your menus a week in advance and stick to this program. However, it is not a question of restricting yourself, you must eat more, but your food must be of good quality, balanced and composed of the nutrients you need.
First of all, you must pay special attention to the proteins you consume. Protein is essential and should be up to 2 grams per kilogram that you weigh. In order to obtain the protein your body needs to build muscle mass, you should focus on :
- whole-grain pasta
- rice
- tofu
- oatmeal
- yogurt
- cottage cheese
These proteins provide your energy and are all the more necessary during this period of intensive effort. It is preferable to consume proteins shortly after the effort has been made in order to rebuild the muscles which then develop and become stronger. You must therefore consume natural proteins at each meal, five or six times a day. Indeed, to increase your muscle mass you must eat more often.
Carbohydrates are also a source of energy, so they must be consumed before and during exercise. Of course, since they are fats, they should be chosen with care. You all know the difference between “good fats” and “bad fats”. Only good fats such as olive or rapeseed oil, avocado, nuts, certain fish and peanut butter, for example, are of concern to you.
As you can see, your choice of food, the frequency of your meals and the times of day when you eat affect your muscle mass. Of course, if measuring your daily protein and carbohydrate needs seems daunting, you can use ready-made powder packs to add to your shakers. These will help you gain mass.
3. Food supplements compensate for intensive efforts
Even if you manage to eat a balanced diet rich in proteins and carbohydrates, you still need to supplement your body with vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Indeed, the extreme efforts you regularly make deplete your body of these nutrients. Of course, you can easily find the necessary elements in fresh fruits and vegetables, but ginger, spirulina, guarana, ginseng… tablets are easy to take and inform you precisely on the doses taken.
In addition, the absorption of vitamins B, C and D and the capsules of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium ensure your vitality and facilitate the increase of your muscle mass. I have no doubt that you are beginning to realize that increasing your muscle mass does not depend solely on your physical training, but requires a very good physical condition.
4. Hydration is an essential support
In order to be healthy, everyone should drink at least one and a half liters of water per day to irrigate the brain and all parts of the body. Hydration is even more essential for athletes who want to increase their muscle mass. They must drink at least 3 liters of water per day. This water compensates for the heavy sweating and water loss caused by intense effort.
It is possible to drink other isotonic substances or coconut milk, but the absorption of liquid to strengthen the muscle mass is a necessity.
5. Rest and sleep reinforce the increase in muscle mass
Finally, the last piece of advice I can give you is the easiest to follow: you need to rest. Your body should not be overtaxed every day. You must give it the opportunity to recover. This doesn’t mean that some days are totally dedicated to lazing around, but that a few days a week you should make less intense efforts, by doing cardio for example.
Sleep is part of the same process: it is important to get a good night’s sleep to allow the muscles to rebuild.
