You’ve most likely heard the adage “no pain, no gain.” It’s a tired expression. But that’s because it’s accurate. The first crucial thing to realize about muscle building is that your muscles will not expand until you give them a cause to. Whatever exercise or regimen you do, it is critical that you strain your muscles to the point of fatigue.
“Resistance training is about training hard — if you don’t push yourself, you won’t see much benefit,” Dr. Schoenfeld stated. “That doesn’t imply you should train till your side-of-the-head vein bulges like a serpent. However, you must come close to total failure on each set.”
Here are two methods for determining how much weight you should lift.
- Determine the heaviest weight you can lift at one time. This is your 1-Repetition Maximum, often known as “1-Rep Max.” Once you’ve figured it out, choose a weight that’s at least 80% of your one Rep Max and aim for 8 -12 reps on each set (excluding for your initial warm-up set, which should be rather light).
- Determine your 1-Rep Max. Then, use weights that are 30 to 50% of your 1-Rep Max and aim for up to 25 repetitions per set. In 2016, researchers at McMaster University in Ontario discovered that participants who utilized this strategy gained the same amount of muscle and strength as those who followed a more typical weightlifting practice with larger weights and fewer repetitions.
The bottom line is that the quantity of reps is less significant than the amount to which your muscles are exhausted. Do as many reps/sets as it takes to reach temporary failure, which is the point at which you push your muscles to grow and adapt. “You want to do as many repetitions of the exercise with good form as you can,” said James Steele, associate professor of sport and exercise science at Southampton Solent University in England. “It doesn’t matter whether you do 5 repetitions or 20 repetitions, but it should mean that the last repetition you attempt you can’t complete.”
According to Dr. Westcott, “the key stimulus for building muscle and building strength is the last rep that you can muster with proper form.”
Another way to look at it is this: if your workout does not challenge you, it will not transform you.
Make an effort to attend at least two sessions per week.
Adults should complete a muscle-strengthening workout at least twice a week, according to the federal government’s fitness standards. Lifting weights, exercising with resistance bands, yoga, and heavy gardening are all recommended workouts.
Large studies demonstrate that conducting two resistance-training sessions each week for 10 weeks can improve blood pressure, reduce body fat, and increase muscle size and strength.
However, most studies indicate that the workouts must be sufficiently difficult. So, while gardening and yoga are beneficial, they should not be included in your resistance training regimen. “To my knowledge, there’s very little evidence that they produce an improvement in strength,” Dr. Steele stated.
Focus on muscle-strengthening activities including dumbbells, resistance bands, resistance machines, and bodyweight workouts like push-ups, squats, and lunges. Another thing to remember is that your weekly workouts should activate all of your major muscles. Don’t make the mistake of concentrating just on the “beach muscles” visible in the mirror. “You really need to train your whole body, and you really need to challenge your muscles regardless of the routine,” Dr. Schoenfeld added. “Otherwise, you will plateau very quickly.”
Monitor Your Progress
As you advance through your workouts, keep the correct goals in mind.
Determine Your Fitness Level
Most people who start a new workout regimen track their progress using the numbers on the scale. However, simply glancing at your weight tells you nothing about your muscle mass, strength, or overall fitness. The tools listed below can help you obtain a better sense as you advance through our programs.
- The Main Push-Up Challenge: How many push-ups can you complete without stopping? Use this free calculator to determine your upper body strength in comparison to persons your age and gender. The test should be performed by men in the usual push-up position. If necessary, women can perform this test with their knees on the ground.
- The YMCA Bench Press Test: This is an upper body strength and endurance test that requires a bench and a barbell. A 35-pound barbell is appropriate for women, whereas an 80-pound barbell is appropriate for males. Hand over the bar and complete as many full repetitions as you can. Then, to see how you performed, utilize this online calculator.
- The Sit-Up Challenge: How many sit-ups can you complete in 60 seconds? Time yourself, and then enter your number, age, and gender into this online calculator to find out where you ranked. Then keep track of your development.
- The Single-Leg Sit Test: Stand on one leg with a bench about one foot behind you. Place your right leg out in front of you, then sit on the bench and stand up while keeping your right leg in the air. Rep three times, then swap legs and repeat. Did you use appropriate form for each rep? Then you performed fantastically well. You did well if you could do one or two reps on each leg with perfect form. If you couldn’t accomplish a single rep on each leg with proper technique, that’s an indication you need to improve on your lower body strength.
How Old Are You in Terms of Fitness?
One common myth regarding resistance training is that it has no effect on your aerobic fitness. However, research has shown that an eight-week resistance-training program can increase your V02max, (which is the primary measure of your body’s ability to use oxygen) and the barometer of your cardiovascular endurance. The idea is to keep your rest times between sets as brief as possible, as this enhances the cardiorespiratory component of the workout.
There are other methods for estimating your V02max, as my colleague Gretchen Reynolds outlined in an essay. You can then use it to compute your “fitness age,” which predicts longevity better than chronological age. The best aspect is that, unlike chronological age, you can truly reverse your fitness age. Exercise, especially resistance training, is one method.
The articles below will teach you more about the notion of fitness age.
How to Deal with Muscle Pain
Unfortunately, if you strength train appropriately, you will experience some soreness. However, there are a few things that can help.
One of the side effects of resistance training is that, when done correctly, it almost always results in some muscular pain. However, that negative effect can be mitigated to some extent. Unfortunately, several of the procedures that claim to relieve muscle pain are ineffective. Here is a list of strategies that work and some that don’t.
What Might Be Beneficial • Foam Rolling: Foam rollers have grown in popularity in recent years. They are said to help reduce muscle tension and discomfort as well as the surrounding connective tissue. At least one small study indicated that following a hard weightlifting exercise, men who were allocated to roll their muscles with a foam roller for 20 minutes had lower levels of muscular soreness and better range of motion compared to a control group. - Arnica: Some people who feel muscle aches after exercise use arnica, a topical lotion made from a botanical. There isn’t a lot of proof to back up its claims. However, several tiny studies have revealed that persons who rub it on their muscles in the days following a strenuous workout had less discomfort than those who do not.
Massage Therapy A massage can be beneficial in a variety of ways. However, the evidence regarding its effectiveness to alleviate muscle pain following a strenuous activity is equivocal. A September meta-analysis of eleven randomized controlled trials indicated that massage therapy “significantly” reduced muscular pain 24 hours after rigorous exercise and also resulted in lower levels of creatine kinase, a marker of muscle injury. However, another meta-analysis published in 2012 reported that, while massage treatment was “slightly effective” in alleviating muscle soreness, its effects were “too small to be of clinical relevance.” Finally, whether or not it works depends on the style of massage and the individual. However, it won’t hurt. - Active Recovery: According to Dr. Westcott, one thing that often helps to relieve achy muscles is simply increasing blood flow to the affected area, which helps to remove inflammatory byproducts. Try going for a stroll if your legs feel tight or painful after an intense leg workout. If your arms and shoulders are aching, try swinging your arms in circles throughout the day to increase blood flow to the area. Active recovery has not received as much attention as other treatments. However, Dr. Westcott claims that in his decades of experience, it frequently helps.
What Most Likely Doesn’t Help - Stretching: To avoid painful muscles, many people stretch before or after activity. But don’t expect it to make much of a difference. In 2011, a group of researchers released a comprehensive analysis in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews that examined the benefits of pre- and post-exercise stretching.
- Analgesics: Using over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen to relieve post-exercise muscular soreness provides little comfort and may possibly cause more issues. According to some research, they may impair the body’s ability to rebuild muscles.
- Cryotherapy: After a difficult game or practice, some sportsmen employ ice-cold temperatures to calm their muscles. Some people enjoy taking an ice bath. Others would rather enter a full-body cryotherapy chamber. Those that pay for cryotherapy, on the other hand, may not get their money’s value. In 2015, a study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews determined that there was “insufficient” evidence to support the use of cryotherapy to treat achy muscles after exercise. A further study of cold-water immersion discovered “some evidence” that it could lessen muscular soreness compared to nothing at all, but that more “high quality, well-reported research” was needed to provide a definite response.
- Where to Eat
What you do in the kitchen is as important as what you do in the gym.
What you do in the kitchen can be just as significant as what you do in the Fitness center when it comes to muscle building.
This is because amino acids are the building components of your body. Your body will not be able to develop and repair muscle if you do not take enough protein. You don’t have to go overboard. However, if your goal is to gain muscle and strength, there is a simple rule of thumb to follow.
•Determine your ideal body weight. Then, strive for 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. For example purposes: if your ideal weight is 160 pounds, you should consume approximately 128 grams of protein every day. The majority of your protein should ideally come from whole sources.
According to research, eating the right quantity of protein not only builds muscle but also speeds up fat reduction.
This applies to both men and women. In a clinical experiment of premenopausal women, those who participated in a resistance-training program while eating a higher protein diet shed much more fat than those who either exercised or followed a diet.
You can be flexible with the rest of your diet as long as you eat enough protein. The International Society of Sports Nutrition states that you can adopt a wide range of diets to grow muscle and decrease fat, ranging from low carb to low fat “and all points in between.” Some diets are more effective for some persons than others. The trick is to figure out what works best for you and stay with it. You can even gain muscle on a vegan diet. The one issue is that, unlike animal diets, plant-based foods may not always contain all of the required amino acids. As a result, you must choose your protein sources carefully.
“”If you want to be a vegan and build muscle, you must focus on quantity and quality,” Dr. Schoenfeld explained. “You have to be diligent about combining protein sources so you get all of the essential amino acids.”
What about dietary supplements?
Every year, people spend billions of dollars on nutritional supplements, many of which are touted for muscle growth and fat removal.
Many marketing promises are unsubstantiated by scientific research, and the reality is that most people do not require supplements. However, certain supplements may be beneficial to some people, according to Kamal Patel, a nutrition expert and the head of Examine.com, a vast and impartial library of supplement research. Here are two examples.
- Protein shake: Protein should be obtained from complete foods. However, there is evidence that protein smoothies and supplements can be beneficial for persons who are busy or want to enhance their protein intake without adding too many calories. Whey protein, one of the two proteins contained in milk, has been demonstrated to boost muscle protein synthesis. It is also more quickly absorbed than other types of protein. Vegans can benefit from plant-based proteins as well.
- Creatine: This is a naturally occurring chemical in our body since our muscles rely on it for energy. Many studies have shown that using creatine as a supplement can boost strength, power, and muscle hypertrophy, making it particularly useful for high-intensity sports such as strength training and sprinting. Most studies indicate that it has little negative effects in healthy persons. “Creatine has the most evidence for efficacy of any supplement,” Mr. Patel said. It’s especially important if you’re a vegan, he says, because the best dietary sources of creatine are meat and fish.