The 10 Rules of Building Muscle Mass

Are you confused about what workout routine and diet plan to follow to build muscle mass? After reading these 10 golden rules of muscle building you will learn some basic facts about training and diet for muscle growth.

1. CONSUME MORE CALORIES THAN YOU BURN

First of all, don't forget this most important rule - eat more calories than you burn every day. That means that you need to be in caloric surplus every single day, especially on training days when your muscles need more protein and healthy calories to grow.

How To Eat To Gain Muscle Mass

2. GO HARD, LIFT HEAVY

If your goal is to build muscle then you will need to lift heavy and focus on progressive overload which is very important for strength and muscle gain. By lifting heavy and in moderate rep range you will gain strength and muscle simultaneously and that approach is the most effective. 

3. IDEAL REP RANGE

I recommend you lifting in a 6-12 rep range. In big lifts like squats, bench press, and deadlifts go with 6-8 and those exercises are the most effective for muscle building because they hit more than one muscle group at the same time.

4. COMPOUND EXERCISES

Major lifts like Bench Press, Military Press, Squat, Dead Lift and Bent-Over Row are the most effective muscle-building exercises. You can build muscle mass with only these exercises together with compound bodyweight exercises like Pull Ups and Dips. You may totally avoid isolation exercises like dumbbell curls and triceps extensions and still make gains in your triceps and biceps. But, if you want to add some isolation work in your workout then save it for part of training after you give your best on big lifts that I mentioned.

For example, if you have a back and biceps training day, start your workout with exercises like deadlift, bent-over row or pull up and then go on with exercises like dumbbell rows, hammer curls, etc.

Top 10 Exercises To Build Muscle Mass

5. CONSUME ALL THREE MACRONUTRIENTS

Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are all very important nutrients for building muscle mass. They all have their role in muscle building so neither one should be excluded in your diet plan. You must know that carbs and fats are not your enemies and that you can't build muscle mass without those two nutrients. Research shows that diets that are higher in fat (monosaturated and saturated, stay away from trans fats) have a good effect on male hormone testosterone which has a big role in muscle growth.

6. GET PLENTY OF SLEEP


You already heard that average person needs 8 hours of sleep daily for optimal health and that rule also applies for lifters that want to build muscle mass. Your sleep time is when your muscles recover and grow. 


Your sleep time is when your growth hormones and testosterone levels are boosted and your insulin sensitivity is also enhanced. If you don't give your body time to heal and grow stronger your training and diet could be worthless.




7. CONFUSE YOUR MUSCLES


The reason that progressive overload works so well for muscle growth is that it confuses your muscles. At the time when your muscles are used to a certain number of reps and a particular weight, you need to add more weight and reps to build more muscle mass.



Also, you shouldn't let your body getting used to the same workout routine for too long. Change your exercises choice, reps and sets ranges that you use or even muscle groups that you train every day. Confusing your muscles is very useful in building muscle mass. If you don't believe me, ask Arnie or other bodybuilding legends. 



Hint: Add dropsets and supersets in your workout routine to boost your muscle growth.




8. FULL-BODY ROUTINE


By following a full-body routine three or four days per week you are going to hit every muscle group on every training day. That is the best way to enhance your muscle growth for natural lifters. Lifters who are consuming anabolic steroids can build muscle mass with long, high-intensity, split routines but for natural lifters, especially beginners, the best way to build muscle mass fast is to do short, high-frequency, full-body workouts three or four times per week.



You can find many articles about full-body routines on this site:


3 Best Full-Body Workouts to Build Muscle Mass Fast







9. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER EVERY DAY


It is very important to stay hydrated throughout the day and especially during the training session. The reason for that is simple, your training performance begins to suffer when your body is dehydrated. Also, water helps to move food through your system so you don't feel bloated.




10. MUSCLE-BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS


For building muscle mass there is nothing more important than your diet, but supplements can be very helpful to speed up the process and make calories counting less stressful. Of course, you shouldn't waste your money on unnecessary supplements. I recommend you to buy Whey Protein as one of the best supplements on the market and after buying one you may also buy Creatine Monohydrate which is the best selling supplement these days. 


More about Whey Protein and Creatine you can read in another article:


Best Muscle-Building Supplements to Build Muscle Mass Fast

The Bodybuilding Guide to Build Muscle Mass Fast

Building muscle mass isn't so easy to achieve and it wouldn't come very fast as you probably think. It is not achievable, not without using steroids. Building lean muscle takes some time and you can't gain 50 pounds of muscle mass in one month, you can only gain body weight like that, and that means mostly body fat. 

First, you have to remember that if you want to build muscle you have to get stronger. To get stronger you have to lift heavier weights in the range of 6 - 10 reps and you will also get bigger. For totally new lifters I advise that they should first start with bodyweight exercises and gain some strength and muscle growth before they start lifting heavy weights. Pull Ups and Dips are very good Muscle Mass Builders, those exercises should always be in your workout routine. 

Also, besides getting stronger, to gain more muscle mass you have to eat more healthy foods every day, you have to consume a lot of proteins, carbs, and fats. For tips on which foods to eat and what amount of calories to eat you can read my other posts:

Check out:

Best Healthy Foods to Gain Muscle Mass

Diet Tips for Lean Muscle Mass

Together with the workout routine and diet plan for muscle growth, supplements can be very helpful for building muscle mass. They are not necessary but will make muscle building easier and faster.

Read more about supplements for muscle building:

Top 5 Supplements for Muscle Mass Gain

Compound exercises which work more muscle groups are best for muscle building. Your muscles won't grow with a workout that is consisted of machine and isolation exercises. You need to boost your testosterone levels and increase muscle growth with hard and heavy loaded workouts. Performing these exercises in the rep range 8 - 12 is the best for muscle hypertrophy.

Read which exercises are the best muscle builders:

Best Muscle Building Exercises

Now, all that you need is good Mass-Building Workout Routine and your muscles will start growing and you will see results after the first month of training. When it comes to muscle building workout routines, you can choose between Full-Body and Body Split workouts. I recommend you to try one of the full-body workout programs if you are a beginner:

Mass-Building Workout Program

One of the most famous workout programs in Bodybuilding is Reg Park's 5x5 Workout Routine. Many bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger used this workout to gain more muscle mass and strength. It is very recommended for beginners and it is also a full-body workout program:

Reg Park;s 5x5 Workout Program for Muscle Mass and Strength

Now, you have all information about Gaining Muscle Mass, the last tip for you is to be persistent and don't just waste your precious time in the gym. It is better to train one hour hard than two hours of slacking. Muscles won't come so fast, but if it is that easy to build muscle, everyone would do it and it wouldn't be some great thing. Just keep training hard and eat a lot of healthy foods and muscles will come in some time.