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

How to Gain Muscle Mass - 5 Principles of Muscle Hypertrophy

Gaining weight is very easy, many people may gain a lot of weight for a short period of time. On the other side, building lean muscle mass can be very hard, especially for guys that have a fast metabolism, commonly know as hard-gainers.

Also Read: How To Eat To Gain Muscle Mass - Diet Strategies For Hardgainers

Like many of the people in the world that are fighting with a body fat, there are also many people that are struggling to gain weight and build muscle mass. If you are one of those from the second group, continue reading this article.  

For everything in life you need three things - a goal, plan to achieve it and dedication. Those are three basic things to success in anything you want. You need to apply this rule and start your muscle building trip. 

There are 3 main ways to make your muscles grow:

1. Force muscles to grow with the right training

2. Feed your muscles with enough healthy calories

3. Rest, recover your muscles, let them grow

Those are only three general rules for muscle gain, now continue reading to learn five principles of muscle growth.

1. Multi-Joint Movements

In order to gain muscle mass faster, you need to place emphasis on the compound, multi-joint movements. Compound exercises are much better for building muscle mass than single-joint, isolation exercises. That is because exercises like squat and bench press allow bigger loads of weight and involve more muscle groups which lead to more muscle gains.


Top 10 Exercises To Build Muscle Mass


Bigger load and heavier exercises stimulate the bigger release of the muscle-building hormone. 

It is very important to do one of the hardest exercises - Squats. The squat is a great mass builder and it is probably the movement that involves the most muscle groups at the same time. 






2. Progressive Overload


The progressive overload is one of the most important muscle-building principles. Lifting the same weight will not help you build muscles. Muscles can quickly adapt to the weight and you need to put some more load in order to force your muscles to grow. 


Mass-Building Full-Body Workout Routine for Beginners


The key of muscle gain to leave your comfort zone, give your muscles a reason to grow. If you lift heavier weights from week to week you won't let your muscles time to adapt and you will force them to grow.


The best rep range to stimulate muscle growth is from 8 to 12. I recommend doing 10 reps per set for best muscle growth stimulation. 




3. Caloric Surplus 


To gain muscle mass you need to eat a lot. And that means you need to spend a lot of your time in the kitchen. It is one of the biggest mistakes that lifters make and don't succeed in building muscle mass, they don't consume enough calories or macronutrients. 


20 Foods You Should Eat to Gain Muscle Mass


You need to consume 18 calories per pound of your bodyweight to build muscle and at least 1 gr of protein per pound of bodyweight. On training days, try to consume more proteins because your muscles need it to repair and grow. 


Foods that are Best Sources of Protein




Consume enough calories and all three macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) and in a combination with resistance training your muscles will start to grow. 




4. Rest Your Muscles


This is how it goes, you give your muscles a reason to grow in the gym, build them in the kitchen and they grow while you sleep. Lack of rest can decrease the chance of muscle growth.


Also, don't overtrain your muscles. Don't train same muscles for two days in a row or you will overtrain them and prevent them from growing. To build muscle you need a short and intense workout and long periods of rest. 




5. Supplements Selection


Many supplements ads promise you results. A lot of them are actually unnecessary and just a waste of your money. The best muscle building supplements that you need to buy are Creatine and Whey Protein. They can be a great support for building muscle mass. 


You can check the list of 5 best muscle-building supplements, but you must know there are no better supplements for building muscle mass than Whey Powder and Creatine. 


Top 5 Muscle-Building Supplements




If you start following these five principles right now, you have a big chance to build your muscles for less than one month. Applying these rules could make the most benefits for beginners because in the starting phase, first two to three months, you can build most muscle mass. 


It is very important to start doing it right from the beginning, so don't lose your time following wrong workout plans and wasting money on unnecessary supplements. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Bodybuilding Tips to Gain Muscle Mass

All bodybuilding fans know who is the most famous bodybuilding legend - Arnold Schwarzenegger. We all know that he is very famous as a bodybuilder, actor, and of course - governor. 

Arnold started lifting at the age of 15 and he won the first Mr. Universe title when he was 20. After that, he won 7 Mr. Olympia titles. Those are some well-known facts, but did you ever thought about how did he build such a muscular and defined physique? 

If you are interested in Arnold Schwarzenegger's tips for building a lot of muscle mass continue reading this article.

1. Arnold's Training Tips for Muscle Building

The Austrian Oak knew that it is not everything in training hard, he knew that he also need to train smart. One of his main tips for building muscle mass is: "To get big, you have to get strong."

In order to build his muscles, Arnold focused on multi-joint movements (compound exercises) more than on isolation exercises.

If you want to know which compound exercises are best for muscle building then check out another article:

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass

To get stronger and build muscle mass fast, compound exercises must be a foundation of your training plan.

2. Heavy weights and low number of reps

That is a key to building muscle mass and he knew it better than Arnold Schwarzenneger. Best rep range for muscle growth is from 8 to 12. To ensure muscle growth Arnold recommends starting with a few warm-ups and then pyramid the weight up from one set to next while decreasing the number of reps and going to failure. Arnold never performed a workout with less than 6 reps and more than 12 reps. 

3. Experiment with training routines

Never let your muscles to get used to the same workout routine. One of the best ways to make your muscles to grow is to shock them, confuse them. Don't let your muscles know what is coming next. 

Arnold was often switching his workout routines if he found that his routine is no longer producing muscle gains. Doing the same routine over and over without any significant changes will stop making results and your muscles will get comfortable with that workout routine, which means they won't grow anymore. 

4. Don't overtrain your muscles

This principle is very important for building muscle mass. You need to let your muscles to rest and recover after hard training sessions. Arnold said that too much can be as bad as too little in bodybuilding training. 

Overtraining one muscle can lead that muscle to lag behind other muscles. Don't overtrain your muscles, give them a chance to rest and grow. Remember, muscles don't grow in a gym, they grow while we rest.




5. Fuel your muscles with a lot of protein


In the time when he was competing, Arnold consumed a lot of protein. He knew that the most important macronutrient for muscle hypertrophy is protein. He used to say that for one pound of a body it is enough to consume one gram of protein.


Arnie used to split his 250 grams of protein into five meals a day. 



Here is an example of one of Arnold's meals:


3-4 whole eggs
2 pieces of bacon
2 pieces of Ezekiel bread



This was often his breakfast and after two to three hours he was ready to eat more. He was also a fan of protein shakes as part of his meals.

20 Foods You Should Eat to Gain Muscle Mass

If you are planning to build muscle mass one of the most important things is your diet. You can't gain muscle mass if you aren't consuming enough calories and all three macronutrients - PROTEINS, CARBS, and FATS.

One of the mistakes that many hard gainers make is that they don't consume fats and they do not understand that there are fats that they should eat. It is very important to avoid trans fats, that should be clear. Also, in order to increase muscle mass, you need to consume twice more carbs than proteins. Protein is the most important nutrient for muscle building, but carbs are crucial for building muscle mass.

HOW MANY CARBS, FATS, AND PROTEINS?

You should aim to at least 1.2 grams of protein per 1 pound of your weight. In order to build muscle mass you need to stick with this calories ratio:

What are the top 20 muscle-building foods?

1. Lean White Meat (Chicken & Turkey)

Chicken and Turkey breasts are the staple of every bodybuilding diet. If you want to build muscle or to burn fat then you should include lean white meat in your diet. 

100 gr of white meat will fill you with 31 grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat, which is very good for building lean muscle mass.

2. Fish 

Fish is one of the best muscle-building foods. Let's take salmon, for example, it contains about 25 grams of protein in 100 grams portion. Also, fish meat is packed with omega-3 fatty acids which are great for your heart and muscles too. 

3. Eggs

Together with fish and white meat, eggs are also very good source of proteins. It is very cheap to buy them, very easy to prepare them and they are delicious. Each egg contains about 5 - 6 grams of protein. The protein in eggs is probably the most efficiently for muscle growth among all other whole foods.

4. Lean Red Meat

Red meats, like lean beef, are the excellent source of protein. 100 grams of lean beef contains about 27 grams of protein, and that is not all, red meat is considered as best food for naturally increasing testosterone levels which support muscle growth. That is because red meat is filled with zinc, iron, and B12 vitamins. 

5. Cottage Cheese

Another great source of protein, and almost entirely pure casein protein. Casein protein is recommended for meals before bedtime because they are very slow digesting and muscles are fed during sleep.

6. Whey Protein Powder

Although it is considered as the supplement, whey protein is one of the best sources of protein with 30 grams of protein per one scoop (35 gr). It is the best post-workout protein source because it is fastest digesting and it feeds your muscles with quality proteins and reduces the risk of catabolism after a hard training session. 

I recommend making homemade mass gainers as post workout meals for faster muscle gains:

Homemade Mass Gainer - Gain Muscle Mass Fast

7. Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter is one of the best muscle-building foods. It is filled with proteins and good fats and it is very high in healthy calories. 100 gr serving of peanut butter can provide you about 30 gr of protein and 600 healthy calories. 

8. Oats

Oatmeal is one of the best sources of carbohydrates containing about 70 gr of carbs per 100 gr serving. Also, it is filled with 13 gr of proteins. One of the best choices for breakfast meal.

9. Mixed Nuts

Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts and other kinds of nuts are also very good for building muscle mass. They are great sources of healthy fats and also protein. Nuts are also loaded with important nutrients like fiber, vitamin E, manganese, and magnesium.

10. Milk

It is enough to say that only one cup of milk contains 8 grams of protein and 13 grams of carbohydrates. Milk is also rich in branched chain amino acids (BCCAs), so it is a better and cheaper solution than buying BCCAs supplements.

11. Brown Rice (Very good source of carbs)

12. Sweet Potatoes

13. Ezekiel Bread

14. Shrimps

15. Greek Yogurt

16. Olive Oil

17. Avocado

18. Spinach

19. Broccoli

20. Flax Seeds

Don't forget to eat fruits and consume a lot of water too. Those 20 are just foods for muscle building but you need also to consume a lot of vitamins from fruits like oranges, apples, and berries. 

That is it, create your own muscle-building diet plan with these 20 foods and also check out which exercises are best for building muscle mass:

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass Fast

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass Fast

HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE MASS FAST:



- Focus on progressive overload

- Consume enough calories to support muscle growth

- Quality rest

- Consume all three macro-nutrients (Proteins, Carbs, Fats)

- Perform compound exercises



More tips on how to gain muscle mass fast you can read in other articles:

The Bodybuilding Guide to Build Muscle Mass Fast


Old-School Bodybuilding Tips by Joe Weider - Build Muscle Mass Fast

Best exercises to become bigger and stronger are compound movements that involve more than one muscle group at the same time. With compound exercises, you can build muscle mass fast, lose fat and increase your strength faster than using isolation exercises. 

Check out the list of compound exercises that are best for building muscle:

1. Squat

It is the best muscle building exercise because:

  -  The entire musculature is activated

 - Performing squat highly boost muscle building hormones

  

Even the squat is very dangerous exercise, especially if it is done with bad form and too much weight, there is nothing like putting a heavy weight on your back and going down as low as you can, then coming back up and doing it again and again while you are naturally boosting testosterone levels and engage many muscle groups. Even those that you didn't hear of before. 

The squat is definitely the best muscle builder ever. 

2. Bench Press

This is one of the most famous gym exercises and it is famous for building a big chest, but Bench Press is also working Deltoids, Triceps, and Traps. Bench Press is an ultimate exercise for building upper body muscles, there is no better exercise for upper body strength and size. Practice Bench Press form and lift heavy and you will build an awesome torso.

The best way to build muscle with Bench Press is by using a barbell. The reason for that is that you can lift more weight than if you use dumbbells. 


Incline Bench Press - better effect on upper chest

Decline Bench Press - best lower chest exercise




3. Bent-over Barbell Row


One of the best exercises for the thickly muscled back. Like all multi-joints movements, barbell row is also difficult exercise for performing but it still way better for building muscles than alternatives like seated rows and lat pulldowns. You should include this exercise in every back workouts.


Bent-over rows work every muscle from traps to lower lats and are also very good for developing biceps. 




4. Military Press


The most effective exercise to build big and round shoulders. Military Presses are also good for developing upper back, neck, and back of arms. 




5. Lunges


The best exercise for your legs after squats. By performing lunges you can target butt and hamstrings and further develop your lower body by combining them with squats.




6. Lat Pulldowns


Doing Lat Pulldowns will help you to develop your back muscles and biceps. By performing this exercise often you can make your physique have a much more balanced appearance. 



Best Bodyweight Exercises for Muscle Building are Pull Ups/Chin Ups, Dips, and Push Ups (make sure that you put a weighted belt if you can do more than 12 reps with your bodyweight only). 


Recommended rep range for muscle hypertrophy is from 8 to 12 reps for one set. 


To build muscle mass fast I recommend doing these exercises as first in every workout (bench press on chest day, bent-over rows on back day etc.) and combine them with a few isolation exercises. Just make sure that you are mixing your workout, your muscles should not get used to the same workout every time, confuse your muscles to ensure more muscle growth.