There are a few key things you can do to gain muscle mass naturally, such as:
- Lift weights regularly.
- Get enough protein.
- Get enough calories.
- Get enough rest.
- Stay hydrated.
1. Lift weights regularly.
Lifting weights and other resistance training exercises can help you build muscle mass. It’s important to keep challenging your muscles and help them grow by lifting heavier and heavier weights over time.
It’s important to keep challenging your muscles and help them grow by lifting heavier and heavier weights over time.
Lifting weights regularly, usually at least twice or thrice a week, will help your muscles grow and strengthen.
How often, how hard, and how much you lift weights will depend on your goals, your level of experience, and other things like your age, gender, and overall health.
Also, it’s important to change up your workouts and do various exercises that work for different muscle groups. This can help you work out all of your muscles and make sure they grow in a balanced way.
It’s always a good idea to talk to a doctor or a qualified fitness professional about making an exercise plan that is safe, effective, and fits your needs. They can help you figure out how often, how hard, and how much you should work out based on your goals and other aspects of importance to you.
2. Get enough protein.
Protein is a crucial nutrient for building muscle, so consuming enough is essential. Aim to eat at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day, and include protein-rich foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products in your meals.
Getting enough high-quality proteins can be more challenging for vegans and vegetarians, but certainly possible. There are plenty of vegan athletes with extraordinary results: Venus Williams, Kyrie Irving, Carl Lewis, and Lewis Hamilton, to name a few. Taking enough proteins from clean plant-based food (without too many lectins or toxic waste from pesticides and other chemicals) is not easy. Due to that, taking high-quality supplements should be considered.
3. Get enough calories.
Getting enough protein is essential, but you must also eat enough calories to support your muscle’s growth. If you don’t eat enough calories, your body might not have the necessary energy to repair and rebuild muscle tissue.
Most of the time, people who want to build muscle follow general advice to eat 10–20% more calories than they need daily. For example, if you need 2,000 calories per day to ( How Much Of A Calorie Surplus To Gain Muscle? (liftstrong.com) ) stay the same weight, a moderate calorie surplus would be an extra 200–400 calories per day, for a total of 2,200–2,400 calories per day.
But the exact amount of extra calories a person needs to gain muscle can not be generalized. It depends on their age, gender, weight, height, level of physical activity, and metabolism rate, among other things. Due to that, some people will need a larger calorie surplus to build muscle, while others may need a smaller calorie surplus.
Simply put, this means that you need to eat more calories than your body uses every day. How many exactly? That is something you need to find out yourself, and each of us is unique. Explore, and find what best fits your personal needs and aspirations.
In addition to eating well, regular strength training exercises are essential if you want to build muscle. Keep in mind that building muscle takes time and dedication. Be consistent, and the results will follow.
4. Get enough rest.
Rest and sleep are necessary for muscle growth and repair. Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night, and take breaks between workouts to give your muscles time to recover.
Getting enough rest and sleep is vital for muscle growth because it lets your body repair and rebuild muscle tissue. Your muscles get small tears and damage when you work out, like lifting weights or practicing calisthenics. During rest and sleep, your body works to fix these broken muscle fibers and build new ones. This helps your muscles grow.
Also, getting enough sleep can help control the release of hormones like testosterone and growth hormone that play a role in building muscle. During sleep, the body makes more of these hormones essential for muscle repair and growth. In short, with enough sleep, your time in the gym is well-spent.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that adults should try to sleep between 7 and 9 hours each night.
(Recommended reads about getting enough sleep:
- Lack of Sleep and Anxiety: What’s The Connection? (psychcentral.com)
- Tired and Apprehensive: Anxiety Amplifies the Impact of Sleep Loss on Aversive Brain Anticipation – PMC (nih.gov)
- Short Sleep Duration by Occupation Group — 29 States, 2013–2014 | MMWR (cdc.gov))
In addition to getting enough sleep, it’s important to give yourself enough time between workouts to rest and heal. Make sure to give your muscles at least 48 hours of rest between strength training sessions that work for the same muscle groups. This gives your muscles the necessary time to repair, rebuild, and grow.
5. Stay hydrated.
Getting enough water is good for your health in general and can also help your muscles grow. The amount of water required is individual, but if you feel dizzy or your mouth is dry, you probably need to rehydrate yourself.
It’s important to remember that the amount of water needed to support muscle growth can vary based on age, sex, weight, and level of physical activity, among other things.
Personally, I recommend at least 2 liters (8 cups) per day if you are an active young adult or adult.
Water helps keep the body’s temperature stable, moves nutrients around, and gets rid of waste and toxins, among other things.
Staying hydrated is especially important for muscle growth because water helps muscles work and heal.
When you work out, your muscles get sore and inflamed, inhibiting them from performing normally and growing.
If you drink enough water, it can help reduce muscle pain and swelling, which can help your muscles heal and grow.
Also, water is an integral part of muscle tissue, and muscle contractions can’t happen without it. If you don’t drink enough water, your muscles might not work as well, which can slow muscle growth.
It’s also important to listen to your body when it tells you it’s thirsty and not to ignore the signs your body gives you. This can help ensure you’re getting enough water and give your muscles the support they need to operate and grow.
6 (bonus rule) Find a gym partner to make the whole process more fun and motivating.
Doing these 6 things can help your muscles grow and develop naturally. It’s also important to talk to a doctor or a qualified fitness professional to ensure your exercise and nutrition plan is safe, effective, fits your needs and goals, and improves your health.
