Welcome back, everyone! We’ve made it to Part 2 of this comprehensive look into putting on muscle. For the mental approach to doing so, please read Part 1, especially if this is new territory to you. It’s what’s going to put you in the right mindset for muscle building, as well as dispel the myth that women can’t or shouldn’t be resistance training. Otherwise, let’s get right into the juicy part of this topic, which is all about HOW you do so in the first place! If you’re ready, let’s begin!

 For the Beginners…

In fact, beginners should start by mastering the basics with their body weight in order to establish the proper form and execution that are needed when using a heavier weight. This not only ensures you’re doing the exercise properly (and thus getting the right results) but it also keeps you from getting injured. Once you’ve mastered the basics you can then “graduate” over to weights. And even with weights, don’t try to be a hero and lift heavier than your body can handle. Yes, we’re prone to showing off our strength by lifting crazy amounts of weights, but it puts you at great risk for injury. At the very least you won’t be getting the maximum benefits as you would with a lighter weight. You’ll only be doing partial reps instead of a complete rep with the full range of motion. So, when it comes to advancing up in weight, the key here is to EARN IT. Strength must be earned through consistency. Just because you’re using, say, 5 pounds versus 10 or 15 does not mean you’re not building muscle or shaping your body. Whatever weight you’re at is what’s working the best for you and your body. Nobody is going to respond the way that you do at your current level. Don’t despair- the only competition is who you were yesterday. 

Frequency…

Now, let’s cover frequency. How often should you be doing resistance training? This one is going to vary from person-to-person. Really pay attention to how your body responds. For some people, it can be as frequent as daily. And for others, it can only be a few days a week. A good approach is to go by some form of a split during the week. Perhaps on Mondays, your primary focus is on your upper body, and on Tuesdays, it becomes your lower body. You can also stick to a total body workout that focuses on building overall strength either every day or every other day. For these workouts, you’re still working intensely but at a rate that allows you to train almost daily because you’re not driving yourself to the ground. In other words, you’re reserving just enough strength to go back and train without overdoing things. My workouts accomplish this perfectly. They’re still intense, but not to the point where you’re extremely sore and exhausted to muster up the energy or strength to work out the next day. Just follow my weekly workout schedule!
Unless you’re an elite athlete competing in the Olympics, you’ll be able to come back, crush your workout, and see impressive results day after day because you’re working out for a sensible yet effective amount of time.

But again, this takes a bit of time and experimentation, so feel free to play around with different approaches until you find what works best for you!

Recovery

There’s something else that it’s important to understand when it comes to building muscle, and that’s recovery. Believe it or not, you build muscle at rest. Is the training itself important? Absolutely! But all of that will go to waste if you’re not recovering properly. What do I mean by that? Giving your body the tools it needs in order to rebuild the little fibers that were broken done during the workout. Those fibers are what will repair and regrow into stronger, resilient ones. In order to accomplish that, you need a few things, which includes getting enough sleep, managing your stress, and optimizing your nutrition.

Right off the bat, if you want to truly see some results, then you need to get a good night’s rest. From a muscle building standpoint, it’s the most anabolic thing you can do. During sleep, your body is in repair mode, which involves a wide assortment of chemical reactions that enable your organs, and yes, muscles, to go and rebuild themselves. It also regulates hormone function, which is yet another essential element of building muscle. In short, getting enough sleep is the most powerful, natural “drug” you can do without a prescription, free of charge.

(By the way, six hours or less isn’t going to cut it. Seven to eight is generally recommended, although some people like to do nine to ten. Find the best amount for your lifestyle. If you need help, learn to practice better Sleep Hygiene!)

Managing stress is also important here. Too much stress becomes catabolic, or, in other words, muscle degrading. You’ll actually lose muscle if your stress is through the roof. I’ve covered this topic multiple times, but if you’re looking for a basic primer, read this poston how to reduce cortisol due to chronic stress.

Now, onto nutrition. Once more, we’re going to vary when it comes to our nutrition (i.e.,bio-individuality).However, when it comes to building muscle, you’re going to have to increase your food intake as well as ensure that you’re consuming enough protein. This topic alone requires its own post that, luckily, I’ve already made. (And you can read it right here!) What I can say here is that feeding yourself the right kind and amount of food is what’s going to supply your body with the right “information” or “code” in order to build muscle. This comes in the form of essential amino acids (aka, protein) and vitamins and minerals that help facilitate the bodily processes involved with creating those nice, shapely muscles. As Dr. Mark Hyman says, food is information.

OK guys, thank you if you’ve made it this far! This is definitely one of my longest posts, but there was a lot I wanted to share and really go over to make sure that you understand what putting on muscle entails. I didn’t want to give you standard tips without providing more detail. You deserve the best advice out there, and it’s my hope to achieve that with this blog! Now, before you go, I’ll leave you with links to the best workout series I have that focuses primarily on building muscle. As always, thanks again for checking in, and let me know what else you’d like to see me dive into in the comments!

Some Examples of Muscle Building Workouts:

Beginners:
Beginner Strength
Kettlebell Fit Slider- Beginners

Beginner Kettlebell

Intermediates:
Black Diamond – Upper Body & Abs
Heart Breaker Body
Low Impact Full Body

Advanced:
Summer Shred
Upper Body & Abs Inferno
Killer Legs