Whatever your goals are, every one of us are able to lose fat, build muscle, and get a lot stronger by following the basic universal principles of exercise and fitness. And especially if you want to answer the question: what is the best way to build muscle fast? People who’ve done well with their fitness regimens are putting these principles to use each and every workout and they might not even know it.
By the time you’re finished with this article, you’ll get a much better idea of how results are driven by doing just the most basic things necessary. The principles, when broken down, are variables that make up a simple formula.
photo credit: jontunn
I call it the Fitness Formula:
Exercise + Nutrition + Rest and Recovery = Body Transformation
Every popular fitness program ever invented incorporates these three factors for positive training effects. In fact, the only programs that work has these three variables dialed in. Follow this formula and you’ll be able to gain muscle easily, efficiently, and effectively for greater strength.
The principle of exercise is obvious and self-explanatory.You have to exercise rigorously and intensely to reap physical benefits. Exercise is a training stimulus and there’s just no way around it. There are no shortcuts. You must exercise. Now there are different modalities to exercise for different goals:
- Pure bodybuilding for lean muscle gains requires strength training with free weights and resistance machines. The answer to, how to build muscle, is to use the correct training application; free weight lifting exercises. Bodybuilding uses moderate volume and frequency with compound lifts to create an anabolic stimulus for muscle growth. The best bodybuilding workouts incorporates a mix of compound weight lifting exercises and isolation movements to induce the proper training effect resulting in muscle and strength gains.
- Fat loss requires cardio/conditioning activities and free weight/resistance strength training to preserve lean muscle tissue. Proper eating and diet is also important for creating an energy expenditure.
- Sport-specific skills training (soccer, basketball, wrestling, football) requires a combination of weightlifting/strength training, cardio/conditioning, and direct skill training and practice for the required sport.
Train for your goals. It’s as simple as that. If you want to build muscle, use weights. Don’t spend all your time on pushups, situps, and crunches. If you want to lose fat, you must create a an energy deficit by eating less and/or exercising more (a combination of both methods works best). If you want to get better at soccer, practice soccer drills. Don’t occupy your time pumping muscles in the gym.
Goal-directed behaviors leads to accomplishing fitness goals.
The second element of the formula is nutrition. You must follow a proper diet plan if you want to lose weight.There has to be a caloric deficit with a balanced macronutrient ratio distribution of carbohydrates, protein, and fats.
Similarly you’ll have to follow a proper mass eating plan with a calorie surplus to gain lean muscle mass. You can have the most perfect workout program ever formulated by the best coaches and trainers but if your diet is crap, you’ll never gain muscle or lose fat. You won’t be the one featured in fat loss or muscle growth transformation stories even if you want to.
Finally, you need proper rest and recovery with at least 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. Your body recovers and grows most while sleeping.Sleep is when the real changes take place.Get plenty of sleep and reap the rewards.Enjoy sleeping since that is the only time you’ll have to do nothing and still benefit; sleeping for weight loss and sleeping to gain muscle.
Remember these three key principles to your body transformation success: exercise, nutrition, and rest. There are the little details within each principle that you may tweak but it really all goes back to the fundamentals and basics of proper program creation. If you’re not gaining muscle or losing weight with your current program, then break it down into three pieces of the formula. Look at what’s wrong with your current program and see how you can correct it? Backtrack and do a bit of reverse engineering.
Ask yourself:
Exercise
- What’s wrong with my workouts? Are my workouts productive?
- Am I using the proper exercises, equipment, and training modality for my goals?
- For Bodybuilding purposes, use rep ranges in the range of 5-12 with 2-4 sets for each compound movement and mix in some isolation exercises. The core exercises should be compound lifts. Work each main muscle group 1-2 times per week in a training block.
- For fat loss, mix in some HIIT, high intensity interval training, with a work:rest ratio of 1:1 and steady-state cardio. Incorporate strength training based on compound movements in the 5-12 rep range to preserve lean muscle mass.
- Am I using good form for all exercises? Good form ensures you actually target the muscles worked.
- What do I need to change to make my workouts and diet more effective?
- Try a different set/rep scheme and change the frequency if you hit a plateau. Try different variations of a compound lift as well
- Am I being consistent with my workouts?
- Am I overtraining?
- Am I even working out at all? (this one is a no-brainer)
Nutrition
- Am I following a consistent nutritional plan for …..(your desired goals)? eating enough? eating too much? Remember there must be a total caloric deficit for weight loss and surplus for weight gain. You have to eat less than you’re expending (fat loss) or eat more than you expend (muscle gain).
- Look at your diet’s macronutrient ratio. How many carbs, protein, and fats are you consuming? A carb/protein/fat ratio of 40/40/20, 50/30/20, or 45/35/20 is recommended for most people, whether it’s fat loss or muscle gain. The difference is in the total calories consumed given your goals.
- Eat 4-6 small meals a day rather than the usual 3 large meals.
- Drink plenty of water, at least 1/2 a gallon a day.
- Ensure you have a post-workout drink or small meal. Elevated cortisol levels and insulin release demands nutrients to be “shuttled” into the body for recovery after a tough workout.
Rest and Recovery
- Am I getting enough sleep? The rule is 6-8 hours per night. Take short naps in the daytime to compensate for the lack of sleep.
- Do 5-10 minutes of static stretching on your off (non-workout) days.
- Are my day-to-day school and work-related activities sapping my enthusiasm and energy to work out? If so, you’ll have to prioritize and adjust your schedule to eliminate work/school stress.
Those are just a sampling of the general questions you may ask yourself to dial in your problems for correction. Jot it all down in your training journal. Address each question and concern honestly. You need to put in the hard work and be consistent with your entire fitness plan. If you’re coming to a stand-still, look closely at what went wrong. Don’t just jump from program to program searching for the next “secret” weight loss program or bodybuilding routine.
There is no secret. Building muscle on proper strength training routines and sound nutritional plans is no big secret. No professional or seasoned lifter is hiding anything. They simply stuck consistently to a program that has been working and drilled on. Do what works and model after successful strength training routines and bodybuilding programs to build and gain muscle. What is the best way to build muscle fast? Just follow what works. Do what works.
Treat working out and fitness as a lifestyle. Working out isn’t just about “working out.” Make it a lifestyle, a habit, a passionate hobby, and prioritize so that it becomes a part of you.
Exercise + Nutrition + Rest and Recovery = Body Transformation
The above equation above is your answer to building muscle fast.
Train Hard. Train Safely. Train Smart.
Feel free to contact me at ZQH245@gmail.com or ZQH250@gmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or seeking additional advice. Good luck!
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