Do you make New Year's resolutions? Try these 10 according to Hunter Labrada. They will help you with gaining more muscle!

If you didn't succeed in your resolution to put on more muscle last year, you can change that this year, thanks to 10 tips from Hunter Labrada, son of the legendary Lee Labrada.

1. Give your body the nutrients it needs to grow

The number one reason many people don't grow is lack of food.

When you gain weight, you have to take in more calories than you expend. Your body will use this caloric surplus to repair and build muscle tissue broken down by training. There is no way around this.

The amount of surplus needed is individual. If you have a weight gain problem, a good start would be 2.5 g of protein and 4 g of carbohydrate per kilo of body weight per day.

When adding food, stick with the same diet for at least a month. This will give your body a chance to react to the change. If you're gaining weight, you're eating enough. If you're not, you need to add.

2. Never go more than 4 hours without eating

No one from the keyboard can convince me that the timing of meals is not important. Especially if you're trying to pack on minimal fat. Your body will be in an anabolic state this way. That is, one where it's building muscle.

Multiple meals are easier to achieve optimal total caloric intake. Have you ever tried to eat 1200 net calories in one meal? I have, and the chicken and rice almost made my ears crawl.

Much easier to get 6 meals of 600 calories into you than 3 huge ones.

3. Use BCAAs between meals and around workouts

This is a great way to increase your protein intake. Amino acids give your muscles a quick fuel as they are absorbed into the bloodstream immediately.

According to research , BCAAs offer many muscle-building benefits, including increased protein synthesis, reduced muscle breakdown and pain indicators.

A study in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology showed that BCAAs prolong proteosynthesis about 2 hours after a meal. Although this was a study in mice, according to the researchers, there is no reason why it shouldn't work in humans as well.

BCAAs have a high proportion of the amino acid leucine, which is critical for stimulating mTOR, thereby increasing proteosynthesis. Most BCAA supplements have a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, valine and isoleucine.

Therefore, to get the recommended dose of 3.5 g of leucine to increase proteosynthesis, you need to take 7 g of BCAAs before two meals.

4. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night

This one makes a huge difference in my experience. Your body burns fewer calories while you sleep and can devote more energy to repairing damaged muscle tissue.

Another benefit is the secretion of growth hormone in sleep, which aids recovery. Not sleeping for 8 hours can cause lethargy, irritability, and even depression.

Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Supplements that can help are tryptophan and melatonin. Magnesium could work as well.

5. Reduce the volume of training, increase the intensity

Other common mistakes exercisers make include:

• Too many sets in a workout
• Using insufficient weight
• Taking too long breaks between sets

If you're in the gym for longer than 75 minutes, you're doing too many sets or resting too long between sets. When you improve this, you'll grow more and spend less time in the gym.

Try to do 16-18 sets on the big stuff and 12-14 on the small stuff. Choose a weight that allows you to stop 1-2 reps before failure, but using good technique.

Never rest for more than 90 seconds. I stick close to 60 because it gives me a good pump. The only exceptions to this rule are squats and deadlifts.

The ideal rule of thumb is to wait until you're out of breath after a set and continue. That way you'll know you've compensated for the oxygen loss caused by the exercise.

6. Eat plenty of healthy fats

Fats are a good source of calories when they provide 9 in every gram, compared to 4 for carbohydrates. Make sure enough of your daily calorie intake comes from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. You'll find them in avocados, olive oil, nuts, nut butters, seeds, and fatty fish like salmon and mackerel.

Consider supplementing with omega-3 fish oil. Aim for 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids a day. Optimal absorption is achieved by eating in the morning and with a fat source. In the right amounts, such fats can help you with weight loss, hormone production, and brain function. They also support skin and nail health.

7. Don't skip your leg workout

Never. You risk being a laughing stock to others, becoming an internet meme and looking like an upside-down triangle. Plus, you're depriving yourself of serious growth.

Research shows that heavy exercises, which are mostly leg exercises, trigger a hormonal response that increases testosterone and growth hormone levels.
These two hormones are essential for muscle growth and fat burning. For me, it works 100%. When I'm not squatting and deadlifting, I'm weaker with other exercises and don't seem to improve as quickly.

8. Find a training partner who can motivate you

This one is crucial for me. A partner will make you stick to the calendar. No one wants to let a buddy down. This is how I make myself go to the gym, even when I don't feel like it.

If someone has been working out with you for a while, they can also make you push yourself to a decent intensity. A partner will be the first to push you to add one more rep, load up more, or do something better.

A partner will also watch your breaks as they work off their set and you'll be back at it again. That kind of training pace is invaluable and can make a heck of a difference in your gains.

9. Choose supplements wisely

I'm a big believer in whole foods. I don't dismiss all supplements, of course, and I think some can plug holes in even the most balanced diet.

The most important one for me is quality whey protein. This will give the body the fast digesting protein it needs before and after training. And as a protein source, it actually works all day long. Research shows that whey supplementation causes greater muscle growth.

The other indispensable supplement for me is BCAAs. I explained the reasons in point 3.

The last supplement I can't do without is a pre-workout drink. Not only does it kick me up a notch, but when chosen correctly, it also delivers a sufficient dose of muscle growth-promoting ingredients. I'm talking about creatine and beta alanine, for example, but these need to be taken regularly to have any effect. Caffeine and citrulline are then more about the effect on a given workout.

Either way, read the ingredients carefully so you're getting quality stuff for your money, not just stimulants that kick you off for 30 minutes and that's it.

10. Take at least 1 day a week for active rest

Let me tell you a secret. You don't grow in the gym.

Actually, it's the other way around. In the gym you damage your muscles so your body can repair them and add some. And your activity outside of the gym affects it quite a bit. Note that I'm not saying a day off, but active rest.

The goal of a day like this is to give your muscles and nervous system a break from the stress of the gym and promote recovery. There are different ways to do this. My favorite activities are rollerblading, light cardio, and static stretching. Massage and rehab are definitely enjoyable, but not necessary.

The goal is to get the blood pumping and drive the pain out of the muscles. And if you're like me, use the two hours you're not in the gym to develop other parts of your life, including meal preparation.

Source: www.bodybuilding.com - Top 10 New Year's Resolutions For Gaining Muscle
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