8 rules for building new muscle mass

Gaining new muscle mass isn't easy and probably all of us at some point will find ourselves in a phase where it seems more difficult than before. What are the rules to follow so that you don't stand still and keep moving forward in building muscle?

It's not often that many athletic individuals rely on one-size-fits-all and often overly demanding training plans without understanding how muscles actually grow. The following 8 rules can help you get results and understand the issue.

1) Make small variations in your training often

The human body learns and adapts to load very quickly. No matter what kind of training you have, if you practice it over and over again, it will eventually stop giving you results in the form of muscle mass gains. Try to shock your body with something all the time - change the exercises, their order, the length of the workout and the rest periods between sets, you can also include supersets, dropsets, etc. Variations in training will not only help you physically, but will also benefit your psyche.

2) Give your muscles enough time to recover

It's not enough to just destroy your muscles daily with hard training and expect to achieve maximum growth that way. Muscles grow during rest periods. You simply can't do without recovery. It is recommended to strengthen the same body parts no more than twice a week, also try to have at least one day a week completely free of training and dedicated to rest. Every 2 - 3 months you can treat yourself to a whole week off. If you neglect your recovery, you'll risk overtraining and possibly injury.

3) Keep a balanced diet

Nothing unexpected, it won't work without the right diet. Adequate protein intake from quality sources (e.g. meat, eggs, whey protein) is especially important. As with training, once a tailored diet is put together, it can't be stuck to forever. Here too, variations are needed over time. Over the time you've been exercising, there have certainly been all sorts of changes that need to be taken into account when creating a diet - e.g., an increase in metabolism, more muscle mass, etc.

4) Once in a while, make big changes in your training

As we mentioned in the first point, the human body is smart, and over time it adapts to the type of exercise. Don't give stagnation a chance, after about 3 months try something completely different, find a new training plan, dare something more challenging. If you haven't been slacking on your workouts, you can certainly afford to take it to the next level. Don't know what a workout for gaining muscle mass should look like? Don't be afraid to reach out to experts who have the results and will tailor a workout to your capabilities and goals.

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5) Focus on free weight exercises

Free weight exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press are one of the most effective ways to build muscle mass. Why? Unlike pulleys, free-weight exercises involve more stabilization and work almost the entire body. Stabilizers are often smaller muscles that help keep your joints strong and prevent tendon and ligament damage. That's not to say that machines are completely useless, they'll serve you well if you want to train a particular part in isolation, but free weights will always have a bit of an edge.

6) Focus on the correct technique for performing the exercises

Poor exercise technique is a problem for many gym-goers. What good does it do you to squat more than others if you perform your squats half-heartedly and in the wrong stance? You can make mistakes even with seemingly simple exercises, which can result in you engaging different areas than those primarily targeted by the exercise. In a worse case scenario, poor technique with heavy weights can lead to injury. You can learn the correct technique from the literature or ask an experienced trainer for advice.

7) Take note that building muscle is a long-term process and nothing is immediate

Unfortunately, muscle grows much slower than most of us would like and we often find that the more muscle mass we have, the harder it is to put on more. On the other hand, isn't that difficulty of attainment what makes quality muscle mass so exclusive? Many individuals will visit the gym with their self-esteem at rock bottom, whether you're skinny or vice versa, the basis for improving your body and self-perception is the same in both cases - arm yourself with patience, have discipline and don't be afraid of hard work. All of this will lead you to what you've been wanting - a better version of yourself.

8) Don't just work out to gain muscle, but for your overall health

You've probably already encountered your efforts at the gym being condemned as useless and superficial by those around you. Sure, there is some truth to that, but who wouldn't like to look in the mirror at their results in the form of toned arms, chiseled abs, etc.? However, apart from a more attractive physical appearance, having more muscle mass brings health benefits as well. Faster metabolism, less tendency to store body fat, resistance to disease and increased lifespan due to a better ability to withstand injuries later in life.

[Image and information sources: bodybuilding.com, livescience.com, gymax.ro]