No matter what your fitness goals are, building muscle is something you should be looking to do.
Now, I’m not saying you need to go out and become a bodybuilder. However, even if your goal is to lose body fat, building some muscle can help you.
Fat loss and muscle growth go hand in hand. Having more muscle mass can improve metabolism and help burn more calories. This could equate to more fat loss.
So, how do muscles grow? What do you have to do to put your muscles in a position to actually grow?
Once you understand the processes in play, and how to manipulate the variables, you’ll be well on your way to building muscle.
So, that’s what I’m going to teach you today. I’ll guide you along the right path to building muscle and earning the results you're after.
Let’s start with the basics ... How do muscles grow?
How Do Muscles Grow?
We’ve got over 650 skeletal muscles in our bodies that have the potential to transform. It’s pretty amazing how dynamic the body can be.
Muscles can grow bigger, get smaller, become more fuel efficient, and much more. When it comes to muscle growth, it’s all about training, nutrition, and sleep.
Training through weightlifting isn’t the only way to grow muscle either. It does, however, require resistance training of some sort. On top of that, it also requires enough intensity.
What do I mean by intensity? Intensity doesn’t only mean lifting extremely heavy weights. I’m mostly referring to the level of difficulty and stress you place on your muscles. This stress is a powerful stimulator of muscle protein synthesis (1).
But what is muscle protein synthesis and how is it relevant for how muscles grow?
Well, muscle protein synthesis is the process of increasing muscle mass. It's a process where your body is literally synthesizing new muscle tissue.
Your muscles are mostly made of protein. So, to build muscle mass, your body will need enough protein.
Think of it like adding new layers onto a brick wall. If you have a 4 foot brick wall, but want a bigger wall, you need to add more bricks.
There is another process worth mentioning though called muscle protein breakdown. This is the opposite of muscle protein synthesis.
Muscle protein breakdown happens in the gym when you train, but that’s not the only time. It can also happen when your body needs energy, or when it needs specific amino acids.
It’s pretty complicated, but both processes are happening all the time.
Muscle growth only happens when there is a net gain of muscle protein. For this to happen, the rate of muscle protein synthesis must be greater than muscle protein breakdown.
There are several factors at play when it comes to stimulating this process. That's what we'll talk about next.
Tension
The body needs to be challenged in order for it to grow bigger muscles. What type of challenges do your muscles need though?
Really, your muscles just need exposure to higher intensities over time. This could be more weight, more reps, shorter rest periods, and more.
When you're training to build muscle, the last few reps in each set should be difficult. In order to finish those reps, you'll need a high level of mechanical tension.
Think about how hard you have to squeeze your muscles to get that last rep before failure. That is the increased tension I’m talking about.
The more tension you can demand from your muscles, the harder they have to work. Your body doesn’t want to work hard, so it signals for muscle growth. That way, the same task will be easier for your body in the future.
That, and you’ll get stronger too. Although, your muscles don’t have to get bigger to gain strength.
This is why it’s so important to increase this tension over time. As you get bigger and stronger, the same work load will be easier for your body to handle.
In order to stimulate new muscle growth, your body needs a new challenge. Ideally, this is a challenge your body isn't accustomed to.
Muscle Damage
Muscles also experience damage when you exercise, but not a dangerous type of damage. This damage is tiny micro tears in the muscle fibers.
These micro tears allow the body the chance to repair the damage and grow back bigger and stronger. Without these micro tears, your body wouldn't have a reason to adapt.
This damage is also one reason why you feel sore after working out. The muscle damage increases inflammation, and this can cause further damage and pain.
As your body repairs this damage, muscle protein synthesis occurs. If you follow the right recovery practices, this puts your muscles in a position to grow.
By recovery practices, I’m talking about 5 things in particular:
1. Post-workout nutrition
2. Daily protein intake
3. Daily calorie intake
4. Water intake
5. Rest, recovery, and sleep
By doing those things correctly, you can take muscle growth to a whole new level. Without taking those things into account, you may have trouble building any muscle at all.
I'll explain why this is later.
Metabolic Stress
Another aspect to muscle growth is metabolic stress. Think of as stress on your energy systems as you train close to failure.
When you get close to failure, acid starts to accumulate in your muscles. This is why they start to burn and feel uncomfortable.
There’s more than just acid building up in your muscles, but I’ll keep it simple. Byproducts of energy production in your muscles build up, and that's what is important to know.
Those byproducts lead to muscle cell swelling, anabolic hormone signaling, and more (2). The ways to increase metabolic stress are by adjusting the variables.
• Increasing the weight
• Increasing the number of repetitions/sets
• Increasing intensity (time under tension, rest periods, etc.)
When I say increasing the weight, I’m not talking about a 1 rep max type of increase. You want your muscles to contract for a longer period of time.
This is why I recommend you choose a weight you can do for at least 6-8 repetitions. Choosing a weight heavier than that won’t allow for a very long set. That reduces the time your muscles are under tension, and limits the hypertrophy response.
You can see lots of muscle growth going close to, or near failure, even up to 25 reps. That set would be long enough to stress your muscles, produce these byproducts, and cause metabolic stress.
Then, with shorter rest periods, your muscles will get stressed easier. This could lead to more potential gains in muscle (2).
There’s a limit to this, obviously. If you do sets of 100 reps, you probably won’t stimulate as much growth.
But sticking in the 8-25 rep range with an appropriate weight is the sweet spot in my opinion.
How Do Muscles Grow: Applying the Principles
So, we’ve now covered how muscle growth happens in general. Now it's time we talk about what you need to do to grow your muscles.
As I’ve already explained, you’ll need to workout. Resistance training will be required in some fashion to build muscle.
You don’t have to spend hours upon hours in the gym either. You can make some serious strides in muscle growth by doing 45-75 minutes of weight training a few times per week.
There is a benefit to training more than just a few days per week, but it’s not required.
For instance, a meta analysis looked at training frequency and muscle growth. They found that how many workouts they did per week didn’t matter IF the volume was equal (5).
By volume, they’re referring to Sets x Reps x Weight. I personally like to think of volume as the amount of work you put on any muscle group. So, if you were to do 4 sets of 10 reps with 135 pounds on bench press, that’s 5400 total pounds lifted, or your total volume.
In this case, if you split that workout into two workouts in the week, you’d likely see the same results. However, if you did that same workout twice, it’s double the volume.
So, if you did 4 sets of 10 with 135 pounds on Monday, and then again on Friday, that’s 10,800 total pounds lifted.
In that case, you would likely see better results because the volume was greater. Volume is very important when it comes to getting your muscles to grow.
Over time, volume needs to increase in some way to keep building muscle. This is called the principle of progressive overload (6).
It doesn’t only apply to muscle growth either. It also applies to strength and endurance gains.
Eventually, our bodies get used to our workouts. They get so used to them that we may stop seeing progress if we don’t change something.
The human body doesn’t want to build muscle or see progress if it doesn’t have to. Our bodies at their core are worried about surviving.
If we don’t put our body under stress that it isn’t used to, then it won’t feel the need to change. Progressive overload is just adding stress to your muscles that it’s not used to.
The new stress forces your body to adapt. If you want the adaptation to be muscle growth, increase the volume in some way (6).
You can do this with plenty of different exercise types too.
You can build muscle doing:
• Workouts with free weights
• Bodyweight exercises (using the weight of your body to work out, such as pushups, squats, or lunges)
• Resistance training with resistance bands
• Machine weight training, such as a rowing or leg curl machine
Now, you can try increasing volume by increasing reps over time only, but that will only take you so far. At some point you’re going to have to add more weight to keep the progress going.
They both go hand in hand, and will both need to change over time. Don’t forget increasing the amount of sets can help a lot too!
Choosing the Right Weight
When reading a workout program, you might see 3 sets of 10 reps for an exercise. Does that mean pick any weight and do 3 sets of 10 reps?
NO!
The amount of weight you choose is specific to your strength level. So, in this case, choose a weight that you can do no more than 10-12 reps.
Remember, the point is to create lots of mechanical tension in your muscles. To do this you’ll have to work pretty hard.
You’ll work the hardest on the last few reps before you can’t do it anymore. So, you need to choose an appropriate weight that you’ll get close to failure with by the last rep.
You also need metabolic stress, which will only occur when you’re fatigued. When you are struggling with those last few reps, the stress from fatigue will trigger adaptation.
If you choose a weight you can lift for 20 reps, but do a set of 10, you’re not going to get much out of it. It’s too easy for your body, so there will be no reason to adapt.
Whatever the rep count is for that set, choose a weight that won’t be easy to do that many reps. If you want to build muscle, this is a crucial component!
Why Rest Days Matter
Yes, you do have to resistance train to build muscle in a meaningful way. You’ll have to train hard, and on a regular basis.
On the flip side of this strategy, it’s just as important to take the time to rest your body. You don’t build muscle in the gym, but while you’re resting and recovering.
Take rest days, especially between training the same muscle group. They don’t fully recover overnight.
In fact, most researchers recommend between 48-72 hours between training the same muscle groups (7). This allows enough time for your body to repair damaged muscle from your workouts.
When your muscles are still somewhat damaged, you don’t want to go in and create more. This could potentially lead to injuries down the road if you aren’t careful.
… and you need them to fully recover if you are trying to maximize muscle growth. If you don’t let the process fully happen, you shouldn’t expect maximum results.
For example, if you train chest on Monday, it would be best to wait until Thurdsay or Friday to train that muscle again. What should you do on the days in between though?
Well, you could train your legs one of those days. You could train your back one of those days. You could train your shoulders one of them.
You could also throw a full on rest day in there. In fact, I’d recommend it.
My favorite way to train, while prioritizing recovery, goes a little something like this:
Day 1: Chest - Triceps - Shoulders
Day 2: Legs - Glutes - Abs
Day 3: Back - Biceps - Traps
Day 4: Rest/Active Recovery
Then I just go through the cycle again. It allows for 2 rest days every 8 days, and you get to train every muscle twice.
There are so many ways to do it. This is just what I like doing.
To avoid slowing down your progress and damaging your body, don’t skip rest days!
Why Nutrition Matters
This is another huge aspect of muscle growth!
Without the right nutrients you CANNOT build muscle. It’s just the way it is.
We already talked about this a little bit. Your muscles are made mostly of protein. For this reason, you need to get enough protein.
Without eating enough quality protein, you’ll never trigger muscle protein synthesis. Remember, this is the process that repairs and adds new muscle protein.
Not all proteins are created equal though. You need complete protein sources to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. These are proteins that contain all 9 of the essential amino acids.
For the most part, complete protein source comes from animals. These are sources like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. Protein supplements can be another great option.
Some of the best sources of protein for building muscle are:
• Eggs
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Beef
• Chicken
• Shrimp
• Turkey
• Greek Yogurt
• Milk
• Protein Supplements
When it comes to your meals, go for the whole food sources first. When it comes to post-workout, this is where a shake could potentially benefit you most.
Plus, post-workout nutrition can be an important component to recovery.
Post-Workout Nutrition For Muscle Growth
After training, whey protein supplements can help increase muscle mass, strength, and endurance (10).
Whey protein is one of the highest quality proteins on this planet. When it comes to the amino acid profile, and biological value, whey protein tops the charts (11). That just means it has a high concentration of the amino acids needed to build muscle and is easy for your body to absorb.
After a workout, I recommend a fast digesting option like whey protein isolate. I say this because it could kickstart the muscle building process the fastest.
Protein isn’t the only thing you need post-workout though. Carbs can also be very beneficial to take with it.
To explain this, allow me to break this down.
There’s 3 main things happening to your muscles when you train:
1. You’re depleting the energy source (glycogen) from your muscles
2. You’re creating tiny micro tears in your muscle fibers
3. You’re increasing levels of inflammation in your muscles and surrounding tissues
Taking carbohydrates with your protein after working out can address all 3. Here’s why...
The energy stored in your muscles (glycogen) is made up of glucose, a very simple carb. In order to fill those stores back up, you'll need carbs.
Also, taking carbs and protein post-workout speeds up the process of refilling your muscle’s energy (12). This is even more so than taking carbs alone!
Now, I recommend to use a simple and fast digesting carb, preferably glucose. Glucose doesn’t need to be broken down any further, and it spikes your insulin levels.
Here’s where the inflammation gets addressed.
Insulin is an anti-inflammatory hormone (13). It can help to reduce the excessive inflammation that continues to break down muscle.
Insulin is even shown to help boost muscle protein synthesis and reduce protein breakdown (4).
So, to sum this up, taking fast digesting protein and carb source post-workout is ideal. It can help refill energy stores, reduce muscle breakdown, and aid in the muscle building process!
I’ve been using this combination after my workouts for 12 years and it’s helped me so much! Trust me, post-workout nutrition can make a huge difference for muscle growth.
By now you understand how important protein is. However, how much protein do you need?
How Much Protein Do You Need?
When it comes to building muscle, how much protein do you need to eat?
Well, studies show you can really maximize muscle growth eating 1.6-2.2 g protein per kg bodyweight (8). I recommend staying at the higher end of that range, just to be safe. This ends up being right at 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. It’s easy to remember, and leaves nothing on the table in terms of your protein requirements.
Remember, that’s not just any and all protein. Make sure you’re getting the majority of your protein from those sources I listed above. If you follow a plant-based diet or lifestyle, yes, this can be more difficult. However, there are still ways you can get enough protein, one of the best ways being through a high-quality vegan protein powder.
Protein isn’t all that you need to build muscle though. You also need to eat enough calories to fuel that muscle growth.
How Many Calories Do You Need for Muscle Growth?
Calories are a unit of energy. On top of that, your body burns quite a few calories throughout the day. But, if you want to build muscle, your body needs extra energy to do so.
This is why calories matter. You need enough energy to build new muscle.
Everyone’s calorie requirements will vary a little bit. Some people don’t need to eat as much, and put on muscle easily. Others, like me, need to eat A LOT in order to put on a meaningful amount of muscle.
So, what does the research say about how many calories to shoot for? Well, as of 2019, it’s recommended to eat an extra 358-478 calories above maintenance per day to build muscle and minimize fat gain (9).
They actually recommend starting there, and then paying attention to how you respond. Depending on how your body reacts, you can make adjustments from there.
That’s tough to do on your own though. How will you know how many calories to add that amount to? Because remember, that 358-478 calorie increase is supposed to be on top of the amount you actually burn daily, which is your maintenance calories.
You’d have to hook yourself up to a machine telling you how many calories you’re already burning. It’s possible, but not likely for most people to do that.
So what do I recommend?
I’d say multiply your weight in pounds by 18-22. Start with 18, and shoot for that many calories. I find that it can be a good starting point.
If you’re extremely active and regularly burn tuns of calories, then multiply by 20 or 22. At best, it’s a guessing game when you start out no matter what.
Really, it’s all about the adjustments. No one can give you a magic amount that will be perfect for you every time.
You’ll need to see how you respond, and adjust accordingly. If you’re not gaining any weight after a few weeks, then add another 10% to your calorie goal.
How To Reach Your Muscle Building Goals
It’s interesting how hard it can be to build muscle. You have to do so many things right for a good amount of time to earn the results you want.
It’s so worth it though! I used to think it was impossible because of how hard I struggled with it.
For years I lifted weights, and lifted heavy, but I wasn’t doing it right. I was lifting heavy for low reps every set.
I got really strong, but barely built any muscle. I also wasn’t taking a post-workout shake, or eating correctly.
I was not setting myself up for success, but I didn’t know any better. 12 years ago I finally learned how to do it right, and I’ve put on at least 60 pounds of muscle since then.
I started taking 1st Phorm’s Post Workout Stack which ended up being a game-changer for me! It’s a stack that includes both a high-quality whey protein isolate and glucose to support recovery. The Post Workout Stack is also offered in a naturally sweetened and vegan version!
With how much it has helped me, along with so many others, I know it could be a big help for you too. Plus, I bet it tastes better than any other protein shake you’ve ever tried. That’s what got me hooked in the first place!
Obviously, post-workout nutrition isn't the only important component to building muscle. Remember, you also need to dial in your nutrition and workouts.
You have to make sure you’re training hard enough. You have to make sure you’re prioritizing protein and getting enough calories.
Sure, a post-workout shake could help you get more protein and calories ... But there's still plenty more you'll need throughout the rest of the day.
If you struggle to eat enough protein throughout the day, you could always look into one of our several meal replacement protein options too. These are slower digesting protein sources that can work great for meals and snacks.
As someone who struggles with protein and calories myself, I normally mix up a Level-1 shake for breakfast. However, you can really have these options anytime throughout the day.
Look, I know there is a lot more to building muscle than meets the eye. If you feel overwhelmed, or aren't sure where to get started ... Know we're always here to help! It doesn't matter if it's workouts, nutrition, supplements, or anything in between.
In fact, we have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central!
Our mission at 1st Phorm is to help real people like you and me earn real and long term results. If you give us a chance to help you reach your goals, I know you won’t be disappointed!
References:
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(2) de Freitas MC, Gerosa-Neto J, Zanchi NE, Lira FS, Rossi FE. Role of metabolic stress for enhancing muscle adaptations: Practical applications. World J Methodol. 2017 Jun 26;7(2):46-54. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v7.i2.46. PMID: 28706859; PMCID: PMC5489423.
(3) Gharahdaghi N, Phillips BE, Szewczyk NJ, Smith K, Wilkinson DJ, Atherton PJ. Links Between Testosterone, Oestrogen, and the Growth Hormone/Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis and Resistance Exercise Muscle Adaptations. Front Physiol. 2021 Jan 15;11:621226. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.621226. PMID: 33519525; PMCID: PMC7844366.
(4) Fujita S, Rasmussen BB, Cadenas JG, Grady JJ, Volpi E. Effect of insulin on human skeletal muscle protein synthesis is modulated by insulin-induced changes in muscle blood flow and amino acid availability. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Oct;291(4):E745-54. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00271.2005. Epub 2006 May 16. PMID: 16705054; PMCID: PMC2804964.
(5) Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. J Sports Sci. 2019 Jun;37(11):1286-1295. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906. Epub 2018 Dec 17. PMID: 30558493.
(6) Plotkin D, Coleman M, Van Every D, Maldonado J, Oberlin D, Israetel M, Feather J, Alto A, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ. Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ. 2022 Sep 30;10:e14142. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14142. PMID: 36199287; PMCID: PMC9528903.
(7) Monteiro ER, Vingren JL, Corrêa Neto VG, Neves EB, Steele J, Novaes JS. Effects of Different Between Test Rest Intervals in Reproducibility of the 10-Repetition Maximum Load Test: A Pilot Study with Recreationally Resistance Trained Men. Int J Exerc Sci. 2019 Aug 1;12(4):932-940. PMID: 31523350; PMCID: PMC6719818.
(8) Stokes T, Hector AJ, Morton RW, McGlory C, Phillips SM. Recent Perspectives Regarding the Role of Dietary Protein for the Promotion of Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Exercise Training. Nutrients. 2018 Feb 7;10(2):180. doi: 10.3390/nu10020180. PMID: 29414855; PMCID: PMC5852756.
(9) Moore DR, Philp A. Editorial: Nutritional Strategies to Promote Muscle Mass and Function Across the Health Span. Front Nutr. 2020 Oct 2;7:569270. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.569270. PMID: 33134307; PMCID: PMC7561707.
(10) Kim CB, Park JH, Park HS, Kim HJ, Park JJ. Effects of Whey Protein Supplement on 4-Week Resistance Exercise-Induced Improvements in Muscle Mass and Isokinetic Muscular Function under Dietary Control. Nutrients. 2023 Feb 16;15(4):1003. doi: 10.3390/nu15041003. PMID: 36839361; PMCID: PMC9963065.
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