The 5 Habits That Will Help You Build Muscle Efficiently
It’s not just about the weights you lift.
Building muscle is all the rage these days.
With the utter domination of movie franchises like Marvel’s Avengers in recent years, looking like Thor or Black Widow or Captain America has skyrocketed to the top of everyone’s list. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that…so long as you take a healthy approach.
Problem is, when you’re only concerned with aesthetics, you miss the forest through the trees. Overly ambitious workout regimens, restrictive diets, expensive supplements and unrealistic expectations are common traps people fall into when trying to build the body of their dreams.
When I started prioritizing muscle growth six years ago, I had no intention of becoming Arnold Schwarzenegger. I simply wanted to build my body into a more capable machine while looking and feeling more energized. I made the conscious choice to develop healthy and sustainable habits that, along with actually building muscle, have stuck with me ever since.
Research shows the following five habits not only help build muscle, but do so in a safe and efficient manner. They also happen to be the habits I developed six years ago from which I’ve found consistent success. So stop the unnecessary supplements, crazy diets and dramatically intense workout programs and achieve your goals using the following methods instead.
1. Use progressive overload in your training
I can’t stress enough the importance of proper training. Just picking up weights and putting them down a few times a week without rhyme or reason will get you nowhere.
The progressive overload principle refers to a training protocol that continually increases the demands on your musculature so that you continue to make gains in muscle size, strength and endurance. Said another way, to get bigger and stronger, you must continually make your muscles work harder than they’re accustomed to. You must overload them.
Here are a few ways to apply that overload:
Increase resistance
Probably the most obvious way to increase the demands placed on your muscles is to increase the load, or weight. You won’t be able to do as many reps at first. When you can, increase the weight again.
Increase repetitions
Instead of stopping at the arbitrary 8 reps per set, aim for 12. Once you hit 12 reps, increase the weight as indicated above.
Increase volume
Perform 4 sets of a given exercise instead of 3. An increase in volume increases the total amount of work being done by your muscles, thereby increasing total demand on muscle tissue.
Decrease rest time between sets
Do the same amount of work in less time. Instead of resting for 2 minutes between sets, aim for 90 seconds. When that becomes too easy, drop it to 60. I personally prefer this aspect of progressive overload because I am able to further spark my muscles into growth without increasing my risk for injury.
2. Eat protein consistently
Proteins are the building blocks of cells. Most of us remember this from high school biology (when we weren’t playing Tetris on our calculators, that is. Or was that just me?). Protein is the essential macronutrient when it comes to growth and repair of muscle cells.
Numerous studies show that eating plenty of protein helps increase muscle mass and strength.
When you perform resistance training, you create tiny tears in your muscle tissue. The amino acids available from the proteins we eat surround and repair these micro tears, building your tissue back bigger and stronger than before.
You don’t have to live on red meat or chicken to get enough protein, either. That’s a common misconception. Nuts, beans, seeds, and lentils are just a few of the many plant-based options that pack a ton of protein per serving.
As for how much protein you should eat, research suggests individuals training for muscle growth and strength should intake between .5 and .8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, or 1.2 and 1.7 grams per kilogram.
3. Get enough rest
I’m not just talking about sleep. We all know we should be aiming for at least 7–8 hours of shuteye per night.
I’m talking about recovery. Resting long enough between training sessions to allow the amino acids to repair the micro tears in your muscle tissue. If you don’t allow your body enough time to recuperate, not only will you stop making gains, you’ll put yourself at greater risk of injury and fatigue.
Stopping all-together between sessions isn’t a good idea either. As paradoxical as it may seem, the best way to recover from a workout is to engage in low-intensity exercises in the day(s) following your intense effort. In other words, recovery and rehabilitation should be grounded in light movement, not stillness. This is known as active recovery.
Concrete benefits of active recovery include:
Preventing lactic acid (that burning sensation you feel during activity) buildup in the muscles, minimizing stiffness and discomfort
Promoting blood flow throughout the body, counteracting inflammation and speeding up tissue repair
Lowering resting heart rate
Walking, foam-rolling and light bodyweight exercises are a few of the many ways you can facilitate active recovery quickly and easily.
4. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
We all know the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. Along with being fantastic sources of essential vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancers.
Most notably, they are a boon for exercise performance and recovery. They enhance muscle strength, increase energy levels and boost immune system function while warding off fatigue and lethargy. They play an important role in tissue recovery, especially connective tissues like tendons and ligaments.
If you’re like me, eating fruits and especially vegetables can be quite challenging. I’m sorry but there is nothing appealing (to me) about a steaming plate of carrots or broccoli or zucchini when my giant plate of meat and pasta sits right next to it.
So I started making smoothies. And immediately I changed my tune.
My go to includes bananas, strawberries, and blueberries over coconut water and crushed iced, mixed with healthy servings of kale, spinach, frozen avocados and some hemp protein powder.
Now I get enough fruits and vegetables each day and feel better than ever.
5. Switch things up every 2–3 months
Sometimes strength progression stalls for no discernible reason. What’s been working previously all of sudden doesn’t. You’ve hit a wall, effectively known as a training plateau. Most fitness enthusiasts experiences one eventually.
The body is an amazing machine, adapting to any stress placed upon it. Resistance training is a stress. The body will acclimate over time. Workouts that used to challenge you no longer provide sufficient stimulus to spur muscle growth and development.
Switching things up is often what’s needed to bust through this wall.
I’m not talking about going from barbell squats to hack squats or barbell bench press to dumbbell bench press. I’m talking about changing training modalities, adjusting rep ranges and varying intensity levels. Like we discussed earlier with progressive overload.
Play around a bit. Experiment with new and exciting exercises. Use this as both a physical and mental reset.
But remember, once you do make adjustments, stick with them for a while, at least 2–3 months.
Final thoughts
Building muscle doesn’t require fancy training programs or unnecessary supplements. It does however require forming good muscle-building habits that are sustainable long-term.
I didn’t see noticeable changes in my own fitness until I adopted the habits above. Prioritizing progressive overload, protein intake, recovery, fruits and vegetables, and making sure to adjust my training now and again all contributed to levels of muscle gain I hadn’t previously experienced.
We’ve all heard the expression “work smarter not harder”. Well, when you work hard and smart you’ll find the results are even more exceptional than anticipated.
Scott Mayer is a runner, thinker, curious observer and certified personal trainer. Visit the In Fitness And In Health website for training plans, consulting options and additional content.