​How do you actually build muscle?
Hypertrophy
Hypertrophy refers to an increase in muscular size achieved through exercise. When you work out, if you want to tone or improve muscle definition, lifting weights is the most common way to increase hypertrophy, so let's cover the 'Need To Know Info' so you don't get confused by all the misinformation.
So how do I actually build that Muscular physique You've always wanted?
And don't go baffling me with science, I just want the basics lol ... Well here goes:
Proper Training
Proper Nutrition
Proper Sleep
Is it really that simple?
Essentially it really is that simple, because when you boil it down to the basics then all you really need to do is ensure you stimulate the muscle with proper training, eating enough to grow more muscle, and getting enough rest and recovery to allow your body to grow.
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The problem is that most people think they know what proper training, nutrition, and sleep is but in our experience, THEY DON'T!
So let's go over each of these core necessities in enough detail that it makes sense to you, but not too much so that you don't get bored and walk away with enough understanding to get you started.
proper training !
Proper training doesn't just mean joining a gym, turning up and throwing weights around, it's actually unfortunately a lot more complicated than that.
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In order to build muscle you need to stimulate the muscle, push your muscles, causing them to literally break down (micro-tears) so that they can regrow. The regrowing part is where the nutrition and sleep come in, ultimately all we do in the gym and during training to the breaking down part.
This all may sound scary when we talk about breaking muscles, but it's essentially the mechanism that is taking place in the body when you start bodybuilding (training for hypertrophy).
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When we start resistance training (weight training) we aren't trying to completely destroy our muscles, and nobody ever got stronger or bigger by 'popping a bicep' or 'tearing a pec' what we mean by creating micro-tears / breaking down the muscle is that we want to push them so that individual muscle fibers break and can be rebuilt stronger and bigger.
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You are only as strong as your weakest link and so you could think of it as using weights and weight training to test for weak-links in the muscle, break them so that they can then be rebuilt by your body bigger and stronger.
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There are a number of really, really, really important things you need to know about how to optimize your training to build muscle and we will break them down below.
As a beginner you really don't have to put much effort in to start seeing results because your body probably isn't used to any exercise, so even the crappiest work out is enough to start breaking muscle fibers down ... when you get more advanced then you really need to know what your doing because your body will adapt and you're muscles will stop growing ... this really separates those who know what their doing and those who don't
Liam Bryant,
Head Trainer @ Some Health & Fintess Company
Training Program
If you don't keep a training log, diary or plan then then you aren't going to be able to keep track of where you're going wrong, nor can you create an efficient training program.​
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Exercises & Form​
Always select the most relevant and fun exercises to target specific muscle groups. As a general rule it's best to start your workout with compound exercises (exercises which use multiple muscles), then near the end you can use isolation exercises.
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Cause tension and burn in the target muscle so you can tell it is actually working the muscle, it also helps with form. When you reach near the completion of your reps, it is the target muscle that should be screaming and not other muscles.
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Select exercises that are easy on the joints so that you keep correct form, this means not using a weight that is too high, you will only be cheating yourself out of #gains
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Train the most important muscle first in the training session and take into account rest days. Train the muscles you want to prioritize to the extent of what they can actually recover from though as there is such a thing as over-training.
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Warm-up​
As a general rule do roughly 10 reps at 20% 1RM of the exercise you plan on doing to get blood pumping to the area and to get your body warmed up. Then a set of 5 at a weight that half way between 20% 1RM and your working weight.
Then use your working weight to do 2-3 reps. Now you can go and do your working reps / sets.
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Progressive overload​
You need to always be pushing yourself by progressively overloading your muscles, this basically means pushing yourself to get stronger by increasing the weight or reps or sets.
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Keep weight the same and progress by either adding weight, reps, sets or slowing the exercise down. You need to do better than last time (beat last session) if you don’t then take a Deload week for that muscle set, if that doesn’t work and you are still making progress with other muscle groups and exercises then you might want to consider changing exercise order as you may be fatigued from other exercises.
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reps in reserve (rir)​
If you train to failure then you will take longer to recover so train with 3 reps left in the tank. Start your training program planning the first 2 - 3 weeks if you hit failure and can’t match your own training then take a ‘Deload Week’ (see recovery below).
Intermediate to Advanced lifters might want to try going beyond failure with a training partner assisting (every now and then.)
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Frequency​
Different goals (hypertrophy, strength, power) require different rep / set / volume. Different muscle groups respond better to different training frequency.
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As a general rule people who train for hypertrophy with the intention of growing muscle tend to train in the 8-12 rep range. Large volume is often the key to hypertrophy so make sure you program higher sets with higher reps.
Gym Visits
Roughly how often should you visit the gym?
Beginner
2 - 4 sessions per week
(can get away with whole body sessions)
Intermediate
3 - 6 sessions per week
(split programs are common and each muscle needs to be trained hard)
Advanced
5 - 12 sessions per week
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(each muscle needs to be first in its sessions at least once per week)
You could do rotation cycles and visit gym twice per day.
Training for Hypertrophy?
How frequently should you train:
Chest
6 Sets per week
Horizontal, incline & isolation
(Bench Press, Incline Bench, Cable Fly)
Nutrition
If training in the gym means you're breaking down muscle fibers for them to grow back bigger and stronger then your going to need some building blocks to rebuild that wall, that's where nutrition comes in. Don't underestimate how important it is !
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food
Food is extremely important when it comes to building muscle and we have lots of resources to educate you here on the 'Some Health & Fitness Company' website just click the HEALTH tab and read through info on everything from Macro-nutrients to Supplements.
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Protein
A high protein diet is important for building muscle. You should be aiming to make sure your getting adequate protein in your diet.
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​The academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reports that bodybuilders require 1.4 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram, or about 0.63 to 0.77 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day and that 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram is required to build muscle mass.
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Bulk & Cut
Most bodybuilders stick to the tried and tested bulk and cut approach when it comes to their diets. You are stronger when around 15-20% body fat and will get weaker and weaker around 12% body fat or lower. Many people look at bodybuilders and think they are always super lean (ripped) and super strong but the reality is that unless your pumping yourself full of dangerous drugs then you are going to have to bulk then cut.
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BULKING is when you increase your eating so you are in a slight caloric surplus, which means you will put on a bit of fat but will also be eating enough calories and food to help you're body build muscle.
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CUTTING is when you are in a slight calorie deficit, so you are consuming a little less calories than your body needs to maintain its size.
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Most bodybuilders want big muscles but also want to be lean which you can't naturally do year round. They will go through a bulking phase where they try to put on as much muscle and strength as possible (usually around the winter) and then a cutting face where they will diet down. The aim of this cut is to maintain the muscle they have built but to remove any excess fat that is hiding the muscle.
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The BULK & CUT is an art form and takes some time getting used to the process. You really need to get used to your body and how it responds to a bulking phase and a cutting phase.
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For more info on BULKING & CUTTING then make sure you check out the FAQ section at the bottom of this page.
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Supplements​
Never get nutrients from a supplement if you can get them from proper whole food. Supplements can be useful, but there is so much fraud in the supplement industry and you could end up wasting a lot of money.
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For our guide on supplements then click here.
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Vegetarian / veganism​
Both vegetarians and vegans can build muscle although many struggle because they are lacking 'complete protein' in their diets. For more info on this then check out the PROTEIN page where we break things down in more detail.
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water​
Water is seriously important when it comes to overall health and you need to make sure you're drinking enough, so always take a bottle of water with you to the gym. Being dehydrated even just a little bit will make you tired and weaker and it will stunt the muscle building machine that is your body.
Recovery
You may think muscles are made in the gym but they aren't. In the gym your break the muscles down, nutrition provides the building blocks to make new stronger muscle, but remember it takes time to build muscle and that is done when your not in the gym.​
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Make sure you are recovering properly or your body won't be efficient in building muscle.
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Deload Weeks​
It is super important to give your body time to recover, and although as a beginner you probably won't be training everyday and will take days off the gym, you should still take a deload week every now and then.
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A deload week is essentially a week you program into your training where you either don't go to the gym at all, or take it very very easy, halving the weight, reps and possibly sets you would normally have programmed.
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If you have been training for a while and have stopped making progress then it might be time for a week off. If you are still making progress in some areas and not others then it might be worth changing the exercises for the muscle groups you're struggling with.
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Cool-down​
At the end of every workout you should always do a cool-down, don't be that guy or girl who just walks out the door.
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Cool-downs should include a little cardio (only 5 mins or so) and some static stretching targeting the muscles you've just worked. The stretching helps get the blood pumping to the area of the body you just worked and the blood carries the nutrients and 'building blocks' needed to rebuild the muscle fibers you just destroyed during your epic workout.
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Injury​
Injures do happen and although training properly should help you avoid any serious injuries, they can still happen.
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Training around an injury can be worthwhile, but not if it makes the injury worse. If possible use light reps and sets on the injured area just to get blood pumping there.
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Sleep​
Most of your muscle fibers will probably be getting rebuilt during your sleep so make sure you get 8 hours of sleep a night.
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People often don't take sleep seriously enough and I can tell you that not getting enough sleep really will hold your back.
Are fitness Influencers Liars?
You may be thinking "how come all the pretty guys and girls on social media are getting better results than me and yet seem to be doing strange exercises while snorting pre-workout?"
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Unfortunately the answer to this is that the health and fitness industry is full of fraud!
Many fitness influencers have made it their mission to make as much money as possible by selling BS information, training plans and supplements which don't work, and who fool you into thinking that "you can look like me if you just buy ... "
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The truth is that when it comes to bodybuilding, aesthetics and hypertrophy content creators, many of them are simple 'juiced up pretty boys (and girls) who are on steroids' and other performance enhancing drugs.
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Don't get me wrong there are many fitness coaches, PT's and influencers who are being very honest with the public about Health, Fitness, Fat lose and Body Transformations; but there is so much money to be made that choosing between, helping people by releasing evidence based, logical advice vs selling you a supplement which won't really do anything is to difficult for many. We could name so many brands which knowingly push bad advice and dangerous products that it's not even funny.
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So who do you trust then? (apart from us lol)
Who can you Trust?
Truth be told there are many people out there who know far more about Health, Fitness & Life than the Team behind the 'Some Health & Fitness Company' website (although of course you can trust us ;) and we do have a list of 'influencers' on the site which you may want to check out with the 'Influencers' page under the 'LIFE' tab.
Muscle Building
FAQ
Here are a few takeaway points to remember and things we get asked about all the time:
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1.) Is Building Muscle the Same as strength training ?
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Yes and No, If you train to get stronger you are going to be putting on more muscle, however there are ways to train for specific goals for example Power, Strength, Hypertrophy (increased muscle mass).
Ultimately most people training will want to be powerful, strong and 'look jacked' but you can augment your training to emphasize increasing muscle size, this is called hypertrophy training and usually means training with higher volume (more sets & reps) to stimulate muscle growth.
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2.) If i'm a woman and lift weight will I look like a freak ?
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This is a difficult question to answer because it would depend on what you think a 'freak' looks like. I don't think that weight training will make you turn green and grow horns like some kind of monster but I know a number of women are concerned that lifting weights will give them a more masculine appearance and that doing a few curls will make them look like a professional female bodybuilder.
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This is rubbish of course but a common misconception. Weight training or 'resistance training' is a very important part of any healthy training plan. Unfortunately many women do not incorporate much resistance training into their training and it really is to their detriment.
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Strength is a good thing and a healthy strong body built through resistance training is going to enhance your body's natural look and not take away that 'feminine hourglass look.'
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3.) If i'm naturally skinny can i build muscle ?
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Yes, if you train, eat and sleep properly you will be able to build muscle however it's important to remember that we are not all equal physiologically speaking and we all start off in different places with our own advantages and disadvantages.
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Many naturally skinny people tend to get labeled as 'hard-gainers' and there is some element of truth to the idea of the 'ectomorph' (somatotype), but all it really boils down to is genetics.
Some people have long legs and are naturally good at running, some people have 'long wing spans' and will have a genetic advantage in swimming other people find it easier to build muscle and there is also a lot of research being done by scientists looking at being predisposed to diseases such as diabetes which leads many to believe that genetics can play a part in how easy it is for someone to retain or lose fat.
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The important thing to remember is that with proper training, nutrition and recovery you can become better. You may not be the best (in this case most muscular) person in the world but you can improve however it takes effort!
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4.) Can I turn fat into muscle ?
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Umm kind of. You can build muscle at the same time as you lose weight but you can't exactly turn the adipose tissue (fat) into actual muscle, that being said it may physically look like that from the outside to the untrained eye.
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If you have someone who is overweight and they start to workout and incorporate resistance training with an emphasis in building muscle and gaining strength, and if that person eats properly then they can go through what is often referred to as a 'body recomposition' which means they will 'burn the fat' while building muscle. To those not in the know then this could look like the man or woman in question is turning fat into muscle because they are getting leaner, but are also building muscle, which of course reveals more and more.
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5.) i'm Skinny and fat so what do i do ?
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There is this idea that a person can be 'skinny fat' and I do get what people mean when they refer to themselves (or rudely others) as 'skinny fat' but all this means is someone who has very little muscle mass, naturally holds weight around their stomach area.
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If you are naturally skinny (lean) and lack any real muscle mass, and naturally hold fat around your stomach due to your genetics then you are more than likely the sort of person who would be called skinny fat.
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How you fix this is simple ... build more muscle mass and then diet down enough to be as lean as you want to be. What you don't want to do is to diet down to try and get rid of the small layer of fat around your stomach.
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In short ... Build muscle mass ... diet down a bit to get a healthy lean physique if required. It's worth noting that a small amount of fat around the stomach area looks a lot different on a muscular body compared to a skinny body.
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6.) I just want to lose stomach fat !
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This tends to be given to me in the form of a statement rather than a question most of the time. I understand that there may be areas of your body which you feel hold more fat than others and this is true due to genetics.
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You see, depending on what your genetics are then you can and will hold fat in specific areas. You can't really choose what areas they are as these are predetermined by genetic factors but remember. If you are trying to get leaner, then you can by losing weight through a caloric deficit.
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If person 'A' holds more fat on his stomach and person 'B' holds more fat on his lower back, then both of these guys can lose that fat but it would be through general dieting down. You cannot target specific areas of the body and just remove fat from those areas. This is a common myth perpetuated by evil people trying to sell fitness products that don't actually work by making up ideas such as 'spot reduction'
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If you have a bit too much fat on your stomach then burn calories but go for the most efficient way of burning the calories, don't just think sit-ups work the abs and stomach so that exercise will burn the fat there. All exercises burn calories, but they don't burn fat stored in the areas of the body they are designed to target.
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7.) do i bulk or cut ?
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This is a very easy question to answer but you might not like the answer.
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Do you want to put on more muscle?
YES = BULK
NO, I'm fine for now = CUT
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Most fall into one of two categories when it comes to worrying about bulking or cutting, either you are currently bulking and your missing you're 6 pack and feel crap being around 20% body fat.
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Or
You're lean and have the abs, but know you want to put on more muscle, but can't stand the thought of losing your abs.
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Ultimately you have to decide what you currently want more, the abs or more muscle. If it was me then I would do what most do, bulk in the winter and trim down for the summer, yes there are cons either way, as in the summer I look great but feel weak, and in the winter during a bulk I feel strong but don't look super ripped.
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8.) Is a 'dirty bulk' worth it ?
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The idea of a 'dirty bulk' is to get into a calorie surplus, but to do it by eating junk food or less healthy food. You have to make the decision for yourself, but if you want my advice and given that your reading this then you clearly do;
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To be healthy we need a well balanced diet, so if you are eating loads of crappy junk food, then you may feel this is good as it's helping you build muscle (and fat) fats, your insides aren't going to thank you for it.
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Don't take shortcuts like these fake fitness people you see on social media. I dream of the day fitness = health and think that health should be your top priority. Don't take shortcuts to look fit and healthy, instead actually become fit and healthy.
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You might not be the biggest or most lean, but let's be fair, even with all the shortcuts you're never going to be the best in the world, you can however be the best version of yourself.
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Liam ;)
