In the world of fitness, it is commonly understood that muscle hypertrophy refers to the development of muscles in response to resistance training (muscles adaption to progressively higher effort).

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In other words, the effort is a key component for building muscles.

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By exercising harder and more consistently, we enable our muscles to get bigger. 

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The result is an increase in the dimensions as well as the length of the muscle fibers.

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Our muscles become physically bigger through muscle hypertrophy.

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How to build muscle based on women’s preferences

 

The truth is that most women find men with lean and well-muscled physiques more attractive than those with huge physiques.

 

So if having a huge physique is your goal, you should know that women prefer men with lean, well-defined ‌physiques.

 

You don't need to build a lot of muscle mass to become more attractive to women.

 

Read here for more details about the preferences of women according to a study.

 

Is it possible to build muscle in a short amount of time?

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Since beginners are just starting hypertrophy, the cellular process that promotes muscle growth, they can gain more muscle in the first 6 months.

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People that start from scratch can rapidly gain muscle if they are disciplined about their diet, exercise, and recovery.

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The first 3 months, they can add up to about 1.5 - 2.5 kg of muscle per month.

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In the second 3 months, they can add up to about 1 - 1.5 kg of muscle per month.

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In a natural way, muscle gains following 6 months typically slow down - to about 200 - 500 g.  ‌per‌ ‌month.

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Building a physique that far exceeds the normal one takes years of dedication.

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After about 6 months of bodybuilding, it becomes harder to continue growing.

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With increased workloads, your muscles require always more effort to grow.

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Muscle gaining challenges become increasingly difficult as people have also a predetermined genetic limit on how much they can gain.

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Whenever you reach a point where your muscles are functional enough for your daily activities, for your body there isn't much benefit to carrying more muscle all day from a survival point of view.

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The human body is designed to ensure survival. By adding a lot of additional pounds of lean body mass, the body's efficiency is reduced.

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There is a wide variation in maximum limits based on genetic factors.

Some athletes are quick performers, gaining strength and muscle mass in short periods of time. 

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However, others take a much longer‌ ‌time‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌gains.

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How to build muscle and Myogenic Genes

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An experiment in humans examined the role of myogenic genes during muscle hypertrophy.

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According to the data, load-mediated induction of myogenic genes might be crucial in promoting myofibrillar‌ ‌growth‌ ‌during‌ ‌progressive resistance training.

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It is a combination of your workouts, recovery, diet, and your supplementation that determines whether you will reach‌ ‌your‌ ‌genetic‌ ‌potential.

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How to build muscle with Satellite Cells (Muscle Stem Cells)

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In order to increase muscle mass, several factors are involved, such as neuromuscular junctions, endocrine molecules, and myogenic regulatory genes.

 

All these factors combined determine the increase‌ ‌in‌ ‌muscle‌ ‌mass. 

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Researchers suggest that Satellite Cells addition increases muscle mass by promoting muscle hypertrophy in skeletal muscle fibers.

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The satellite cells in the skeletal muscle acting as myogenic precursors are a type of stem cell.

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These stem cells play a key role in muscle regeneration and growth.

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How to build muscle with Androgenic Steroids

 

Studies on the effects of androgenic steroids on muscle strength and size in normal men 

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These are the results in muscle mass increase ‌shown by the study‌ ‌from‌ ‌the‌ ‌‌New‌ ‌England‌ ‌Journal‌ ‌of‌ ‌Medicine‌‌ done with men split into four groups:

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• placebo with no exercise

• testosterone with no exercise

• placebo plus exercise

• testosterone plus exercise.

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The results:

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• Those assigned to placebos without exercise did not have a significant change in fat-free mass.

• The‌ ‌men‌ ‌who were treated with testosterone, but not exercising, increased their fat-free mass by 3 kilograms

• Those who were treated with a placebo and exercising increased their fat-free mass by 1.9 kilograms.

• The exercise-plus-testosterone group experienced a significant increase (average of‌ ‌6.1‌ ‌kg).

 

There were no significant differences in body fat percentages among the groups.

 

However people and athletes are prohibited from taking anabolic-androgenic steroids to enhance their performance, and it is also‌ ‌‌illegal‌.

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Those who illegally possess, use, or distribute these substances may face hard penalties.

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In my opinion, this is a good thing, since anabolic-androgenic steroids, apart from mental disorders, can also have serious negative side effects on the circulatory‌ ‌system, insulin sensitivity, male reproductive system with their extended use.

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If you inject steroids, seems that you are also more likely to contract‌ ‌HIV/AIDS‌ ‌or‌ ‌hepatitis.

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It has been found that misuse of anabolic steroids can cause a variety of different side effects, ranging from relatively mild consequences to dangerous ones such as:

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• increase the chances of stroke

• increase the chances of ‌heart attack

• enlarged heart

• a higher‌ ‌risk‌ ‌of‌ ‌thrombosis

• high blood pressure

• tumors

• failure of the kidneys

• liver disorders

• high cholesterol

• induces‌ ‌acne

• causes body swelling (in particular hands‌ ‌and‌ ‌feet)

• hair loss (men)

• reduced sex organ size‌ ‌(men)

• reduced sperm production (men)

• prostate cancer risk increases (men)

• growth‌ ‌of‌ ‌breasts (men)

• larger‌ ‌clitoris (women)

• hair growth on the face or on the body (women)

• smaller breasts (women)

• alteration or cessation of‌ ‌the menstrual‌ ‌cycle

• hair loss as in males (women)

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How to build muscle faster by increasing Testosterone Without Steroids

 

Testosterone‌ ‌promotes muscle growth and reduces‌ ‌recovery‌ ‌time.

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Also, growth hormone is secreted during exercise, but in smaller amounts.

Intensive training can boost testosterone levels while long and easy training leads to lower testosterone levels.

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Furthermore, the effects don't start until ten minutes into exercising, and after 75 minutes, the effect will diminish.

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The growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland as a response to energy expenditure.

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To increase energy expenditure Cotner says (read study)
to exercise more than once a day, doing a more intense workout, and/or taking an ice bath after exercise to raise energy demand.

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The problem is as the weeks go by, your body adapts to the workout, and the growth hormone secretion decreases.

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Hackney suggests that getting out of condition and then beginning to work out is the best way to make the hormones go crazy.

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A lot of exercise releases a lot of cortisol, which in turn breaks down ‌the proteins of your muscles.

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This must-have thought also Mike Mentzer, a famous trainer, bodybuilding consultant, and bodybuilder.

 

He used to work out for just 60-75 minutes and just every 3-4 days or more... 

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Look at the Mike Mentzer HIT Video 

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How to build muscle with Weight Training

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Beginners must determine their starting weight before they start any exercise.

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The weight you should use for each exercise should not be too heavy or too light.

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To find your starting weight begin with a lightweight that allows you to do 10 repetitions‌ ‌with‌ ‌it.

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Then‌ ‌after a short break of 3-4 minutes, try doing 10 repetitions again with heavier weights.

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Gradually increase the weight and take 3-4 minute rest until you are unable to complete the next 10 reps.

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Remember the weight you reached the previous level.

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Next time, when you begin working out, you'll start at this level.

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Training programs of 3-4 sets of 8 or 10 or 12 reps with 60 seconds rest time between sets have been the standard for building muscle for decades.

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However, in a 2017 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, it was found that regardless of your rep scheme, muscle growth will be triggered if you train to fatigue, this means until failure of the last rep of the set. 

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Therefore, you shouldn't blast out 10-12 repetitions in every set.

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It is true that 8-12 sets are the best way to build muscle, but for some main exercises like bench press, deadlifts, squats, etc. doing sets of 3-5 reps will make it easier for you to improve ‌strength, making you stronger.

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In the future, you will be able to train with heavier weights for longer reps as your strength increases.

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You can do it in this way:

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Every muscle group workout should begin with a low-rep exercise.

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Your first exercise should be performed in 4 sets of 3-5 repetitions with a rest of 3-5 minutes between sets.

 

Then every following exercise should be performed in 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with a rest of 1-2 minutes between sets.

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How to build muscle with Exercise

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Training with weights involves two actions:

1. concentric (hard) 

2. eccentric (easy) 

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Example: An eccentric action would be lowering the barbell into a bench press. When you push up again is‌ ‌concentric.

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Researchers found that eccentric work triggers muscle hypertrophy more effectively.

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Adding eccentric work to your exercise can be done in two ways:

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• perform at a slower pace the eccentric phase each exercise

• consider adding exercise just with eccentric moves in‌ ‌your‌ ‌routine

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How to build muscle increasing Time Under Tension

 

Muscle hypertrophy is thought to be mediated by time under tension (the time to complete a set).

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However,‌ ‌these effects should be analyzed in the context of other variables comprised in a given resistance training program.

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It seems that the time under tension accumulated for a particular muscle group in a given time frame has the greatest relevance when it comes to muscle growth.

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Some fitness experts have suggested that time under tension should fall between 40 and 60 seconds to optimize muscle development.

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Read here to get more information about optimal muscle growth from being under tension. 

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Other fitness professionals have found that a time under tension of 30-70 seconds per set was optimal for muscular hypertrophy,

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How to build muscle with Isometrics

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If done effectively, isometrics offers the same benefits of muscle training and‌ ‌strength ‌muscle‌ ‌training,

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It isn't common for isometric exercises to be included in most fashionable forms of workouts.

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There have always been 2 major objections to isometrics: measurement is lacking and due to the fact that isometric exercises are performed without movement, it is possible to build strength but not very ‌effectively.

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But Isometrics is strength training that does not involve‌ ‌movement.

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How to build muscle size and strength as well as endurance using muscle-friendly isometric exercises.

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During this exercise, either you hold a weight or a certain posture for a fixed amount of time.

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By increasing, weight and time under tension, you will boost your strength and endurance.

 

Watch this video to discover the secret to build muscle without lifting weight!

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There is no doubt that time under tension plays an important role in optimal hypertrophy.

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The most effective method of time-under-tension is isometric training.

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An isometric exercise causes anoxia in the muscles as a result of increased intramuscular pressure (anoxia).

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Exercises involving isometric contractions help athletes to involve more muscles during the training.

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When you use isometrics training, you can use also a heavier weight.

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Isometric training might be what you need to overcome stagnation in performance.

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Passive isometric exercises, such as holding and stances, build muscle and strength slower than active isometric exercises, which require applying force to exhaust your muscles.

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You can do isometric exercises as part of your normal workout or as separate sessions lasting 10 to 15 minutes.

 

• 30-60 seconds holds

• 3-5 sets

• rest 1-2 minutes

 

To get max hypertrophy as a pre-exhaustion technique, implement isometric exercises at the start of your desired muscle workout.

 

Watch this video to discover 20 isometric exercises without equipment!

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Watch this video to discover how to perform isometrics for mass!

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How to build muscle with Plyometrics

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If your training plan to build muscle consist of high repetitions and lower intensity the fast-twitch muscle fibers do not generally get activated.

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But they have the capacity to grow muscles.

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By tearing muscles to build body mass with plyometrics, more muscle is developed.

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Plyometric Training can help you activate your fast-twitch muscle fibers faster if you include it in your regular training routine.

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This causes muscular‌ ‌‌hypertrophy.

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Strengthening the muscle-tendon complex with plyometric exercises will allow you to lift heavier‌ ‌loads.

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As a result of plyometric exercises, the muscles become more efficient at contracting, resulting in more energy used for explosive action.

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By working the muscles differently, plyometrics help them to work more effectively and efficiently.

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With plyometric training, you will gain strength and speed.

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The combination of all these factors can lead to muscle development‌ ‌over time.

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To avoid injury and overtraining, plyometric workouts must be undertaken judiciously, with a certain level of caution because of their ability to tear muscle fibers.

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Performing 1-2 plyometrics exercises before an upper or lower body workout can also help you engage more muscle fibers and create a stronger connection between the mind and muscle.

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Adding 1 plyometric exercise to the end of a workout could be also effective.

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Alternatively a 30-minute session every 3-4 days.

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Watch this video to discover16 upper body plyometric and power exercises with a med ball!

 

Watch this video to discover explosive upper body workout with bands - Plyometrics!

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Watch this video to discover lower-body plyometric exercises!

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Watch this video to discover lower-body plyometric exercises used by football athletes!  

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Watch this video to discover lower-body plyometric exercises for great legs! 

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How to build muscle with Good Sleep

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Muscle growth is dependent upon getting enough sleep after a workout.

 

Muscle recovery occurs when you sleep.

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Generally, your muscles will recover from a relatively light workout in 24 hours, whereas a more demanding workout may‌ ‌‌take‌‌ ‌2 ‌to‌ ‌3 ‌days.

 

It may take longer for intense workouts.

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The quality of our sleep is also an aspect we need to consider about the recovery time of our muscles. 

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• Glycogen is stored in the muscle (a more efficient energy source than blood glucose) while we are sleeping. A lack of sleep prevents us from getting the complete refueling of muscle glycogen.

• Growth hormone is secreted during delta sleep (as we age, that deep sleep becomes less and less common).

• We require the growth hormone to utilize the amino acids that are in the food‌ ‌we‌ ‌eat. During sleep, the bloodstream is filled with that substance.

• It is amino acids that make the muscles grow, become stronger, heal faster and perform better.

• Imagine protein as a tree-- if you want to use the tree to construct your house, you need to reduce it to smaller pieces.

• By flooding your muscles with amino acids, you will build and regenerate your muscles faster.

• These nutrients can also help buffer the inflammation and oxidation that would normally put a halt to‌ ‌muscle gain...

 

Body functions cannot be properly performed without a good night's sleep.

 

Sleep deprivation decreases also muscle mass.

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The effects of inadequate sleep on muscle gains and recovery were examined in a study.

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In one group, sleep was allowed for 5.5 hours each day, and in another, 8.5 hours.

Researchers found this:

•  people who slept only 5.5 hours had 60% less muscle mass 

• those who slept 8.5 hours had 40% more.

 

A good night's sleep helps muscles recover and grow.

 

In order to gain muscle mass and to be prepared for the next personal training session, you should aim to sleep at least 7-9 hours every night.

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How to build muscle using Fat Grip

 

As you move to heavier weights, a weak grip makes it more difficult to do the exercises.

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A deadlock in the performance can be reached more quickly if exercises are performed incorrectly.

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When it comes to bodybuilding advice, quite a few beginners miss information about the importance of grip strength, most of the time it is overlooked.

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It is difficult to do heavy upper body and arms exercises with a weak grip.

This handicap tends to be more pronounced in people with small hands and a weak grip.

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If we delay the grip strength training, we might only be impeding future growth.

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One's ability to adequately stabilize the weights we are trying to handle will be impaired if we don't have a strong grip.

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Developing grip strength will give you a broader‌ ‌strength‌ ‌base.

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A variety of sports like tennis, hockey, golf, etc. demand grip strength in one way or another but strengthening the grip can make also a huge difference in everyday life.

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The better your grip, the greater the weight you can lift, and the stronger your grip is, the more force you can exert on the bar and more muscle you can build.

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The‌ ‌gripper is one of the most effective pieces of equipment used to improve crushing grip.

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Different models of crushing grips are available on the market. All of these models follow the same basic principles for crushing.

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Try to hold heavy dumbbells or heavyweights on the barbell as long as possible. If you don't see progress maybe the weight is too high and you need to reduce it.

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It will also help you to strengthen the grip walking with dumbbells (if you have space).

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Strengthening your grip can also be accomplished with Fat-Grip training.

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Specifically, fat grip training targets the forearm's largest muscle, which‌ ‌plays a key role in grip strength as well as finger flexion.

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It seems that a fat grip enables to get the same results training with a lower training volume as without.

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Training with fat grip barbells and dumbbells can help you to avoid deadlock performance in your exercises.

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Look at this video to discover one of the reasons why you should use fat grip!
 

Look at this video guide to get some tips on how to use a fat grip!

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How to build muscle with Chrononutrition

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Proteins are essential components of the diet that aid the body's growth and repair. 

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A protein is an amino acid chain that promotes the growth of skeletal muscles, which allow us to move. 

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Proteins have long been known to humans for their health benefits. 

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According to recent studies, you have to eat enough protein at the right time of day in order to grow properly. 

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This is known as 'Chrononutrition.

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How to build muscle with Protein

 

Muscle growth will only occur if you eat enough  ‌pre and after ‌work‌out.

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Building muscle requires energy and substances to regenerate.

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You should eat a variety of nutritious foods in order to build muscle and‌ ‌get‌ ‌stronger.

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From my personal experience, an athlete who wishes to significantly build and strengthen muscle tone should listen to his hunger and thirst sensors and consume 1.2-1.7 grams of protein per kilogram.

Most studies recommend a protein intake of 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram per day.

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For maximum gains in muscle mass and strength from resistance training, a study indicates a daily protein intake of‌ ‌approximately‌ ‌
1.6‌ ‌g/kg‌ ‌across‌ ‌a‌ ‌minimum‌ ‌of‌ ‌four‌ ‌meals.

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Overconsumption of protein can cause health problems?

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I would say‌ ‌yes. When it comes to eating protein, too much is not a good thing. It seems 2 grams/kg is probably the maximum.

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High saturated fats and a high protein diet rich in animal-based proteins may confer a greater risk of colon cancer and cardiovascular disease than a high protein diet rich in plant-based proteins.

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A high protein diet seems that can increase also the‌ ‌risk‌ ‌of‌ ‌kidney‌ ‌disease.

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How to build muscle with Amino Acids

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The key to muscle growth is quality, not quantity!

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When you have eaten or snacked, do you feel bloated?

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Proteins consumed by most people are only partially absorbed.

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Muscle growth is not just about more protein...

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You can consume as many as you want.

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Protein can only be absorbed by your small intestine after it's broken down into smaller parts.

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We call these small parts ‌amino‌ ‌acids.

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Proteases are powerful enzymes that turn protein into bioavailable ‌amino‌ ‌acids.

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Your muscles need these nutrients to recover and grow.

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A lack of these enzymes will starve your muscles of the building blocks they need to grow.

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pH levels affect what kind of protease works.

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In each step of digestion, the various proteases make sure the breakdown of protein into amino acids.

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It is even more crucial to have enzymes if you eat cooked meat, fish, or eggs since cook food depletes your body of enzymes because needed to digest it.

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It gets worse if you eat cooked foods more often (these are most protein powders). 

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Rapidly enzymes are drained... causing digestive problems.

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Protein undigested in this manner moves toward the intestine,‌ ‌where it‌ ‌putrifies‌ ‌and‌ ‌acidifies limiting amino‌ ‌acid‌ ‌absorption‌.

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In this case, you may experience nausea, gassy, bloating, cramping, diarrhea, stomach pain.

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When that happens, you know you have a gut issue.

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Putting on lean muscle mass is more difficult without enzymes.

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In order to recover and grow, your muscles require a large supply of amino acids, which protease helps with.

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By supplying the body with more proteolytic enzymes, we should be able to deliver more amino acids into our blood with the aim of building muscle, boosting recovery, and enhancing ‌performance.

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How to build muscle by increasing testosterone with Foods

 

Bean

• A good source of energy for building muscle is beans.

• Including beans in your diet may help to build lean muscle.

• Beans are an important source of fiber, carbohydrates, and protein.

• To grow muscles, you must maintain an adequate insulin response. Fiber is necessary for this.

• Beans are a good source of vitamin D and zinc.

• Vitamin D and zinc can support‌ ‌healthy‌ ‌testosterone‌ ‌levels.

 

Bananas

• Bananas are a fantastic source of energy!

• Bananas are a great food for testosterone growth.

• Bananas contain vitamin C, which has numerous nutritional benefits. Antioxidants and cortisol lowering are among the properties of vitamin C.

• Since cortisol inhibits testosterone production, it is beneficial to testosterone function.

• Bananas are a good source of vitamin B6. It is necessary for testosterone production.

• Muscles require magnesium for their health. Bananas are a good source of magnesium.

• Bromelain, an enzyme found in bananas, has been shown to raise‌ ‌testosterone‌ ‌levels.

 

Ginger

• A study conducted on humans found benefits from‌ ‌a‌ ‌daily‌ ‌ginger‌ ‌supplement.
  Their testosterone levels increased by 17% after 3 months, and their luteinizing hormone levels‌ ‌increased by almost twice.
  Taking ginger supplements, especially when faced with elevated oxidative stress, seems to increases testosterone levels in men.

 

Honey

• The consumption of honey may increase testosterone levels in men.

• A study suggests that honey may raise testosterone levels by increasing luteinizing hormone production.

• Boron, a mineral that is linked to increased testosterone levels, is found in honey.

 

Lemon

• Citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges, are powerful testosterone boosters!

• By lowering cortisol, lemons allowing the body to produce testosterone more easily.

• Lemons contain vitamin A necessary for testosterone production.

• Lemons help testosterone be more effective by lowering estrogen levels.

 

Pomegranate

• Pomegranate appears to boost testosterone levels in both men and women according to a study.

• Researchers tested the testosterone levels in healthy participants' saliva three times a day for 14 days after drinking pure pomegranate juice.

• The salivary testosterone levels of both males and females showed an increase of 24 percent after the study period.

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Leafy Green Vegetables

• These vegetables are high in magnesium, a mineral that may boost testosterone levels in the body.

• Magnesium supplements for a period of four weeks increased testosterone levels in athletes and sedentary individuals, according to a study. Participants who were more active experienced greater increases in testosterone.

• These vegetables reduce estrogen levels, which is key to help increase testosterone ‌levels.

 

Grapes

• It seems that the body can significantly increase its testosterone levels through its consumption.

• In terms of science, the skin of the grape contains resveratrol.

• It seems that inflammation is reduced by resveratrol, testosterone levels are improved, estrogen and estradiol levels are decreased.

• Moreover, red grapes are rich in boron, a substance that plays an important role in‌ ‌the‌ ‌formation‌ ‌of‌ ‌testosterone and estrogen‌.

Oats

• A ‌Vitamin‌ B ‌that directly affects the production of testosterone is Vitamin B6:

• It prevents estrogen from being produced, thus helping testosterone levels ‌to‌ ‌go up!!

• Having a high level of B vitamins, oatmeal is an excellent food for enhancing testosterone levels.

 

Extra Virgin Oliven Oil

• A study seems to have found that men who ingested olive oil daily over a 3-week period gained between 17% and 19% of testosterone.

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