Build muscle easier at home and in the gym with this simple 5-step guide

ActiveBuild muscle easier at home and in the gym with this simple 5-step guideGain muscle mass at home or in the gym with this 5-step muscle building guideWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Gain muscle mass at home or in the gym with this 5-step muscle building guide

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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Musclular person lifting dumbbells

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The muscle-building process is not overcomplicated, but it’s also not as simple as ‘lift weights = build muscle’. We did some research, crunched the numbers, tried and tested a bunch of different approaches and came up with this 5-step muscle-building guide that will surely get everyone shredded.

The issue with muscle building is that the more you read about it, seemingly the more complex it gets. Some say a couple ofpush-pull-legs workoutsessions a week are enough, while others will recommend doingfull-body workoutsevery day. The same goes for the importance of rest, protein intake/diet, weights, type of workouts etc.

Natural muscle building requires hard work and persistence, and the truth is, it is a personal experience for everyone. The best you can do is listen to your body and adapt a workout approach that suits you the most. Muscle building is a learning process and one that takes a bit of time to master. However, using this simple guide might help you achieve results sooner.

Build muscle effectively: an easy 5-step guide

Increasing muscle mass naturally will admittedly take some time and it will take longer for some people than for others. How fast you will pack on muscle mass depends on your age, sex, testosterone levels and more.

That said, it’s a common misconception that muscle building after a certain age is a waste of time: “research demonstrates that resistance exercise training has profound effects on the musculoskeletal system, contributes to the maintenance of functional abilities, and prevents osteoporosis, sarcopenia, lower-back pain, and other disabilities”, a2001 study concludes.

You can getfit over 40or 50 (or at any age) as long as you move around more and pay attention to what you eat and how much you rest.

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Musclular person having a shake while sitting on a weight bench in a gym

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Step #1: Eat your protein

A hotly debated topic is how much protein should you take to build muscle effectively. The consensus now says that for someone actively working out, the appropriate amount of protein is around 1.6-2 grams of protein per body kilogram per day. For a 70 kg (155 lbs) person, this means supplying your body with at least 112-140 grams of protein per day.

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You should supply protein from various sources such as lean meat, eggs, nuts, leafy veg (e.g. kale, spinach), fish, tofu, legumes etc. 100 grams of chicken breast contains around 30 grams of protein, but even kale has over 4 grams in it per 100 grams.

Step #2: Supplement your muscle building efforts

Most nutritionists agree that creatine is the only supplement you need to aid muscle building.Creatineis one of the most scrutinised supplements, and it can help improve performance in the gym.One research concludedthat “one week of creatine supplementation (25 g/day) enhances muscular performance during repeated sets of bench press and jump squat exercise.”

And creatine does this without any side effects, even long-term. Better still, you only need a small amount each day to enjoy the benefits of creatine. After a ‘loading period’ – during which you saturate your body with creatine – you will only need to take roughly 3-5 grams a day. You can mix creatine with anything as it has no after taste; you can drink it with water or even your protein shake.

If you are one of those people who struggle to put on weight, consider taking themass gainersupplements: these powders are high in protein and carbohydrates and can help you cram in some extra calories into your diet.

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Muscular person doing kettlebell swings in front of a concrete wall

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Step #3: Follow a progressive overload workout pattern

Reassessment of the workout should be done periodically and not every day with an ample amount of variety applied to your daily workouts in between. No need to change weights every single time you do a workout but once the resistance feels less demanding, increase the weights and change the exercises.

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Person perfroming bicep curls sitting on a bed

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Step #4: Mix up your workout routine

Admittedly, a progressive overload pattern can’t be sustained forever. Eventually, everyone will reach a point where adding more weight to workouts will be impossible.

Even worse, if people follow the same workout pattern for more extended periods, the body will get used to the type of training/resistance, and it can even become ‘immune’ to workouts.

To get out of the muscle-building rut, athletes must introduce a new type of stimulus now and then. This could be anything from performing exercises differently to trying new workouts, such as powerlifting or even CrossFit. Depending on the person’s fitness level, switching to a new workout routine is recommended every 1-4 months.

Workout challenges are also an excellent way to freshen up your workout routine. The10,000-swing kettlebellor the100 pull-ups a daychallenges overload specific muscles while allowing others to rest.

We recommend trying out new techniques for those keen beans that really can’t be bothered to do anything else but lift heavy weights in the gym; lifting weights slower or faster might be enough of a change to carry on building muscle. Read more about the1-10 methodand theshocking principleinArnold Schwarzenegger’s Blueprint to Massplan.

(Image credit: Fitbit)

Group of happy people workout out outdoors using battle ropes

(Image credit: Fitbit)

Step #5: Choose the right exercises for muscle growth

Sure, you will want to get bigger arms but forget about doing bicep curls only when you are in the gym. The type of exercises you’ll need to include more of in your workout regime arecompound exercises.Deadliftsandoverhead pressesare good examples of weighted compound exercises, whilepush-upsandpull-upsare the best bodyweight workouts. Doing compound exercises will make you stronger and increase muscle coordination. You can even create workouts based on compound exercises.

Step #5: Find the right balance between rest and injury

Above is the video of the man himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, an icon and bodybuilding aficionado in his prime. In the video, Arnold talks about getting ready for competitions and how much training they did months before the competition. He says pro muscle builders would spend four hours a day in the gym in order to pack on extra muscle mass.

Elite CrossFit athletes are also famous for training a lot: in his heyday, Rich Froningused to work out 18 times a week. This goes against everything you might have read about muscle building but you must admit that top CrossFit people look pretty shredded, right?

One thing is for sure: resting is paramount for muscle growth. Your muscles don’t grow in the gym, they grow when you rest in between workouts. During resistance training, microscopic tears appear on your muscles and your body patch these up using protein (simplifying the process here).

Another thing to keep in mind is that rest doesn’t always mean not working out. You want to rest the muscles so they have time to recover but you also want to work them hard enough so they’ll grow. Exercise often and rigorously, especially if you have a fast metabolism, and listen to your body.

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This no-jump, zero-equipment full-body workout is all you need to build muscle all overYou don’t need a gym membership to get fit

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Build muscle effectively: an easy 5-step guide#

Step #1: Eat your protein#

Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox#

Step #2: Supplement your muscle building efforts#

Step #3: Follow a progressive overload workout pattern#

Step #4: Mix up your workout routine#

Step #5: Choose the right exercises for muscle growth#

Step #5: Find the right balance between rest and injury#

Build muscle effectively: an easy 5-step guide

Step #1: Eat your protein

Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox

Step #2: Supplement your muscle building efforts

Step #3: Follow a progressive overload workout pattern

Step #4: Mix up your workout routine

Step #5: Choose the right exercises for muscle growth

Step #5: Find the right balance between rest and injury