Training
WAYS TO SPEED UP MUSCLE
GROWTH
Looking to make the most of your time under the iron? Build slabs of quality mass
faster with these 7 tips!
B
uilding muscle can be a
slow and frustrating process for even the most committed lifters, especially if you've
spent an appreciable amount
of time under the bar. You may
have grown fast when you first
started lifting, but over time, consistent muscle growth requires
new strategies and tactics. If
your journey to more muscle has
stacked, a few alternations to your
program might be all you need!
So here are some of my tips and
techniques to kick your muscle-building to the next level.
1. GO SLOW TO GROW
When it comes to packing on
size, you might actually want to
slow down your lifts to elicit new
growth. Too many people focus
on trying to lift heavy and fast
to speed up muscle growth. This
often leads to sloppy form and
takes the focus off of the working muscles. Yes it may helps
you grow by adding weight but
it comes secondary to stimulating muscle growth. If you are not
working in a full range of otion
and with proper tempo you arent doing yourself any favours.
So next time lower your tempo to
3secs and work full ROM. Form
and controlled speed are crucial.
The key to building muscle is the
CyFitness Mag. | Issue 4
tension, which is created when a muscle
is stretched and contract repeatedly with
a challenging weight - 80-95% of maximum. Focus on lifting the weght with
proper form and lowering the weight
slowly and under control. The eccentric,
the negative movement of the lift creates
more muscle damage, which is another
essential mechanism of muscle growth.
Now let the gains begin.
2. DON’T MARRY ONE EQUIPMENT
I guess is obvious what to I mean by
the headline. Your body will respond to
a variety of stimuli, movements. Period. Avoid getting too focused on lifting
with just one type of equipment. So if
you are bench press on flat bench, you
can also add reverse grip bench press,
push ups weights, plyometrics push ups,
forced push ups etc. Always change it up.
3. CUT EXCESS CARDIO
When muscle size and strength are yout
top goals excess cardio - moderate intensity is not always the best solution.
If you do to much it make it harder to
achieve sie and strength gains you desire. Cardio places additional stress on
the body, which means you have more
to recover from So if you choose to do
apply HIIT 2-3 times 10-15 minutes.
4. EAT
No fuel in the machine no running.
You dont eat properly you will not gow.
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Simple as that. Lifting on empty
can leave you feeling weak and
without power during your workouts especially when you are out of
fuel after your workout which can
affect your recovery and growth.
So what should I eat before a
workout? Complex carbs and
fat to slowly release into blood
stream plus 30g of protein 90min
before a workout is ideal. When
you are done another 25-30g of
protein can help you pack up muscle protein synthesis and recover.
5. WORKOUT JOURNAL
It’s hard to know where to go if
you don’t know where you’ve
been. Knowing what you are doing is very important and I always keep personal journal and
for my athletes. Tracking your
training sessions not only for sets
but for reps too is essential for
solid gains. Having a log to look
at each time you hit the weights
will not only inspire you to do
your best the next time, but it
will allow you to double-check
that you are doin more than the
previous workout. So write down
your sets and reps so you can
beat them in your next session.
6. CALORIE SURPLUS
As I have said before your muscles will not grow only by training
you need adequate nutrition and
recovery. Feeding you body with
daily calories is a critical component of adding muscle size.
Dont be afraid to eat, be afraid
of ‘am I training hard enough’.
So what I mean by calorie surplus is add 250 - 500cal above
your maintenance calories - calories you burn from your daily
activity. This is a great starting
point to keep track of your gainz.
You dont want to pack body
fat either you dont want to
eat a small amount of surplus calories. So keep track of
the progress and lets grow...
How
to
calculate
your
maintenance
calories?
Bodyweight in pounds * 15 for
an easy way to start. If you are
not adding any weight within
a month lets say increase your
calories slowly. Now you have it.
is they walk blinding, they have no approach no purpose. But when you do,
you will be able to select proper load
and increasing it progressively from
workout to workout. This kind of systematic tracking will help you get bigger and stronger for the long haul.
Test your maximum every 8-12 weeks
to monintor your progress. If you are a
weighlifter or olympic lifter do it more
often - 4 weeks to ensure you're lifting heavy enough during your dayto-day workouts. You might be stronger than you realize, but if you fail to
test, you'll never match your potential.
7. What is your maximum?
Since I started weightlifting and
crossfit I started working around
my maximum and it really work
to pack some size on and increase my 1RM. Know your limits folks. What is your 3rep,5rep
for the compound lifts? If you
dont know the answer to that
its a problem why you are not
adding and muscle size. Why?
Growth comes when a muscle
is stretched and contract repeatedly with a challenging weight 80-95% of maximum. Knowing
your numbers will allow you to
structure the perfect plan. I see
guys for 3 months repeadtly, not
changing at all and the problem
if you are looking for
high quality nutrients to
add in your calorie surplus day check myprotein
for delicious products.
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Issue 4 | Mag. CyFitness