Every industry across the world has trends that come and go, in this day and age, the speed at which change occurs is faster than ever. However, for all the fads and new things that the fitness industry witnesses there are fundamentals that will always stand the test of time.
Today, I want to highlight 3 key fundamentals that will ALWAYS be essential to building muscle. This is to remind you of all the information you see, never forget these 3 things if you're truly serious about building quality muscle mass.
#1. Nutrient Quantity
The quantity of food you eat will always be relevant to building muscle. Maintaining a controlled calorie surplus for a long enough period of time to:
1) Support higher levels of performance which induces hypertrophy
2) Facilitate recovery
3) Provide sufficient energy to produce new muscle tissue
These are biological processes that are part of building muscle and are undeniably reliant on sufficient calorie intake. To attain a calorie surplus you will need to realistically be between 10-25% above your basal metabolic rate (BMR) depending on your daily routine, style of work, gender, and genetics.
#2. Nutrient Quality
Eating enough is clearly essential however it is also imperative that the quality of those calories is very high. Too often people will eat a lot of s*** foods in an attempt to grow, this is not the best way in most instances if you're asking my opinion. Not only is it essential to get the right type of nutrients (protein, complex carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids) to meet basic requirements for muscle growth, these nutrients also support general health.
Immune system health, gut health, and endocrine health are all things that are related to successfully building muscle one way or another. Healthy, quality nutrients will always support these things better.
#3. Optimized Hypertrophy Training
Inducing myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is undoubtedly KEY to maximizing your muscle growth. This will never ever change. This requires a specific approach to weight training, including:
- Periodization
- Different rep ranges
- The use of extreme intensity at the appropriate time
To achieve this you need to be using a training program that utilities a very broad spectrum of rep ranges, within the context of a periodized program. This is the best way to achieve cell swelling and the development of myofibril filaments. This is NOT the same as doing some drop sets at the end of a workout, far from it.
Regardless of what new information you're reading, never forget that these principles are unchangeable!
* Other training and nutrition knowledge:
- MOST DIETS FAIL BECAUSE OF THIS
- HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE WITHOUT ADDING WEIGHT TO THE BAR
- 4 FOODS TO HELP WITH DIGESTION
- 3 WAYS TO SELECT THE RIGHT CHEAT MEAL
Let us know in the comment how you think and if you have any questions about this topic, feel free to ask.
