The complex, multifaceted process of building muscle mass isn't rocket science. Anyone with a gym membership and a dedicated willingness to get fit can achieve massive strength gains over time while simultaneously improving their overall well-being. While mental fortitude is a required element of committing yourself to a strength development program, doing the work will ultimately help you achieve your goals. The process of adding lean muscle mass demands a moderate level of cardiovascular activity, emphasis on strength-training exercise, execution of a healthy diet and willingness to rest.


Health Benefits of Building Muscle Mass

Building muscle mass is sometimes associated with visual images of beefy bodybuilders with thick pulsating veins protruding the surface of their skin. Understanding the difference between extreme muscle hypertrophy, which is an increase in skeletal muscle size, and healthy muscle gain is important. Building muscle mass promotes health benefits beyond the enjoyment factor of feeling satisfied when you look in the mirror. According to Harvard Health Publications, active engagement in strength-training exercise, which results in mass gains, strengthen the bones and consequently reduce your risk of contracting osteoporosis, a bone disease that negatively impacts quality of life.

Understanding the Process

The process of adding lean muscle mass is more difficult to achieve over time. Relative non-activity will cause muscle mass to slowly deteriorate, although this process, commonly referred to as "atrophy," speeds up with age. You can successfully incorporate a variety of different strength training strategies in order to ensure that you're able to sustain strength gains, though. Variation is key when trying to build muscle mass. Over time, the body will become less likely to respond to a workout it has become accustomed to. The process of "shocking" your body requires execution of several varying exercises. It's important to familiarize yourself with different modes of strength training, such as resistance training, which emphasizes the use of body weight as opposed to traditional weightlifting. The average person can develop new lean muscle mass from two or three rigorous 30-minute strength-building sessions per week.

Making Nutrition a Priority

A decent number of gym-goers use their regular exercise regimen as an excuse to over-indulge in junk food and other impractical diet tendencies. Nutrition is perhaps the most important aspect of building muscle mass. Your body needs high levels of vitamins and minerals, and protein in order to efficiently build lean muscle mass. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that you consume at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily in order to fuel muscle development at an efficient rate. You won't be able to transform your body simply by working out. You need to make nutrition a priority. High-quality sources of protein include chicken breast, eggs and 90-percent lean ground beef. Eat balanced portions of good fats to supplement your diet. Foods such as walnuts, almonds, halibut and salmon are healthy sources of fat. Also, consume whole grains, such as oatmeal, to satisfy your need for carbohydrates.

Valuing the Importance of Rest Time

When trying to ferociously build muscle mass, you might be inclined to decrease rest time. However, avoiding sufficient levels of non-activity can be detrimental to your body's natural ability to promote lean muscle growth. Although weightlifting will stimulate fat loss while also boosting your metabolism, your body needs time to recuperate from rigorous exercise. Sacrifice 36 to 48 hours of rest time in between concentrated muscle group workouts. This essentially means you should not exercise the same major muscle group more than once in a two-day time period. Also, don't underestimate the importance of sleep. Shutting your eyes for eight hours per night speeds up the process of muscle recovery and also improves your level of energy. Working out isn't a science, but it's a complex process that requires careful dedication to diet, exercise and rest.