Beginner’s guide to muscle building

If you’ve just started your lifting journey and are looking to put on some muscles, then you must not look past these few steps I’m about to share with you.

While the process of muscle-building may seem complicated and challenging initially, I can assure you that it’s relatively straightforward. Although it may take a while, depending on your expectations, training experience, lifestyle, recovery, nutrition, etc. Anyone can gain muscles and improve their physique following the proper steps.

With that in mind, here are five muscle-building principles you must prioritize and practice consistently if you’re serious about making gains.

1. Eat enough calories. 

To put on mass, you must ensure that you eat consistently on a caloric surplus. An easy way to start is by adding 10 to 20% more to your maintenance calories (the amount you eat to maintain your current body weight and composition). For example, if you need 2000kcals worth of food to maintain your current body weight and composition, then bump up your total daily caloric intake to 2200-2400kcal to put on mass.

The amount of surplus may vary depending on your performance and growth rate. Drop your calories a little if you’re putting on weight and body fat too quickly. And on the flip side, don’t be afraid of adding in a bit more calories if your weight and performance aren’t going up at the rate you’d like.

2. Macronutrient matters too.

While eating consistently on a calorie surplus is critical for gaining mass, we must not neglect the importance of macronutrient composition. This means eating enough carbohydrates, protein, and fats to maximize your recovery, energy levels, and overall health. 

A general macronutrient guide for muscle-building would look like this; 50-60% carbohydrates, 25-30% protein, and 20-25% fats of your total calorie intake. Let’s take the example above of 2400kcals; you’ll need to eat around 300g-360g of carbs, 150g-180g of protein, and 50g-65g of fats daily to reach your massing goals.

3. Performance first, appearance later.

If your primary goal is to put on as much muscle mass as possible, then having the thought of being lean and ripped is irrational. Instead, put all your attention and energy into maximizing your training performance and recovery while eating on a surplus.

Accept that you will put on some body fat while eating a surplus. The key here is not to reduce body fat but to manage the amount of fat gained at a minimum while maximizing your gains and training.Trying to put on mass while staying as lean as possible is unrealistic because they’re mutually exclusive. It’s like saying you’d like to buy a house, yet you’re spending more money than you save. Eventually, you will own a house, but the process takes much longer.

Understanding this from the beginning makes managing your expectations easier and committing to making small, incremental improvements. Thus, you’ll be more likely to enjoy the process and make progress.

4. Prioritize technique, not numbers.

Although pursuing numbers - sets, reps, and weights are necessary and part of the training process. However, the safety and quality of the exercise should come first.

Put it simply, muscles recognize effort and tension, not numbers. That’s the brain’s job. Pick and choose an exercise and load within your physical control to get the best out of the exercise (appropriately challenged) while minimizing the risk of injury. If you’re serious about gaining muscle mass, then learn to prioritize and be critical of your exercise technique when it comes to training to ensure productive and safe progress.

5. Sleep like a baby.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “abs are built in the kitchen.” In our case, muscles are built while we’re sleeping. Good quality sleep improves our cognitive function, mood, energy levels, hormonal production, nutrient uptake, and digestion, all related to our performance and progress at the gym.

Conversely, chronic sleep deprivation can impair our body’s ability to recover, leading to a chronic state of fatigue and stress, both counter-productive to muscle-building.

In short, aim for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted, restful sleep daily to maximize your muscle-building potential.

To sum it all up, building muscles is simple when you have the tools (which I just shared) and a plan. All you need to do is implement them while being consistent and patient with the process.

As always, I hope you’ve found this post helpful to your muscle-building journey, and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. 

References:
1. Slater et al. (2019) - Is an Energy Surplus Required to Maximize Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy Associated With Resistance Training. PMC6710320

2. Helms et al. (2014) - Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. PMC4033492

3. Roberts et al. (2020) - Nutritional Recommendations for Physique Athletes. PMC7052702

4. Lamon et al. (2021) - The effect of acute sleep deprivation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and the hormonal environment. PMC7785053