5 Ways to Build More Muscle
Active Lifestyle 
Consult your physician before starting any diet and/or exercise plan.
You're in the gym finishing off a set of bench presses. You sit up to face the mirror, and you do a double take because you instantly realize it. Or maybe you're in the middle of a leg workout, and you're amazed it never dawned on you before. You come to the conclusion you have to seriously focus on adding some muscle to your body.
Many of us who have been working out for any period of time have made the same decision. The reasons for adding more muscle are many. You may be involved in sports and would like to get a bit stronger to be more of a presence on the field. Perhaps you would like to put on some muscle simply to have a more solid-looking body to help you look leaner. Regardless of your reasons, building more muscle can be a challenging task if you have no drive and don't have the information you need. We're giving you this information with a list of five ways to build more muscle. We'll leave it up to you to add the drive. Let's get you started!
1. Increase your total volume of work with progression
If you want to build more muscle, don't make a drastic jump from where you currently are in terms of your workload. Just progressively plan to increase your weights incrementally by a small amount each week for a specified period. See the chart illustrated below to give you an idea of how to work with this idea.
Please note: The progression of weight in the outline below falls within the guideline of a 2 to 10 percent increase recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.
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| An individual who is currently pressing a 35 lb. plate per side starts by adding a 2½ lb. plate per side. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Looking at this progression scheme involving small but consistent changes over the course of one month, you can see the progress:
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2. Work with weights that will make a difference
Obviously, any exercise is beneficial. However, if you're looking to add a bit of muscle or increase your strength, beginner and intermediate lifters should focus on working with poundages within a range that is 60 to 70 percent of the weight that you can lift once with proper form. For example, if you can bench 100 pounds cleanly for one rep, you should be training with weights between 60 to 70 pounds.
3. Use free weights for the majority of your exercises
Machines can be effective and can help you reach many goals, but they should not be a major component of your routine if your goal is to build more muscle. Sticking to free weights will let you use fundamental exercises like bench press, squats, and chin-ups that can be much more effective at building strength than (for example) cable crossovers, leg extensions, and machine rows. This isn't to take anything away from these exercises, but specific types of training require specific types of exercises to help you get the
best results.
4. Pay close attention to the order of your exercises
Working your larger muscles takes a lot of energy and focus, so you should concentrate on them before you focus on your smaller muscles. If you work the larger muscles last, you won't be fresh, and you'll run the risk of tiring before you've given your larger muscle groups an effective workout. Organize your workouts so you are doing the more difficult exercises like bench press, squat, chins, or barbell rows first. This is a great way to prevent you from burning out before you feel you've done the work you want. A longer workout will obviously burn more calories as well if your goal is to get a leaner looking build.
refined physique look even better.
5. Make sure you are supporting your workouts with adequate nutrition
In order to fuel your workouts, make sure you have plenty of fuel in your tank to provide your muscles with the nutrients they'll need. Once you've got the muscle you want, you'll really want to monitor your diet and fine-tune your calorie intake so you can reduce your bodyfat and show off your new muscularity. Obviously, there are many ways to add some muscle to your frame. We have highlighted a few that can get you off to a good start.
One final piece of advice we'll give you applies to any weight-training goal you may have: Train with intent. Don't just go through the motions of a stale routine. Instead, always make sure you are working toward a specific goal. Do this, and you won't be aimlessly wasting your time. You'll be busy reaching your goal and then focusing on the next step in your plan to progress toward the physique you want.
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- Click here to find out how many extra calories you could burn if you added just a few pounds of muscle.
