How to build muscle — hint: it’s not as crazy as you think

STEP 1: EAT IN A SURPLUS.

To seriously gain muscle, you need to be eating more food than you think. You essentially need to be eating more calories than you are burning so your body will store the energy to build more muscle. The amount you need to eat varies with your exercise/activity level. A good place to start is 10-20% above your maintenance calories.

STEP 2: PRIORITISE PROTEIN.

Protein is a vital macronutrient for muscle building. Evidence supports consuming between 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of body weight per day. This can usually be achieved with 3 main meals and 3 snacks per day.

STEP 3: TRAIN MUSCLE GROUPS MORE FREQUENTLY.

Each muscle group needs to be trained at least once per week to start to see growth initially. However, to continually grow, you'll need to train each group at least twice per week, maybe even three times depending on your training age and experience.

STEP 4: TRAIN MUSCLES TO NEAR FAILURE.

Use the appropriate weights and reps to aim for the failure point during the sets (we only recommend this technique for people who have adequate technique and are able to maintain quality movement even towards their failure point). Ideally for the exercises you go to near failure, you should aim to hit a rep range between 8-15 reps.

STEP 5: PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD.

The easiest way to measure this is to calculate your volume (SET x REPS x WEIGHT). Aim to increase this first before looking at more advanced methods of progressive overload such TUT (Time-Under-Tension) and bar speed.

STEP 6: ADEQUATE RECOVERY TIME AND AVOID OVER-TRAINING

You should schedule at least one full day away from weight training and schedule deload weeks into your program (a whole week with less volume). Deload weeks are essential if you want to avoid a plateau in your results. Allow adequate recovery for your nervous system, allow your body to adapt and grow effectively and promote longevity of your training cycle and reduce the risk of injuries.