23 Ways to Build Muscle

It’s getting nice out and everyone wants to get lean and look good. Building lean muscle has a lot to do with it.

• It will help burn more fat
• Allow you to eat more crabs while getting leaner
• Make you look good in those summer outfits
• Feel empowered and give you a ton of energy.

So, I broke down 23 ways to build muscle. I wouldn’t try to do all 23, all at once; however, pick 2-3 and dominate them. Then once you’re comfortable, you can add more.

1. Do more compound exercises that will involve many muscles such as doing squats, presses, deadlifts, hip thrust, rows and lunges versus curls, leg extensions, and calf raises.
2. Increase the weight you use each week, it will ensure faster results.
3. Train the muscle you want to develop more frequently. Want better legs? Then train legs 2-3x a week.
4. Don’t rush through the reps. Take 2 seconds to lower and then lift it fast.
5. Make sure you get enough sleep and have 2-3 recovery days, to build muscle.
6. Eat carbs after you train like jasmine rice, potatoes, yams etc.
7. Pause at the bottom of an exercise for 3-10 sec. It’s an amazing way to get better gains
8. Train in rep ranges from 6-15. Make sure you change them every few weeks.
9. Don’t be afraid to lift heavy, it’s the easiest way to get the definition you’re looking for.

1. You don’t have to go to failure to get results. Keep a few reps in the tank.
2. To build better glutes do hip-thrusters a few times a week, they will work better than squats
3. If you want to get a bigger upper body doing more chest presses, dips, pushups, chin-ups, and lat pull-downs are the way to go.

1. Heavy single leg exercises suck but are super effective for fat burning and building muscle in the butt and thighs.
2. Carry heavy stuff around like farmer walks, rack walks or waiter walks
3. Every once in a while do heavy 20-30 reps of squats, they suck but will give you an unbelievable workout and boost your gains
4. Train hard but be smart. Don’t do things that beat your joints up.
5. Slowly increase the amount of work you do. Beginners don’t need that many sets, as you get more advanced, you’ll want to do more total sets.
6. Don’t neglect your core, build a strong core with planks, bridges, jackknifes, fall outs and renegade rows.
7. Learn how to roll your muscles out with a foam roller and/or a lacrosse ball (they will thank you)
8. Take a week off every 8-12 weeks or do a light week. This will go a long way to help you avoid injuries and plateaus.
9. Change your workout every 4-6 weeks. Your muscles do get used the same movements.
10. Train with a buddy who has similar goals. The session will be more fun and the results will be better.
11. Have a performance goal to strive for with your fat loss goal. Such as deadlifting your body weight, doing 5-10 straight chin-ups or pushups.

There are a lot of tips, so get to work and enjoy the process and have fun!