How do I build muscle?

Today I realised that most of my recent posts have been pretty abstract in nature, and that they have lacked any definitive action points to take away. They have addressed the finer points of health as opposed to the more mainstream general questions. So in order to restore the balance I'm going to go back to fitness basics: how to build muscle.

Tip

First and foremost, stick this on your wall...

Food

• You need to be eating lean protein, healthy fats, and a combination of fibrous and starchy carbohydrates. Go Paleo, it works. 
• NO ALCOHOL
• Eat a lot of these things, don't kid yourself that you can eat pizza because you're 'bulking'. You aren't bulking, you should get leaner as you build muscle. 
• Aim for between 6-8 meals per day as you should be eating between 30 and 40 kcal per kg of bodyweight per day. That will be necessary if you're eating nutritionally dense food. (I assume you you don't do much exercise other than resistance training in appropriate amounts and you are reasonably lean; around 15%)
• Protein, good fat and carbs at each meal
• Vegetables at each meal
• Drink lots of water

Tip

When people inevitably question your change in lifestyle and chastise you for being boring remember this.

 

Training

• Train each muscle group to failure in each session, I don't care how many reps, or what weight as it doesn't really matter. Anecdotal evidence suggests more sets to failure means a greater training response, but as far as I know no-one has ever proven it in a controlled setting so it could be bro-science. 
• Splitting body parts works, but is only really necessary if you are very advanced. Also it means more time in the gym, which could be spent doing something else. 
• DO NOT OVER-TRAIN, if you are following a body builder's regime and you don't have a body builder's steroid load you will just burn out. Allow enough time to recover.

Tip

When you fall off the wagon, remember '

'You have to be prepared to change who you are to make way for what you want to become'

'You are a direct manifestation of your thoughts and actions'

Then watch this video 

Recovery

• Remember this important truth, when you are in the gym you are stressing out your body to induce a training stimulus. When you are out of the gym your body is healing itself and getting stronger. 
• If you train before you have fully recovered you will not get stronger/bigger as you're breaking down the muscle before it has had a chance to grow back. 
• Eat
• Eat starchy carbohydrates after you work out in a 2:1 carbohydrate to protein.
• Go to bed early and sleep a lot
• Don't drink caffeine the same day after working out
• Supplement correctly 

Tip

Be accountable to someone other than yourself. You may think that you can keep yourself disciplined, but if that was the case I don't think you'd be reading this. Get a coach, get a trainer or maybe just get a friend. Make them the kind of person who won't let it go if you fail. Then you can only succeed, you'll see. 

But don't take it from me, take it from Tony: (31:33)

Supplements

• Make sure you are doing everything above, then consider supplements. They are listed in my order of priority purely for muscle growth.
• Protein (Contains BCCA's plus calories and protein substrate for growth)
• BCAA's (anabolic and anti-catabolic, recovery, performance)
• Zinc (anabolic effect, testosterone and recovery)
• Magnesium (anabolic effect, xenoestrogen clearance and recovery)
• Fish Oils (anabolic effect, anti-inflammatory, fat burning  and recovery)
• Vitamin D (strength and growth)
• Glutamine (recovery)
• Glycine (recovery)
• Goodness Greens (recovery, oestrogen clearance)
• There are many more but that will do you for now

Good luck