How to Build Muscle and Maintain Strength

Everyone dreams about how to build large muscles and optimal physical strength. The irony is that only a few can achieve such dreams. 

The lingering question then is why some people manage to build muscles and maintain strength while others struggle only to fail? The answer to this question is not straightforward. What we can be sure of is that those who have succeeded have a secret. 

We embarked on a journey to research and unravel the secret. You’ll love to know that we have succeeded. And now, we can provide you with confidence on how to build muscle and maintain strength. 

Let’s go straight into discussing the tidbits of our findings. 

1. Work The Muscles Out

 It would be foolhardy to sit in the comfort of your couch and wait for your muscles to grow. You will gain weight in terms of fat which is unhealthy, unsightly, and can put you at serious risk. 

Muscles undergo what’s called hypertrophy. It means the individual muscle cells can increase in size on stimulation. Increased demand associated with endurance training will stimulate the muscle cells to hypertrophy. 

2. Maintain A Healthy Diet 

A healthy diet has nothing to do with the amount of food you eat but rather the kinds of food you eat. A balanced diet is considered healthy because it contains all the necessary macronutrients and micronutrients. 

Your diet must contain enough carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Water and fiber are also important. These large molecules are what make up your body. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are responsible for controlling several physiological functions of the body.

You get your strength both from the muscle and the bones – doctors call the two musculoskeletal systems. Bones are made up of minerals including calcium and phosphorus, and proteins. 

Vitamins, especially vitamin D helps with bone development. Stronger bones are those with the right concentration of minerals. You can only get the minerals from what you eat. 

3. Eat All The Meals At The Right Time 

The food you eat is what is converted into the tissues that make up your body. Medics say it will take your body two to four hours to digest ingested food. It, therefore, means you should eat at least three times daily if you wish to gain muscle and strength. 

Nutritionists recommend that you eat every three hours if you want to make the most out of your meals. Thus your body will have enough reserves to replenish the nutrients used for metabolic processes. 

Fasting in between meals would be counterproductive. The next time you have food, you will likely overeat because of hunger. This will distend your stomach and set your satiety center higher than necessary resulting in the intake of excess calories. 

A good way to go about it is to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner as usual. In addition, you can intersperse with meals post-workout. Including a pre-bed and two snacks in between your usual three meals will also heal you build muscle and maintain strength. 

4. Include Protein In Each Meal 

We earlier mentioned that proteins are what make up your muscles and your bones. So eating diets rich in protein from any source can help you boost your muscle mass. You should aim at consuming at least 1 gram per 454 grams of your body weight. 

If you do a little mathematic, it will quickly become apparent to you that you’ll need about 200 grams if you weigh about 90kgs. Achieving this means you must eat foods rich in whole proteins with each meal. 

You can include red meat (beef, pork, lamb, and so on), poultry (duck, chicken, and turkey), fish (tuna, salmon, and sardines), eggs, dairy, whey, and vegan. 

5. Supplement With Protein Powder

Although you can consume lots of protein, such may still not be enough to support you in gaining muscle mass. The best way to ensure you have extra protein to help you build muscle and gain strength is to supplement. 

The best whey protein brands in India can offer you the amount of protein you need to gain muscle. Other types of proteins may also deliver reliable results but whey remains the best. It contains all the essential amino acids, conditionally essential amino acids, and non-essential amino acids. 

6. Include Fruits And Vegetables With Each Meal 

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and several active ingredients. Some vitamins have antioxidant properties. As such, those vitamins can help reduce soreness and aid in muscle recovery after working out. 

Furthermore, most fruits and vegetables are low-calorie and contain fiber. It means you will feel full while the actual calories took in are few. By no means will you accumulate fat if you maintain such kind of diet. 

7. Shun Processed Food And Embrace Whole Foods 

The results you wish for can only be realized if over 90 percent of your meals consist of whole foods. Foods are considered whole if they are not processed. Examples include whole grains, fish, poultry, eggs, pulses, fruits, rice, and quinoa, and so on. They are perfect for helping you build muscle and gain strength. 

Processing removes several components of whole foods to enrich them. Surprisingly, sugars, salts, Trans fats, and different chemicals. Such processed foods are notorious for packing you with excessive calories that your body will store as fat.

Conclusion 

We have done our best in an attempt to provide you with helpful information on how to build muscle and maintain strength. It boils down to eating the right and working out. Of most importance in your diet is protein.

It’s the protein that’s responsible for muscle growth. Whey proteins are well-known to contain all the essential amino acids your body needs to synthesize muscle. Your job is to find the best whey protein powder or concentrate to supplement your diet.