Strength training is a great way to build muscle and see results more quickly than with other types of workouts. If you’re looking to jump-start muscle growth, beginning a new routine that challenges your muscles is key. You’ll probably feel shaky during those first few sets, but as the brain and body begin to adapt to your new exercise routine, you’ll gain strength as long as your training is consistent.
The most conventional exercise to induce muscle growth is resistance (strength) training.
Building muscle won’t happen overnight, but with the right fitness and nutrition regimen, you can start to see results in just a few months.
Muscles are made up of two different types of individual muscle fibers: type one and type two.
- Type one muscle fibers, also known as slow-twitch muscle fibers, are aerobic. They’re resistant to fatigue and focused on smaller movements that can be sustained for long periods.
- Type two muscle fibers, also known as fast-twitch muscle fibers, get tired more easily but allow for more powerful movements. Type two muscle fibers contain more blood supply than type one fibers.
Endurance and aerobic exercise build more type one muscle fibers, while strength training builds more type two muscle fibers. That means you’ll likely see results with muscle growth faster with strength training than other types of exercise.
Exercises for building muscle
Focus on functional strength and mobility with a whole-body approach to strength training. Here are some of those exercises and the muscle groups they work:
- Glute bridges: abs, hamstrings, and lower back
- Squats: glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, and abs
- Push-ups: chest, shoulders, abs, and triceps
- Lateral lunges: glutes, hamstrings, and quads
- Planks: whole body
- Reverse lunge with rotation: whole body
- Bent over row: back, shoulders, and arms
- Single leg Romanian deadlift: whole body
When these exercises become easy, you can increase your reps or increase the weights. If you want to build your muscles faster, go with the increase in weights.
A 30-minute workout is enough to build muscle and maintain functional strength. However, the duration of the workout doesn’t matter as much as the number of sets per week and the mechanical stress that occurs in a given session. To induce muscle growth, aim for 10 to 20 sets per week, per body part. Cardio can help build muscle, too, but it will be slower than strength training.
Don’t forget about progressive overload. Gradually add sets, weight, or reps to increase stress on the body and to keep building muscle. For example, if you’re lifting 10-pound dumbbells, you might find it difficult at first. After a time, lifting those dumbbells will start to get easier because you’re building muscle and getting stronger. If you continue to lift those 10-pound dumbbells you’re not going to build muscle. You’ll stay the same. You have to make your regimen more strenuous again.
Make sure you’re getting enough protein to fuel the muscle growth, getting enough sleep every night, and resting your muscle groups in between workouts. This is everything we do at DBM Strength Training and I love this article, read it directly from the Insider here.
