How to Gain 60lbs of Muscle Mass
Gaining muscle mass is slightly more difficult than losing fat as weight loss, but similar principles are shared between the two. When losing weight, fitness professionals agree that one to two pounds of weight lost each week is safe and healthy. With weight gain, in the form of muscle, a healthy rate would be one to two pounds per week, but realistically may be as slow as one to two pounds per month. Each person is different, and diet can play a role in the muscle builder's progress.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Establish a weight-training schedule. Ideally, weight training should be done three days per week with a full day of rest in between the workouts. On the rest days, sports drills or interval training can be done to improve and maintain cardiovascular health and endurance.
The weight-training schedule should include upper- and lower-body exercises to build muscle mass evenly around the entire body. This will make results faster. Each session should be about 30 to 45 minutes in length, and the goal of each exercise should be to reach muscle failure in 10 to 15 repetitions. Muscle failure is the concept of working the muscle to the point that it can no longer perform that particular movement without failing. This will also speed up results.
For proper muscle failure technique, weights should be heavy, but not so heavy that the muscle fails before the 10th rep. Movements should be slow and controlled as momentum is avoided.
-
2
Focus on large muscle groups to build muscle quickly. Chest, back, biceps and triceps, quadriceps, glutes, and calves should be the focus, with smaller muscles worked on as the secondary focus. Using weights for lower-body workouts such as squats, lunges and calf-raises will help build the muscles faster, increasing weight and mass. For the arms, consider bicep curls, tricep extensions, forearm exercises, as well as shoulder presses, chest presses, and dead lifts, all with weights. Push-ups and pull-ups can also help, as well as adding weights to abdominal exercises.
-
-
3
Assess the current nutrition intake to ensure that sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water are being consumed to support the amount of work the body is being forced to do. Also, consider consuming a recovery shake or meal within 30 minutes of completing each intense workout. This recovery meal or shake should be in a 3:1 carbs:protein ratio, and consumed as quickly as possible after the workout is finished.
-
4
On the non-weight training days, cardiovascular exercises such as intense sports drills and plyometrics will help lengthen and build muscles, as well as improve endurance and stamina. These sessions could be 30 to 60 minutes in length and should contain no weight-training exercises.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Proper rest is essential to muscle growth, so include a full 24-hour period between weight-training routines and ensure that you get at least six to eight hours of sleep each night.
Do not overlook the value of nutrition and water consumption in weight training. Without sufficient water, the muscles will not be able to perform properly, and without adequate nutrition, the muscles cannot grow. Additionally, malnutrition can lead to serious sports injuries if training is hard and nutrition is inadequate.
References
- Photo Credit lady iron 38 image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
