Steps To Successful Muscle Building

1.) Make sure that your nutrition is in check- A good way to make sure that you are eating well enough is to take your body weight and multiply by 17. This number will be your target caloric intake in order for your body to be able to build muscle. Many people may not realize that your body needs a certain number of calories each day to simply maintain the current body weight. If you are at or under this number you WILL NOT GAIN WEIGHT. 

2.) Eat enough protein- I would suggest eating 1 gram of protein per pound of your target weight. Lets say you weight 160 pounds and you want to gain 20 pounds this year. You would aim to eat 180 grams of protein each day. 

3.) High quality carbohydrates and fats- High quality carbohydrates are the fuel that keeps your body going. Carbs are converted into energy rather quickly and keep you feeling full of energy. This is essential in order to keep your body in prime muscle building condition. Additionally, healthy fats are also an essential part of muscle building.

4.) Rest- After a hard workout, your body needs time to recover. Sleeping 4 hours a night is not cutting it. You need at least 8 hours of quality sleep for your body to be primed and ready to go. 

5.) Supplementation- After you have mastered the above four steps, you may wish to being supplementing your diet to help you grow. I believe that supplements do aid in the process however they do not replace the need for sound diet and sleep. There are three supplements I suggest: A pre-workout, a quality creatine product, and a protein product. 

6.) Motivation- This becomes a problem with ALL people. Staying motivated is tough, however you must stay focused on your goals in order to become successful. Listen to music that pumps you up, or if you must, think of a tough time in your life. This should help you to stay focused on yourself.

7.) Training- Keep it simple, on workout days limit yourself to an hour and a half max. If you go much longer than that your will begin to produce harmful hormones in your body that will actually begin to break down muscle. Keep it short and intense, you WILL grow.