Build Muscle

If you’re keen to build muscle, the good news is that there are plenty of tried and tested techniques to do so, honed by bodybuilders since the 1920s. The bad news is that there is no quick-fix method: the only way to build muscle is to work hard and eat the right food – and to stick to the same programme over an extended period of time.

Here is a quick run-down on the best techniques to build muscle:

Progressive resistance

The secret of muscular growth is to push your body to the point of overload, and to keep upping the levels of resistance so that your body is continually overloaded. If you set the weights too low and your workout feels easy, you’ll never develop your body. Instead, you should set the weight just high enough so that by the time you’re nearing the end of your set, you’re having to draw on every last reserve of energy to finish, and the last repetition you do is the last one left in you. And as soon as you can make it through the last repetition with ease, it’s time to increase the weight.

Diet

It’s important to give your body the fuel it needs to develop your physique. That means changing your diet to supply your body with plenty of lean protein, good carbohydrates and good fats. There are also certain supplements on the market which can help maximise your body’s development, such as creatine. However, these supplements don’t do all the work for you; instead they work hand in hand with a healthy diet and rigorous exercise programme.