like the think of them as the “5S’s”, or “5 eSsentials”…
STRUCTURE Following a programme that progressively overloads & is challenging. It forces the body to adapt to get better over time, whilst factoring in things like hypertrophy, sufficient recovery time & giving the muscles the stimulus they need to grow.
2. SOMETIMES a SURPLUS. You need to fuel your body sufficiently so that you can train hard, recover properly and grow muscle tissue. If you want to build muscle size, strength or grow, your nutrition needs to match it, which means eating in at least maintenance and ideally a surplus on average.
3. SERVINGS of protein. Be mindful of your average protein intake. Try to aim for a range, splitting it into even-ish servings throughout the day. You can use a calculator to work out your average protein requirements. I encourage people to have a higher protein intake regardless of goals. It’s going to keep you more satiated, help you build muscle and even protect muscle mass if you're in a fat loss phase. Higher protein diets are also essential in a building phase!
4. SUITABLE STIMULUS You should train HARD but SMART. You need to give muscles a stimulus that forces adaptation, without risking doing too much. Volume is important, but think of it over a week, rather than training to the point where you can’t move from one session. Ultimately, meet your body where it’s at currently & then challenge it to improve. You need to be taking the muscles close to (but not necessarily right to) failure!
5. SLEEP, rest & recovery. Recovery’s just as important as the training. Forget the "I'll rest when I’m dead attitude". You’re only as good as how well you allow your body to recover. You need to give your muscles chance to repair, get thicker, build, improve. There are lots of fancy recovery methods out there. Realistically, you probably need to focus on eating enough, sleep, have some down time and take a few rest days a week.
To find out more about how you can practically build muscle and strength, get in touch with me.
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