It’s not just about exercising. There are simple habits that you can follow that will help you get the much-desired arms or abs.
We already know that to gain muscle quickly, we need to exercise, and generate routines that help us work the areas we want to see evolve. However, sometimes this is not enough, and regardless of our efforts, we fail to develop more muscles. It may be that some mistakes made during physical exercise prevent us from growing, but in addition to this, it may be the lack of certain key habits that prevent us from having the body we want. Here are some basic habits that should help you build muscle better and faster.
Get a good night’s sleep
Multiple studies have shown that poor quality sleep or insufficient sleep are associated with an increased risk of muscle mass reduction, and therefore also influence muscle strength. A study of students in China found that men and women who slept 7-8 hours or more (as doctors recommend) had better muscle strength, while those who slept less than 6 hours had lower muscle strength. The same study emphasizes that sleep is a crucial process for physical and mental health. When we sleep, different processes take place that help reduce inflammation in the muscles and rebuild them . If we do not sleep well, we do not allow the body to recover, we lose muscle mass and we risk experiencing more fatigue and other effects of lack of sleep.
Eat protein
If you want to gain muscle, you need to increase your protein intake, because protein helps build and maintain muscles. Experts recommend an intake of 0.66 grams per kilogram of body mass per day. The amount you need to prevent body mass loss depends on your weight. It is important that you do not need to massively increase your protein intake. In fact, it is more important to have a balanced diet. If you want to make sudden changes to gain muscle mass, it is better to consult a nutritionist to find out exactly what your body needs.
Give preference to a good diet
As we mentioned, beyond just eating protein, it is important to have a balanced diet with foods that help your body maintain muscle growth. Fruits and vegetables are essential for this, so you can opt for salads or even smoothies, but pay attention to fruit juices as they can contain too much sugar. Create a diet plan that works for you. Avoid classic mistakes.
Don’t stick to the same routine
It is common that after following a particular routine or performing certain movements for a long time, it is more difficult to grow the muscle and it goes into “pause”. To improve this, we can change movements and focus on different muscles that we may not know. These changes every two or three months can be decisive and, in time, you can alternate between what you used to do in order to gain more muscle.
Avoid alcohol consumption
Want to muscle up but drink every weekend ? Maybe there’s a problem. Alcohol can be bad for a number of reasons : first of all, it disrupts the sleep process, which we all know is bad, but it can also be high in calories and prevent protein synthesis for muscle repair. Of course, the more alcohol you consume, the more serious it is, and it can affect your muscles. If you can not completely avoid alcohol, keep it at least for a few occasions and try not to overdo it. If you are a person who likes to drink a beer in the evening, maybe it’s time to change your habits.