When it comes to muscle growth, there are numerous theories, methods and preferences. Whether your goal is to improve your health, aesthetics, performance, or a combination of all, there are some things you maybe didn’t know about muscle building, and you should!
The muscle building capacity remains in your body long after you stop training.
Perhaps you’ve been working out daily for months or years now and gained significant muscles and strength, then an injury benched you for a few weeks or even months. It’s a well-known fact that if you stop working out or lifting weights, your muscle mass and strength begins to decrease. Muscles adapt to the stress of exercise, which favors their growth. It makes sense that when that stress is removed, many of the muscle adaptations are reversed.
What you probably didn’t know is that if you start working out again, you will get back those lost muscles much more easily than before. This is all on your muscle stem cells – also known as satellite cells. These fast-acting cells are situated on the outside of mature muscle fibers and are always on standby, prepared to act fast in the event of muscle damage – which happens 24/7 for hard training weight lifting guys like you!
When these cells are activated, they engage and act at the site of muscle injury, producing larger and stronger muscles. The thing is, even after the off training period, muscle memory will help you get back those hard-earned muscles you lost.
Pain relievers can diminish muscle growth
If you want to build muscle fast, sore muscles come with the territory. If you are one who fights against muscle pain with pills, you should know that overdoing it can keep you from maximizing your muscle growth.
Researchers have found that certain anti-inflammatory drugs, such as NSAIDs, and OTC pain relievers, can suppress the protein synthesis and may negatively influence protein metabolism in the skeletal muscle.
While there are certainly times when you should take something for the pain, the key is to use the meds with caution, in relatively moderate dosages and for short periods of time.
Your muscles need you to attain and maintain a Positive Nitrogen Balance
If your nitrogen balance is negative and you aren’t consuming enough protein, your body will steal the needed protein from your muscles. This means that instead of building muscles, you will lose muscle mass and strength
Having a positive nitrogen balance means being in an Anabolic State. A natural anabolic state allows your body to repair and grow lean muscle.
Attaining a Positive Nitrogen Balance is not rocket science. The key is to make sure you consume enough protein throughout the day and into the evening, making sure that each meal or snack contains at least 35% protein (40% being ideal).
The goal is to consume at least 80% of your protein from whole-food sources such as: chicken, beef, fish, eggs, pork, and other such sources. The rest should be from Protein shakes or bars.
These are the 3 most important aspects that impact the way you build your muscles. Muscle growth studies are constantly growing and expanding, finding new ways to improve the process of gaining mass and we should pay attention to the new discoveries and research each time. You never know when you can find something that works for you and helps you achieve those gains you so desperately want!