How do I increase muscle mass and strength? This is is a question that many of us have struggled with for years. Here are Scorpion Supplements top tips to help you get jacked!
1. Maximise Your Muscle Building Potential
The more protein your body manufactures and stores, in a process called protein synthesis, the greater your muscle building potential. Here is the disclaimer: Your body is constantly using proteins to make hormones and tissues but often at a rate very similar to which your body is breaking down proteins. The result is less protein available for muscle building. So to counteract that, you need to “build and store new proteins faster than your body breaks down old proteins,” says Michael Houston, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech University. We recommend consuming at least 1g of protein per 1lb of body weight per day in order to maximise your muscle building potential
2. Eat More & More!
As the old saying goes…”You can’t lift like a horse and eat like a bird and expect to gain mass!” How many calories should I be eating? How do I calculate how much I need to eat?
Here are a few steps to help you calculate your calories…
A. Your weight in pounds: _____
B. Multiply A by 12 to get your basic calorie needs: _____
C. Multiply B by 1.6 to estimate your resting metabolic rate (calorie burn without factoring in exercise): _____
D. Strength training: Multiply the number of minutes you lift weights per week by 5: _____
E. Aerobic training: Multiply the number of minutes per week that you run, cycle, and play sports by 8: _____
F. Add D and E, and divide by 7: _____
G. Add C and F to get your daily calorie needs: _____
H. Add 500 to G: _____.
Weigh and measure yourself before commencing this plan then re-measure two weeks later to identify progress. If you have gained at least 2lb, continue with plan. If you haven’t achieved a gain of 2lb then increase your daily calories by 500 and continue.
3. Drink More Water
Without adequate hydration, both physical performance and body composition are negatively affected. A study out of the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that when participants lost 3 percent of their body weight in water, overall resistance exercise performance was impaired. Participants were not able to complete as many repetitions, had higher ratings of perceived exertion, and experienced delayed heart rate recovery, meaning it took longer for their heart rate to return to normal. How much water do we need? A good general rule is to try and consume at least 1L of fluid per 20kg of body mass per day.
4. When Training, Train Your Biggest Muscles
If you’re a beginner, just about any workout will be intense enough to increase protein synthesis and kick start muscle building. However, if you’ve been lifting for a while, you’ll build the most muscle quickest if you focus on the large muscle groups, like the chest, back, and legs (push, pull and legs).
Add squats, deadlifts, pull ups, bent-over rows, bench press, dips, and military presses to your workout. Try two or three sets of six to 12 repetitions, with 90 seconds’ rest between sets.
5. Creatine Supplementation Is A Must
Creatine will most likely help you gain mass. Creatine supplementation directly increases your physical performance which leads to increases in lean mass, strength and power output. For full details on this check out our BLOG post on Creatine Supplementation.
6. Rest & Recovery
Your muscles begin repairing themselves as soon as you stop battering them in the weight room. But just how important is sleeping to muscle recovery?
Most people know sleep is important for your health. But bodybuilders understand rest-time is grow-time and there is no better rest than sleeping. To maximise recovery and muscle growth it is recommended to get at least 8-11 hours sleep per night. Studies have shown that individuals who get less than 5 hours sleep report to have increased stress levels, more delayed on-set muscle pain and decreased physical output. Sleep is a must!
7. Stop Countless Hours Of Aerobic Exercise!
In order to put on serious mass you’re going to need to stop excess amounts of cardio. You need to keep as many calories as you can in your body and the aerobic activity will not help you do that. More importantly, the physiological adaptations associated with aerobic activity are counteractive to those of anaerobic training, meaning less muscle! To keep fit, try including HIIT training in your routine.
8. Try A Mass Gainer Shake!
Are you struggling to meet your calorie needs and you feel too full, too often, while trying to bulk up? This is when mass gaining shakes, such as Scorpion Mass Attack and Scorpion Big Mass, can help! Scorpion’s mass gaining shakes are calorie dense and are formulated using premier protein, carbohydrate and fat sources which provide your body with the ultimate nutritional source to help you increase muscle.
9. Pre And Post Workout Nutrition!
Pre and post exercise nutrition is important to help maximise performance and boost recovery.
Pre training nutrition should consist of a full meal approximately 120min prior to training, followed by a BCAA beverage mixed with fast digesting carbohydrates. The purpose of this is to top up glycogen stores and provide essential amino acids to prevent the atrophy of lean mass during your training.
Post workout nutrition could consist of a protein shake (or amino acid) mixed with carbohydrates. This combination has been shown through research to help optimise muscle protein synthesis which results in faster recovery and less delayed on-set muscle pain.
Give this a try and see if it affects your recovery.
10. Plan Your Training and Track Your Nutrition
One of the biggest mistakes that limits progress in the gym is a lack of planning and tracking of both training and nutrition.
Individuals who plan and track training and nutrition advance faster than those who do not.
A key underpinning concept is the progressive overload theory. The progressive overload theory is the gradual increase in training stress forced on the body during physical exercise. As our bodies adapt to the demands of our training/environment we must recognise that it is important to make subtle changes to continue to progress.
Without adequate tracking and planning of both training and nutrition, progress can be hard to achieve. If you have a hard time achieving your goals, ask for help from a qualified health and fitness professional. They should be able to construct concrete plans that will help you progress towards your goals.
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