Gaining muscle can be difficult for some people due to the fact the level of ease of building muscle totally depends on genetics. There are additions you can make to your daily routine which scientifically help to build muscle. Let’s look into the different areas you can focus on within your muscle building journey.

Protein

Protein is key to build and repair muscle due to the amino acids within being the building blocks of muscle. In addition to this, protein assists in recovery after workouts. Many people don’t realise muscles actually slightly tear during exercise, and therefore not only does protein assist in recovering these tears but it minimises pain which occurs as a result. This pain is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). BCAA’s are a supplement utilised to ease this. 

Our bodies naturally create some amino acids, however nine of these essential amino acids, otherwise known as EAA, cannot be created. These essentials are absorbed through certain foods. You should make an effort to incorporate these into your diet through protein rich ingredients such as chicken, tuna, beans and eggs. While protein is essential to survive, ensuring you incorporate the right amount into your diet will enable you the most potential for most muscle growth. The amount of protein you need will depend on your weight, calorie intake and overall goals. Having the likes of whey protein in a smoothie or alternative meal will give you a more direct, pure form of protein. Follow instructions and be careful not to have too much protein powder as this can be damaging to your body. 

Supplements

There are various different supplements you can opt for, with one of the most popular benign creatine. Creatine is specifically used for muscle growth – many people who struggle to build muscle regardless of how much they lift veer towards using this. Generated naturally in your body, creatine is essentially energy for muscles. You can boost your natural levels by up to 40% by taking it as a supplement, thus, boosting your strength when you do work out and therefore the growth from this exercise. Additional supplements options include weight gainers, Beta-Alanine HMB and Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s). You may have heard of BCAA’s. These supplements are another popular choice due to the fact that they include three key amino acids which are found in protein foods, equating to 14% of amino acids within your body’s muscles. 

Digital document management system

To ensure you are eating enough protein and nutrients within your diet, it’s recommended that you track your meals with an app or digital document management system. You simply are not going to reach your muscle gains goal without the right amount of calories, carbs, protein and nutritional food. These digital document management systems help you search the number of calories, and more, within each ingredient and then track these so you can calculate your calorie intake each day. It even does it right down to the brand. You can also use this technique to plan your meals for the week in advance. And, once you’ve calculated the calories in one meal, simply add this amount to your daily meals in the future when you have the meal again removing the need to calculate individual ingredients again. 

Olivia is a Content Manager for DocSmart, an electronic document management system software company.