Build more bulk with our week-by-week guide to training harder and eating better.
Few things are more frustrating than diligently slogging it out in the gym, doing everything by the book and still not reaping the rewards. Plateaus like these can be disheartening – but cast those thoughts aside because we’ve come up with a 10-week plan to maximize your muscle growth. All you have to do is keep up your regular weight training routine and add a new trick to your repertoire each week.
Here’s how to gradually overhaul your strategy and break through the muscle barriers.
Week 1: Protect your muscles
To maximize your muscle growth you need to take your protein at the right time. Have a shake with at least 20g of protein in it before and after each training session. This will ensure you hang on to more protein than you burn so your muscles can repair properly Also add 5g of leucine to your post-workout shakes. A study in the Journal of Physiology found that this amino acid stops protein loss after you train.
Week 2: Nutrient overload
At this stage you need to convert your body into a nutrient warehouse by eating 8 meals a day – that’s one every 2 hours. Small, frequent meals serve up the building blocks you’ll need to add muscle. They’ll also keep you trim because they kick start your metabolism. Make sure you have a balance of carbs and protein, such as turkey breast and sweet potato. If you have trouble fitting in all the meals then drink a shake before bedtime. This gets protein to your muscles through the night when you’re growing.
Week 3: Carbo-load
Carbs can be a minefield for your belly but timing them correctly will help you tread carefully on the path to muscle building without a fat explosion. This will ensure that you fully replace the energy you’ve used in the weights room so that you recover faster. Do this by eating 0.5g of carbs per pound of body weight after training. For an 180lb bloke this is the equivalent of 2 bagels or 2 sweet potatoes.
Week 4: Crank the creatine
Hang around gyms long enough and you’ll eventually hear talk of the magic white dust. Studies in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition found creatine improved performance in high-intensity exercise with no reports of harmful side effects. Further research found creatine increased lean body mass and body weight through water retention, which helps you grow as nutrients stay in your muscles. Take 5g before and after training.
Week 5: Get on the glutamine
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid, the building blocks of brawn in your muscles, but exercise can sap your supply. Studies in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that regular high intensity exercise can drop your glutamine levels by 45% in 1 week. Another trial in the Journal of Nutrition showed that glutamine accelerated muscle growth four-fold compared to a placebo – take 5g after breakfast and training.
Week 6: Carb your enthusiasm
Fad diets have given carbs a bad rep, but if you’re trying to add muscle they’re a useful weapon in your arsenal when taken sensibly. Eat more carbs than you need and your body starts to store them in your muscles as fuel. This is a technique used by runners before marathons – but you have to keep exercising or they’ll get converted to fat. Aim for 2.5g of slow digesting carbs per pound of body weight per day such as oats, beans and yoghurt – but only keep it up for this week or they’ll get stored as fat.
Week 7: Man juice boost
Testosterone is the hormone behind building muscle. The more you have the easier it is to pack on mass. The only man-juice booster on the market that has research to back it up is the combination of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6 (ZMA). The first two are important to the natural production of steroids while the B6 produces energy. It won’t instantly make you a shirt ripping hulk, but it keeps your testosterone levels at their optimum. Try taking a slow release protein powder with ZMA before you go to bed.
Week 8: Challenging change-up
Your muscle gain works in cycles and will adapt to a new stimulus, which is why you add muscle when you train. Eventually you hit a plateau where your muscles become accustomed to your routine and no longer make gains. This usually happens after 8 weeks. To combat it, change your training routine by adding a drop set to the end of each set. After you’ve done your first set reduce the weight by 20% then do as many reps as you can until muscle failure, to shock your muscles into growth. Only do this for week 8 or you’ll risk overtraining.
Week 9: Be a fat cat
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are fatty acids with fewer calories than other fats. They’re used as energy faster because they resemble carbs more than fat. Studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that they increased your calorie burning potential compared with other fats and helped stop protein loss. You can make use of this by taking a teaspoon of coconut oil before you begin training, and add it liberally while cooking.
Week 10: Kick back
You should have reached your 10-pound mark by now. After 9 weeks of tough training your body will be aching for a rest – so obey it. Keep up your supplement routine, taking the same doses at the same time of day. To hold onto your fitness, you need active recovery. That means doing something other than your typical workout, maybe a Sunday kick-about with mates, which keeps the blood flowing into your muscles.
