Is There A Best Way To Build Muscle?

I see it in every convenience store and gas station, I see it every time I make a trip to the grocery store, and I see it every single time I turn on my computer: someone (everyone) is always hollering about the best way to build muscle. Everyone knows the secret, it seems, except the person (you) who has not yet purchased their magazine or product or supplement or magic weight.

To make matters even more confusing, the advice given by experts is often mildly at odds or flat-out contradictory with each other. I was once the confused but enthusiastic fitness wannabe staring at the magazines, wondering how I was going to figure it all out, wondering which expert was right. I mean, they can't all really have the best solution, can they?

If you have ever been that person, staring, hoping, wondering, and unsure of your knowledge, I have good news and bad news.

The good news about muscle building secrets

There actually is a secret, and I'm going to tell you what it is in a moment.

The bad news about muscle building

There is no secret. If you go through the expert's articles and compare them, they are usually giving variations--tailored to their own products and systems--on tried and true advice that is probably never going to change.

Are you reading for the "best" way to build muscle that is actually available for free, everywhere you go? Here it is, in two simple parts:

1. You have to get stronger

If you want to build as much muscle as possible, it helps to get as strong as possible. When we subject muscle tissue to stress through a loaded exercise, the body creates more tissue along those lines. If you do this often enough, without getting injured, that new tissue will result in greater strength capabilities.

Every time you workout, try to do more of something. It doesn't necessarily have to be more weight on the bar. You can lift more total weight during a session, or add one more rep to a set, or perform more overall sets, etc. If the numbers are going up, you will be gaining muscle. That is just how it works.

2. Eat and rest

Very few men who are trying to pack on mass are honest about their eating or sleeping habits. They think they eat more calories than they do and they think they are getting adequate sleep. This is almost never true. But there is an easy test to determine whether or not you are eating and recovering sufficiently for muscle gain.

Are you gaining muscle? If not, assuming that you're getting stronger, your nutrition and rest are your probable culprits. Do not suddenly start adding 5,000 calories a day and sleeping 18 hours a night after quitting your job. Add 500 calories at a time and see if you put on more lean muscle. If not, add 500 more. Repeat until you're getting results you're happy with.

Do the same with sleeping. Add 30 minutes each night. Ensure that your lifting and nutrition are consistent so you can accurately gauge your progress. Add 30 more minutes as needed. Get in bed at a decent time and sleep more than you think you need to.

Any magazine you read is going to try to get your money for the free information you just read. There is a secret, but everyone knows it!

Now let's go build some muscle.