People generally have a lot of misinformation when they come to the gym.

There are many correct ways to build muscle, but also many wrong ways.

I’m going to give you the basic principles to build muscle efficiently and correctly.

1. Progressive Overload

Your muscles will adapt to whatever conditions you put it under.

Because your muscles adapt, you must continue to overload them. They will adapt by getting bigger and stronger.

So in your weight training regimen, if you plan to build muscle and get stronger, week after week, you should be increasing the load you put on your muscles. And no, this doesn’t just mean adding more and more weight. There are plenty of ways to increase the load on your muscles.

You can do this by adding more reps, decreasing rest, increasing weights, etc.

2. Progressive Variation

This doesn’t mean “muscle confusion”. You build neural pathways to your muscles that allow you to perform a movement more efficiently. The more you do it, the better you get at it.

Doing the same exercise every week on the same muscle will increase the weight but not increase growth.

Your body found an efficient way of doing the same motion so it didn’t need to get bigger anymore.

3. Rest

Yes, you need more sleep. Many people overtrain because they don’t get enough rest. When it comes to building muscle, often, less work is better.

Muscle isn’t built in the gym. It’s built when you sleep and the next day when your body repairs itself through the release of hormones.

Building muscle properly requires that you get 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night for proper repair. Give your nervous system, hormonal system, and muscles time to recover.

4. Nutrition

You need the right amount of carbs, proteins, and right kinds of fats.

Your individual calorie requirements depend on your weight, body fat, level of activity, and age.

You need a calorie surplus to build muscle so found out how many calories you need to do this. Then consume that amount with the right proportion of foods.

Implement these strategies for consistent muscle growth in your routine.

Want to find out more about how to build muscle, then visit Mitch Graves ‘s site on how to choose the best muscle building program for your needs.