Making Gains 101

Making Gains 101

Today I'm going to be sharing everything I know on how to build muscle effectively.

Building a muscular physique is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

There's the obvious health benefits of being in better shape, but the main benefit I've experienced is the improvement in how you feel.

Your confidence skyrockets, your energy levels go through the roof, and your mood is better than it ever has been.

If you've ever lifted weights, you'll know that building muscle is no easy feat.

Most people give up or plateau, never achieving the physique that they set out for.

The main reason why?

They don't push themselves hard enough.

On top of this they also:

• Sleep poorly

• Neglect nutrition

• Fail to manage stress

Fear not, for I will tell you exactly how to avoid falling into these track and show you exactly how to start making real progress in the gym.

Here's how:

Step 1: Push Yourself

Pushing yourself to lift heavier, do more sets, or even just do the work when you don't want to is the difference between those who succeed and those who fail.

You need to be forcing yourself to progress on your main lifts. If you aren't making progress, you aren't building muscle. It's that simple.

At first you'll be able to add weight/reps every session which feels fantastic. But eventually your progress will slow down and you'll need to start grinding hard.

Dig deep. Use your mind to command your muscles to perform more. You are much more capable that you think, you just require the right mindset to take it to the next level.

For me, listening to heavy Drum & Bass is usually enough to unlock that next level.

Experiment and learn what works for you.

Step 2: Prioritise Sleep

You can train ridiculously hard, and make little to no progress if you aren't sleeping well enough.

Sleep allows your muscles to recover and grow effectively, it regulates your hormones (aka testosterone), and gives you the energy that you can use to push yourself.

There are many things you can do to improve your sleep. I actually wrote a thread sharing everything I know on how to improve your sleep, check it out if you're interested:

thread

Step 3: Eat Properly

Food is fuel. The better the quality, the cleaner it burns, and the more energy it will provide you.

Your main focus should be on macro and micronutrients.

Your macros are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Don't fear or idealise any of them. They're all equally important.

Eat 1 gram of protein and at least 0.3 grams of fat per lbs body weight every day. And fill the rest with carbs.

If you're unsure how many calories you need - use this calculator to estimate:

https://tdeecalculator.net/

Aim to eat 300-500kcal more than what your maintenance calories are each day. Add 250kcal if you stop gaining weight.

Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals found in all food.

Maximise these by eating a variety of lean protein, fruits, and vegetables.

Step 4: Stop Stressing

Stress kills gains.

You're nervous system needs to chill out in order for it to start allocating resources to building muscle.

The previous 3 steps alone will help your stress levels massively.

I'd also include some daily meditation in your routine and avoid consuming too many stimulants (caffeine and nicotine are the worst offenders).

You don't have to meditate, but I've found it to be one of the most effective ways to destress, and avoid future situations from stressing you out too.

If you're against it, try "box breathing" for 5-10 minutes instead.

Here's another link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJJazKtH_9I&pp=ygUNYm94IGJyZWF0aGluZw%3D%3D

Conclusion

You're not making gains because you don't:

• Try hard enough

• Sleep well enough

• Eat well enough

• Relax well enough

There's so much to learn in this topic, and I have spent hundreds of hours doing research this year which has lead to serious improvements in my own physique.

Hopefully this short guide helps you improve each of those areas and leads you to making some significant gains over the next 6-12 months.

As always, feel free to email any question you might have.

Thanks for reading,

Oliver.