How to Gain Muscle Mass as Quickly as Possible?

Muscle growth is the result of a series of biochemical processes and physiological reactions that are linked to our genetic predispositions, nutrition, and of course the type and intensity of training. This article is primarily intended for individuals who are naturally slim and have difficulty gaining muscle mass.

In today's article, you will learn:

• How to quickly gain muscle mass?
• What is the best for gaining muscle mass?
• What to eat when I want to gain muscle mass?
• What do muscles grow the most after?

Am I not an ectomorph?

The concept of somatotypes was originally created by psychologist William Sheldon in the 20th century when he tried to link body structure with certain personality types. Since then, this concept has been widely expanded into the fitness industry, where it divides trainees into three categories based on body type.

Somatotypes define three types of personalities. The first is ectomorph – slim and struggling to gain muscle mass, mesomorph – with a naturally muscular build, and endomorph – with a tendency to gain fat. This distinction was once considered useful in determining the type of suitable exercise and dietary plans for individuals.

However, today, in an era of developed individualization, modern scientific studies have found only minimal evidence supporting the idea that people can be clearly categorized into one of these three categories. Likewise, we do not have information that these body types are linked to specific metabolic rates or responses to dietary and training regimes, and there is no consensus that these body types are predetermined by genetics.

In current practice, it seems that as people, we usually exhibit a combination of different body types, and our bodies can vary significantly in each individual depending on diet, exercise, and overall lifestyle.

The truth is that no one forbids you from identifying as an ectomorph, but you might not want to use it as an excuse for not being able to achieve a certain goal.

Believe it. There may be more in you than you admit.

Everything starts with what you had on your plate today

For effective muscle growth, it is essential to ensure a sufficient caloric intake that exceeds your basal metabolic rate (BMR). If you are trying to gain muscle mass, it is recommended to consume 500 kcal more than your BMR per day. These calories should be of high quality and contain enough protein, which is the fundamental building block of the body and contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass.

If you are scratching your head over how much you actually eat, look back in time and honestly record in detail in online calorie tables everything you have eaten or drunk. And if your days vary more, it’s better to record a whole week or two and then divide the final number by the number of measured days. The final daily caloric intake (recorded either in kilocalories – kcal, or in kilojoules – kJ) should then be compared with your weight. In layman's terms, if you see that your weight is slowly increasing over the months and the amount of fat on your belly is not significantly increasing, you are probably on the right track. However, if your weight is stagnant or even decreasing due to activities, you should increase your food intake.

Macro-nutrients for macro-guys

Generally, it holds that every individual trying to gain muscle should aim for a higher intake of proteins, as they are crucial for muscle growth and repair.

Common daily recommendations range from 1.6 g to 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight, so for example, a person weighing 70 kg should aim for an intake of 112 to 154 g of protein per day.

When consuming proteins, it is important to consider the so-called leucine threshold – the minimum amount of leucine needed to initiate the muscle synthesis process. For most people, this amount is around 2–3 grams of leucine per meal. If you do not avoid animal proteins, this should not be a problem for you.

In the case of vegans, who have it more complicated, it is necessary to know the amount of essential amino acids in their diet and to combine various protein sources correctly.

When it comes to carbohydrates, they are the main source of energy for the body and contribute to restoring normal muscle function after high-intensity or prolonged physical performance leading to muscle fatigue and depletion of glycogen stores in skeletal muscles. The recommended daily intake of carbohydrates varies depending on the level of physical activity, but general recommendations for individuals trying to gain muscle mass range from 5 to 8 g per kilogram of body weight. However, for some, it may be really difficult to consume such amounts, and this is where it is advisable to recommend some carbohydrate-protein supplements, which can greatly assist you in gaining muscle mass.

Our tips: Mass Core and Mass Gain

The intake of fats should also not be overlooked, as they are important for many metabolic and hormonal functions and, of course, provide us with additional necessary calories. Approximately 20–35% of total caloric intake should come from fats.

And remember, even when trying to gain weight, it is not appropriate to stuff yourself with fried potatoes instead of quality food. True, there are plenty of calories there, but your health and muscle mass will not benefit much from them.

Whether we are trying to build muscle mass or lose fat, we should always think about keeping our diet balanced and including sufficient amounts of all three macronutrients, as well as important minerals and vitamins from fruits and vegetables.

Muscle hypertrophy is what it’s all about!

Hypertrophy, or the increase in muscle cell size, is a key process in building muscle mass. Interestingly, some may have also heard of hyperplasia, or the increase in the number of muscle fibers, but current studies do not precisely agree on whether this process occurs in adults at all.

What we do know is that there are two main mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar.

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy means an increase in the volume of sarcoplasm, which is the fluid inside muscle cells, where, among other things, their cellular power plants – mitochondria – and fuel – glycogen – are stored. The greatest stimulation should occur in the range of 10–20 repetitions in a set.

Myofibrillar hypertrophy, on the other hand, is associated with an increase in the number of myofibrils – muscle fibers responsible for muscle contractions. Here, the greatest stimulation occurs between 1–8 repetitions.

You may know some small strength athlete who lifts significantly more weight relative to their body than another, noticeably heavier bodybuilder. The reason why they probably remain "smaller" may be, of course, besides other factors, that their performance has long been stimulating primarily the proteins of muscle fibers and not the sarcoplasmic part.

Therefore, when it comes to maximizing muscle development, we should respect both types of hypertrophy and incorporate both higher-rep and lower-rep sets into our training units.

Progressive overload is the key to success

Our body is designed to adapt to the stress it is exposed to. For this reason, progressive overload is crucial for building muscles.

In practice, this means that regularly, over the weeks, we increase the weight or number of repetitions in training, which stimulates the muscles to grow.

You don’t have to think about whether it’s more effective to do 6 or 8 repetitions.

Much more important is to focus on the entire training as a scheme that should not be just a routine for you. If it becomes easy for you to perform 10 repetitions with 70 kg on the bench press and you do it the same way with all sets in every workout, you probably won’t improve much anymore. However, if it is a challenge for you and you exceed certain limits, then you may well look forward to a well-deserved reward in the form of hypertrophy of your fibers.

Just as it is important what you eat, training should also be a challenge for you, a struggle with your own limits, and at the same time a form of meditation, during which you will sweat not only on your forehead.

“And you will be just right at the moment when all of this starts to feel good to you.”