Building muscle mass is one of the best things we can do for our health. For starters, it helps protect our bones and maintain muscle mass, which is especially important with age. Muscle mass helps the body burn calories long after workouts are over and it also works to increase our energy. In fact, having more muscle will help you look leaner and more toned.
Most people believe that the only way to gain muscle mass is to spend countless hours on strength training. And while this is certainly a key factor, it’s not the only factor. Here are five favorite ways to stimulate muscle growth outside the gym.
1. Add more protein to your diet.
Protein is essential for building muscle mass, especially after strength training, when muscle fibers are repairing from training damage so they can grow back stronger. In addition to supporting tendons, ligaments, and other tissues in the body, protein is needed to maintain that healthy muscle mass you’ve worked so hard to build. When your diet is deficient in amino acids, muscle wasting (also known as muscle wasting) can occur as muscle fibers are broken down to support the body’s energy needs.
Some of my favorite protein-rich foods include grass-fed beef, lentils, wild-caught fish, beans, and free-range organic eggs. These foods not only nourish the muscles, but are loaded with health benefits.
2. Eat enough food in general.
Replacing your usual breakfast with a chia seed or yogurt-filled smoothie can help you meet your protein needs, but you may not have enough calories to support your overall fitness goals. If you’ve recently increased the intensity of your workouts or just started incorporating strength training into your routine, it’s important to eat enough food to support your activity level and support new muscle growth.
In addition to eating enough protein, adding more calories from healthy vegetables, fruits and fats will help you feel better throughout the day and ensure your muscles are getting the nutrients they need to keep working.
3. Get more sleep.
Closing your eyes enough every night is one of the most important things you can do to help your body build muscle. During these hours, the body repairs itself from the day and prepares for the next, and cutting even an hour each night means your body won’t have the time to recover properly. Just a few of these nights can also lead to a weaker immune system, leaving you susceptible to colds and groggy mornings.
Although the amount of sleep each person needs varies, aiming for at least seven hours a night is a safe bet. And while more Americans than ever suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders, the good news is that there are many natural ways to fall asleep quickly.
4. Choose bone protein supplements.
High quality supplements can help your body accelerate muscle growth and one of my favorites is bone broth protein. There are tons of protein powders on the market, but many are full of questionable ingredients that don’t do much to support overall wellness. Bone broth, on the other hand, is packed with protein, collagen, gelatin, and minerals, all of which support healthy muscles and joints.
Bonus: It’s also great for digestion and intestines. And instead of spending all day cooking a pot of broth, bone broth protein offers the same muscle-boosting health benefits in an easy-to-use powder. Add it to smoothies and sauces or mix it with hot water and drink it alone.
5. Take days off.
Training the same muscle every day will not bring you faster results. In fact, overtraining can hinder your efforts. Muscles need time to recover from the damage that occurs when you work them, and not giving your body time to relax increases the risk of overuse injury. It can also lead to poor sleep, loss of energy, and a weakened immune system.
For strength training, the rule of thumb is to train each large muscle group two to three times a week, ideally leaving 48 hours between sessions. On rest days, activities like yoga or lathering will help you stretch and help you recover and rebuild your muscles.
