Let’s be real, a lot of people go into fitness and exercising in hopes of achieving their dream body – while there is nothing wrong with that, jumping straight into it without any proper knowledge is never a good idea. Building muscles is just as hard, if not harder than losing weight, and exercising is just a fraction of it. The truth is, a lot of factors can determine your muscle growth and progress, some habits help out and some are making your development stagnant. So you need to truly dive into it and turn it into your lifestyle if you want to see serious results faster while doing it in a healthy way! So here are 4 healthy ways to increase your muscle mass!

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1. Building an exercise plan

Probably the most important thing that will help you gain muscle mass naturally, is to come up with specific exercises and stick with them for a while. Consistency, mixed with a well-taught fitness strategy is the best thing you can do if you want to see actual results. Finding the niche exercises and the pacing that works for you might seem impossible, but there are a lot of trainers and bodybuilders who are more than willing to share their story, as WorkoutHQ would state that keeping a variety of activities is the best idea at this time. Regardless if you are just a beginner, or someone more experienced, gaining muscle mass is always a drag, so compiling a specific set of weekly exercises you can focus on is an absolute must in order to grow your muscles!! 

2. The right nutrition 

Without good nutrition and proper dieting, you can kiss your muscle gains goodbye! The most natural, and efficient way to see actual results, is to remember that if you burn more calories than you consume, there is no way your muscles can get bigger, you’ll end up losing your body mass in the long run. A lot of bodybuilders follow an extremely strict, calorie-based diet, but the most important part is consuming as much protein and vitamins as you possibly can. Also, there is no such thing as overeating, especially if you have specific meals prepared for the day, expect to eat more than the average 4 times! 

3. Try different things

To say that you can build muscle only by lifting heavy weights would be a lie, as there are plenty of ways you can stay toned and fit. A lot of beginners will jump straight into deadlifts and lunges, whilst others would shy away from the taught completely. That’s why you need to find the balance between the two, especially if you are just starting. Maybe something that’s a bit slower and calmer like yoga might help with your muscle journey, you just need to be open-minded. There is truly so much to yoga than sitting around and meditating, some poses take a lot of strength out of you, targeting certain muscles and toughening your core! So even if you are not in the best shape, don’t want to lift additional weights just yet, your best bet would be using your own weight and trying our different yoga poses – possibly while being advised by a professional so you don’t get hurt!

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4. Lifestyle adjustments

The change needs to happen from the inside out, your body won’t reach your goals on its own! That’s why you need to let go of certain bad traits and habits and add new ones that align themselves with your muscle growth journey! Getting enough sleep is an absolute must if you want to truly maximize your progress! Rest days are in fact a thing and are invented for a good reason – even professional athletes take breaks in order for their body to rest! While on the other hand, adding certain things like supplements and taking them on the regular might seem repetitive and boring, but it truly makes all the difference. Even if they might seem like insignificant little details, your body will be thankful for them and they will directly be connected to your muscles!

At the end of the day, everybody is different, due to age, size, abilities, and many more factors, but trying the basics is a good start! As long as you connect the links between nutrition and fitness and how it affects the muscles in a positive way, your job will instantly become easier! Building muscles is just as hard as losing weight, but don’t let that fact scare you from making one of the best decisions you can make when it comes to transforming your life for the better!