Ten Tips to Build Muscle

Ten strength training tips to build muscle.

Apply these easy tips based on the latest science of periodization training.

Tips cover topics from suggested exercises and order to the amount of weight to use and how many repetitions to do. Learn how to schedule cardiovascular exercise to avoid muscle confusion at the microscopic level that leads to muscle loss.

First, consider what your entire fitness program looks like before you start on your muscle building journey. Are you doing resistance training and cardiovascular training? Consider days devoted to each mode versus on the same day.

Based on the book Timing Resistance Training (Human Kinetics, 2020), follow these tips:

1. Limit cardiovascular exercise to two to three days per week.
2. Do cycle; do NOT jog or run.
3. Do HIIT (high-intensity interval training).
4. Limit cardiovascular exercise to 20 to 30 minutes maximum.
5. Do low to moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise only.
6. Do NOT do cardiovascular exercise and resistance training within 30 minutes of one another.
7. Do isolation exercises.
8. Do NOT exceed five - six sets of the same exercise.
9. Do three -five sets of ten repetitions each.
10. If you must do cardio and resistance training in the same session, do cardiovascular exercise after resistance training.

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Reference

Ashmore, Amy. 2020. Timing Resistance Training: Programming the Muscle Clock for Optimal Performance. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL. 

Author Biography

Amy Ashmore, Ph.D. holds a doctorate in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is an educator focused on resistance training and performance analytics located in Las Vegas, NV.