The Myth-Free Plan

If that’s completely turned everything you thought you knew on its head, it’s time to reacquaint yourself with some simple steps to building muscle.

Calories

This is the most important thing to consider. As mentioned, calories determine whether you lose or gain weight. To build muscle you need to eat more and to burn fat you must cut your intake.

There’s no need to go crazy and eat 6,000 calories a day in mass-gain mode and drop right down to 500 for a fat-burning phase though. Use a calorie calculator to work out your maintenance calorie allowance and then add 500 to it for building muscle, or subtract 500 from it for burning fat.

Once you’ve stuck with these figures for a few weeks, check your progress and see what you need to do. Increase them further if muscle building is slow and drop them a little to speed up fat loss.

Meals

Each meal should contain a hefty portion of protein – chicken, beef, pork, cottage cheese, milk, eggs, etc. In fact, you need to aim for around one gram of protein per pound of body-weight each day. The rest of your calories should be split evenly between carbohydrates, from oats, rice, pasta, starchy vegetables and bread, and fats – nuts, olive oil, butter, avocado, oily fish, etc.

Eat as often as you like, just make sure you get the correct number of calories over the whole day.

Training Plan

By far the best approach to training is to keep it simple. The split you follow is up to you – any sensible program followed with intensity and consistency will deliver results. If you’re unsure what to go for though, you can’t go wrong with an Upper-Lower split, with the upper workouts performed on a Monday and Thursday and lower On Tuesday and Saturday:

Upper:

Bench press or incline press – 5 sets of 6 to 8
Barbell or dumbbell row – 5 sets of 6 to 8
Shoulder press – 4 sets of 8 to 10
Chinups or pulldowns – 4 sets of 8 to 10
Biceps curls – 3 sets of 12-15
Dips – 3 sets of 12 to 15

Lower:

Back or front squats – 5 sets of 6 to 8
Deadlifts – 5 sets of 6 to 8
Leg Extensions – 4 sets of 8 to 10
Leg curls – 4 sets of 8 to 10
Calf raises – 3 sets of 12-15
Reverse crunches – 3 sets of 12 to 15

Supplements

Stick to the basics – there’s absolutely no need to spend your hard earned cash on the latest fancy products promising fantastic gains.

There are certain products that have been around for years and are tried and tested. Best of all, they’re all pretty cheap too. You don’t need supplements, but they can be a useful addition. Try any of the following –

Whey protein – a convenient way to get extra protein on the go.

Creatine – an amino acid associated with increased production of ATP (your muscle’s main source of energy for strength training.)

Fish oils – decreased inflammation and joint pain.

Multivitamin – just to top up the essential nutrients you may not get in your diet.

Stick with these no nonsense, myth free tips and you won’t go far wrong.