Muscle growth can be a long and challenging process. It takes patience, determination, and commitment. It’s so worth it though! The journey is fun, exciting, and very rewarding.
When I first started weight training, I thought building muscle would be as easy as simply lifting my limited selection of weights a few times a week. I loved learning about what muscles I was working, feeling badass for being a “weight lifter”, and impatient to see definition. I was naive about the process though.
After a year of classes to become a personal trainer and working at a local gym, I discovered the only way to really see muscle growth was to progressively overload the muscles. That meant I needed to be pushing my muscles over time by increasing my weights or reps.
Now, I was 19 at the time and my determination was not really developed. I became inconsistent and stopped seeing results. It turns out that you have to be consistent to see results 😆.
Fast forward to my early 30’s and 3 kids later, and I was determined, committed, and ready to get back at it. I had been staying active the entire time but mostly through cardio, so I had a lot of muscle building to do. This time I was doing it at home without the luxury of a gym full of weights. I had a few weights to get started with, and I was excited! I once again started adding more reps to my sets or more sets to my rounds until I could invest in more weights. As I added more weights to my collection, I began increasing my weight when I could easily do more than 10 reps of an exercise. Sometimes it took a long time to bump up in weights. I also went through times when I just wanted to maintain where I was and stuck to 12-15 reps.
So how should you start when you want to build muscle? First, know that it is not a fast process. It takes time. I have been slowly building muscle for over 13 years with short breaks in there. Sometimes I have been more serious about it than other times. That’s ok! Just keep lifting! Second, if you are limited in weight options, increasing reps or sets is a great way to overload the muscles. The goal is to push your muscles to the point where you couldn’t do another rep even if you wanted to. Third, increase your weights (if you have that option) when you can easily do 8-10 reps of an exercise. If you get to 10 reps and feel like you could do 3-5 more reps, it’s time to go heavier!
You can also choose to focus on building strength and work in the 12-15 rep range. This is often my favorite range to work in. Sometimes I like the size my muscles are and just want to maintain my strength.
Now, be realistic! You might be at the same weight for a while. It’s not likely that you will increase your weights every week. Having good form is more important than trying to lift heavier than you should, so don’t be in a rush to increase your weights. That is when injuries happen!
So if you want to build muscle, progressively overloading your muscles is the key! It is also important to fuel your body properly. Muscles need protein to grow. It also helps to eat in a slight caloric surplus, but I have had results without eating in a surplus too.
Most of all, enjoy the journey!
juliejonesfitness.com 