Spoiler Alert: You are much more likely to lose fat than build muscle which for most people is just fine. But in terms of building muscle, more strength equals more muscle. The heavier the weights you lift, the stronger your body becomes, and the bigger your muscles grow…but unfortunately not as fast as you may think. Your muscles increase in size so they can lift heavier weights. This is why strength is size – lift heavy weights and you’ll gain muscle mass naturally.

Most people try to build muscle by doing high rep isolation exercises until pumped and sore. But this rarely works because you can’t lift heavy enough to trigger muscle growth. Only lifters who are already strong or use drugs can build muscle by doing mostly isolation exercises like bicep curls and tricep pushdowns.

Natural lifters need compound exercises to build muscle. You need to mostly Squat, Deadlift, Press and Row and you need to lift heavy. Do this and you can gain muscle without using drugs or training more than three times a week.

How to Build Muscle

1. Get Stronger. Your overall muscle mass will increase because strength is size.

1. Add Weight. Forget about pump and soreness. Instead focus on adding weight to your lifts. Try to lift more than last time. If you don’t lift more today than last month or year, you’re not building muscle.

1. Do Compound Lifts. Do exercises that work several muscle groups at the same time. You’ll be able to lift heavier weights which will trigger more muscle growth.

1. Increase Frequency. The more often you train a muscle, the more you trigger it to grow. The more you do an exercise, the quicker your technique improves, and the heavier you can lift. Make sure that you are strength training 2-3 times a week instead of only once.

1. Recover. Your muscles need to recover from your workouts to grow stronger and bigger. They can’t recover if you work them hard every day. Even your mind needs a break. Take multiple rest days from strength training during week. Help your muscles recover by getting plenty of food, water and sleep.

1. Consume Protein. Your body uses protein to build new muscle, and recover damaged muscle tissue post-workout. You need about 1g of protein per pound of body-weight to maximize muscle recovery and build muscle. This is can be a very high number to achieve and MAINTAIN so we recommend 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass which is a much lower and realistic number that is obtained via the Inbody test.

1. Get Real. Building muscle takes time…and patience! Celebrities and influencers set unrealistic expectations so stop trying to look like them. Focus on improving yourself as it will save you lots of frustration.

1. Be Consistent. Most women only gain around 0.25lb of lean muscle per week if they are on an effective program AND eat well. You can gain muscle faster than this but it is incredibly rare which means that consistency is therefore the key.