Bodybuilding is a lot harder to get to grips with than you might think. Some build muscle mass quickly, while others struggle to achieve their goals despite a rigorous training program. With this in mind, most are looking for a way to maximize lean mass (muscle) gain. Many rely on protein powders and dietary supplements, but is this the right way?
The truth is, muscle mass gain depends on a number of factors. However, the focus is on muscular recovery to promote muscular hypertrophy. Exercisers should therefore space out their sessions, get sufficient rest and take care with their diet. Numerous relaxing activities also help to optimize recovery and thus accelerate muscle strengthening and growth.
Recovery and muscle gain: what you need to understand
Recovery and weight gain are intimately linked, due to the physiological processes behind them. Exercise causes muscle fibers to adapt to sustained physical effort. The body "rebuilds" and strengthens these fibers to perform better in the face of effort.
This reconstruction translates into the synthesis of new, larger and more powerful muscle tissue, when strength training is performed. If metabolic stress and mechanical tension are sufficient, muscle gain can be expected.
Note: this muscle gain cannot be achieved without an adequate supply of amino acids, particularly BCAAs (non-isolated, naturally present in proteins or food). These substances, derived from the digestion of proteins, enable the body to strengthen and adapt muscle fibres damaged by effort. Eating protein-rich foods will therefore be beneficial for your training sessions.
However, the repair of lesions and the creation of new tissue take place at rest. So it's during the recovery phase that the athlete gains muscle. During this period, the body mobilizes its resources, and in particular the proteins at its disposal, to repair damaged muscle fibers. That's why sleep is particularly important, as the body releases hormones that promote muscle growth.
First and foremost, therefore, we need to combat a rather tenacious belief among bodybuilding enthusiasts. Even if training is the central pillar of bodybuilding, training more and more doesn't necessarily mean you'll gain more muscle.
On the contrary, when pushed to excess, hard daily sessions are ultimately harmful, as they damage your recovery. All sportsmen and women must learn to take it easy, so as to recover more quickly and train more effectively.
In fact, this rule is just as valid whether you practice an endurance sport or fitness. Remember, rest will help you achieve the physique of your dreams.
Maximize recovery to optimize mass gain
Optimizing muscle recovery therefore means optimizing muscle gain. But you still need to know how to go about it. The speed of recovery depends on a number of factors: the athlete's state of health, metabolism, lifestyle and diet, to name but a few. There are many ways to ensure that your efforts are rewarded.
We'll take a look at the most common solutions for boosting recovery and coping with tough training sessions. You can then complete your reading with our article explaining how to speed up muscle recovery.
Review your training program
As mentioned above, there's no point in overdoing your training sessions. However, this statement needs to be put into perspective. This applies especially to endurance sports and full-body training. In split routine, it's perfectly feasible to train every day. In fact, each muscle group is worked separately. Regular sessions are therefore not necessarily detrimental to muscle recovery.
While it's important to rest, it's also important to understand that you'll gradually gain in strength and endurance. Your body will gradually adapt to the effort involved. In the end, a person who has been bodybuilding for years will recover faster than a beginner.
A seasoned practitioner can therefore, finally, allow himself a more intense training program, with more sustained sets and heavier weights. They can even take up another sport in addition to bodybuilding. This is highly recommended if you want to accentuate hypertrophy and gain lean mass.
When it comes to training, specialists have established a simple rule for beginners: avoid using two major muscle groups on the same day. Normally, pectoral, back and thigh muscles are not trained on the same day. A novice should work these muscles separately.
In addition, antagonistic muscles such as the biceps and triceps should not be exercised in the same session. That would be too much effort, and could ultimately disrupt the joints and thus the entire training program.
Whatever your level of fitness and your training program, you should allow plenty of rest between each session. During these periods, it's a good idea to indulge in activities that relax both body and mind. Massage therapy is an excellent alternative for relaxing and repairing damaged muscle fibers. Include this type of activity, reading, meditation or even a "softer" sport in your weekly schedule.
Focus on aches and pains
Muscle soreness is linked to micro-injuries caused by physical effort. To relieve them, sportsmen and women need to satisfy their protein requirements and introduce a cool-down phase into their training. Stretching (very lightly) at the end of a session also helps to alleviate soreness the following day. It's important to remember that the absence of muscle soreness doesn't mean you haven't stimulated your muscles enough. It's perfectly possible to build muscle without feeling sore. See also: how to optimize muscle recovery in the legs?
A healthy lifestyle
It's in every bodybuilder's interest to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Sleep is particularly important. When deep sleep is reached, the body releases hormones that promote the synthesis of substances useful for muscle growth. Restful nights will make the difference between a trainer who can't put on muscle and one who gains lean mass without any difficulty.
As a general rule, an adult should sleep between 6 and 10 hours a night. The optimum amount varies from person to person. In any case, sleepless nights should be avoided wherever possible. Sleep deprivation and insomnia are particularly detrimental to muscle recovery. What's more, these worries encourage anxiety, which also disrupts the production of anabolic hormones.
Night-time outings are therefore inadvisable. That said, you can, of course, indulge in evenings out from time to time. Just avoid setting up a routine that could have a lasting effect on recovery and weight gain.
It's in this same spirit that we limit alcohol. Alcohol does not slow down muscle recovery when consumed in moderation. On the other hand, studies on the effects of alcohol have shown that alcoholic beverages prevent deep sleep and reduce the amount of amino acids synthesized by the body.
These effects are only observed when a certain quantity of alcohol is exceeded. Excess and regular consumption of these products should be avoided. For full details, see our article on the impact of alcohol on muscle gain.
Don't neglect your diet
Bodybuilders have long understood the link between diet, weight gain and mass gain. Of course, you need to satisfy your protein requirements. However, most people lose sight of the importance of carbohydrates and trace elements. To recover more quickly and also gain muscle, you need to eat a balanced diet.
Eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day is therefore essential. Vitamins and minerals (calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium) are essential for synthesizing new muscle tissue. Any deficiency can wipe out your efforts. Hence the need to seek nutritional advice and adapt your dietary intake.
Contrary to popular belief, protein is not the only macronutrient essential for health and muscle gain. Carbohydrates are essential for a mass-building diet. The exercises recommended are particularly intense, and the sessions are therefore grueling.
The exerciser will therefore draw on his glycogen reserves to provide sufficient energy. Carbohydrates are then needed to replenish glycogen and support energy demand. Glycogen rebuilding is at the heart of muscle recovery, since without it, the athlete will tend to be very prone to fatigue.
Given the energy requirements of mass gain, athletes need to adopt a high-calorie diet. The implementation of this type of diet usually requires the intervention of a nutritionist or an experienced sports coach. The latter will draw up a suitable menu, indicating the type of meals and foods to be preferred. They can also recommend useful food supplements to enhance muscle recovery.
Excess calorie intake is not systematically supposed to lead to unwanted weight gain. You don't have to go through a mass gain phase with increased fat mass, only to lose this excess in the dry phase.
Pure lean mass gain, although very slow, can be achieved with the right training and diet. We'll be coming back to this subject in a number of articles, in particular on the adaptation of dry weight training to endurance sports.
Supplementation and protein intake
Finally, let's talk about supplementation. No mass gain is possible without sufficient protein intake. However, it's difficult, if not impossible, to fill your protein intake through your daily meals. Protein powders are more convenient to consume, and you can choose from a wide range of products, from whey to casein and vegetable proteins.
To build muscle mass, an athlete needs to consume around 2 g/kg of protein per day. However, this does not mean that a 60 kg person should consume 120 g of protein powder daily. In fact, you'll need to subtract the protein provided by your diet. In general, a body-builder will consume between 25 and 50 g of protein powder per day, equivalent to one or two scoops of the product.
To optimize muscle recovery, you should consume the contents of your shaker immediately after training. However, the body cannot assimilate more than 30g of protein in a single intake. If your needs exceed this threshold, you'll need to take two servings. The second dose is often taken before bedtime, after the last meal.
In this case, if you've chosen whey, it's best to incorporate it into a bowl of food to slow down its assimilation and support muscle growth throughout the night, while you sleep. Whey can also be taken at breakfast, in a bowl of fromage blanc for example.
Moisturizing
Good hydration is also crucial for faster recovery and improved weight gain. As the exerciser performs much more intense workouts, he or she will also lose more water. Water is essential for many of the biochemical reactions needed to repair damaged muscle fibres. Dehydration significantly slows down muscle recovery. This is one of the reasons why alcohol, which tends to dehydrate, should also be avoided.
When it comes to building muscle, it's important to stay hydrated throughout the day. You'll also need to keep your water bottle close at hand during your training session. Good hydration will help you cope with physical exertion and avoid metabolic disorders.
Note that your protein shaker should, in principle, contain protein, carbohydrates and water. With the right mix of around 60% protein and 30% carbohydrates, you'll get a drink that's truly conducive to muscle recovery. This will speed up the assimilation of valuable amino acids and BCAAs. The water-carbohydrate mix is particularly important for replenishing glycogen reserves as quickly as possible.
Which protein powder to choose?
In any case, it's clear that post-workout supplementation is far more suitable. By consuming these products after your workout, you provide your body with protein when it needs it most.
The type of protein powder you choose matters a great deal when it comes to optimizing muscle recovery. Even if you meet your protein requirements, your recovery and your health may suffer from non-quality products.
On the same subject, find out which proteins are best for recovery and which supplements improve recovery?
In any case, whey protein is considered the best protein powder for post-workout supplementation. Made from milk whey, a highly bioavailable substance obtained mechanically, whey is easily assimilated by the body. The essential amino acids and BCAAs it contains will therefore be rapidly utilized.
In theory, it will take the body less time to repair damaged muscle fibers, which is a serious boost to your recovery.
This rapid assimilation can potentially become useless if you wish to benefit from slow, continuous assimilation, as when you take your shaker before bedtime.
For intake at this time, specialists often recommend quality gainers (low-protein, carbohydrate-rich whey) or slower-assimilating protein powders such as casein. The aim is to enable the body to use up valuable protein until you wake up. However, it's not necessarily necessary to invest in this type of product. Simply add a carbohydrate source to your whey shaker to slow down its assimilation.
Whatever protein powder you choose, make sure you choose a quality product. Dietary supplements with long lists of ingredients and additives should be avoided.
What's more, it's best to choose whey or any other protein produced in France and derived from local pasture milk. The standards in force in France mean you can limit the risk of ending up with a poor-quality product.
Don't hesitate to consult our page for useful advice on how to choose your protein powder and the best time to take your protein powder to recover.
