The Best Ways to Build Muscle

I get questions from people all the time that have been going to the gym consistently for several years and do not make much progress with the weight they are using or their physique. 

I am going to go over some simple yet very effective methods and strategies you can implement into your workout routines that will help you break through plateaus, increase the weight you use during your lifts, and see changes in your body. 

1. Progressive Overload 

This is proven to be on of the most effective methods for building strength and muscle

As you workout, your muscles build a tolerance for the stimulus you are placing on them over time. In simple terms, your body adapts to the weight over time and it becomes not challenging at all which stunts progress

To prevent running into this problem and even overcome it, try including progressive overload

Whenever you notice the weight you lift becomes easier and takes less effort, slowly increase the weight and continue doing the exercises over the next few months and track your progress 

By doing this your muscles never get the opportunity to adapt because you are continuously increasing the weight and placing more and more stress on the muscles which forces them to grow 

2. RPE Scale 

The RPE scale stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion

It is very simple and anyone can use it

It is a rating from 1-10: 1 being very easy and requiring almost no effort, 10 being you are barely able to perform the exercise without breaking form

If you are looking to increase your strength, build muscle, or shred fat, you should be training in a higher zone on the scale (> 7) 

By doing this it challenges your body more and in response your muscles are forced to grow and become stronger to achieve more load 

3. Heart Rate Zone 

Everyone has a target heart range zone they should be training in according to their goals Not everyone's is the same and that is totally normal because everyone has different goals

The easiest way to find your maximum heart rate is by subtracting your age from 220 

Mine would be: 220 - 21 = 199 beats per minute (bpm)

If you are looking to make changes to increase your lifts or improve your physique you should be training closer to your personal max heart rate

It is not realistic to train at your max HR constantly, but what you can do is get close to it by aiming to reaching at least 70% of your max HR

Do this by multiplying your max HR by .70

Mine would be: 199 x 0.70 = 139bpm

Again, everyone is going to have their own range

If you are someone simply training to stay healthy, you can aim for 30-60% of your max HR 

I hope you learned something here that you can implement into your workout routine that helps you reach your goals! If you or someone you know needs a customized program, or personal training reach out to Platinum Training!