The Reality of Muscle Gain: How to Get "Toned"
The Reality of Muscle Gain
How many times have you been drawn into a fitness influencer’s promises of a muscular, toned body… through ab workouts and cardio? How many times have you wondered why you aren’t seeing any muscle definition, despite your dutiful hours in the gym? How many times have you dreamt of a “toned” body- but had no idea how to actually get it? Trust me, we’ve all been there- building muscle is hard, and there is so much misinformation out there about how to go about it! In reality, the road to muscle gain is long, difficult, and sometimes complicated- but it is so worth it in the end.
To start, it is very important to understand a simple truth- if you want to gain real, visible muscle mass, you’re going to have to start eating a whole lot more. It would be absolutely wonderful if we could lose body fat and gain muscle at the same time, but the reality is pretty far from that: to gain muscle, you are going to have to put some body mass- which sometimes means putting on some body fat too. While it is possible to gain a moderate amount of muscle without gaining too much fat, most folks trying to get some visible muscle definition will have to go through a phase focused purely on gaining muscle. Coined a “bulking phase” and made popular by bodybuilders, this process involves eating in a caloric surplus- aka, consuming more calories than your body is able to burn.
How Much to Eat to Gain Muscle
It’s not necessary to completely overload on calories, of course, but while training to gain muscle, your body is going to need more calories to build body mass. Most experts recommend upping your daily caloric intake by roughly 10-20%, with those with limited bulking experience aiming for the higher end of this range. To figure out how many calories you’ll need to start gaining mass, you’ll want to calculate your TDEE, your total daily energy expenditure, which can be done by utilizing one of the many calorie calculators available on the internet, or by talking to a nutritionist or dietician about your needs. After you’ve calculated your TDEE and added on those extra calories, bulking can begin! During this time, it can be expected that you’ll gain roughly 0.25-0.5% of your body weight each week, so if you find yourself gaining more or less, you may need to adjust your caloric intake.
What to Eat to Gain Muscle
Now, most people know that calories aren’t everything in the nutrition world- macros, or macronutrients, are just as important! Once you figure out how much food you need to be eating, it’s important that you decide what types of food are going to help you gain muscle. Macronutrients are made up of three groups, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. While all of these groups are essential to healthy muscle gain, they are not all created equal when trying to gain muscle with as little fat as possible! Protein is essential for building muscle, so it’s usually recommended to up protein intake during a bulk to roughly 2-2.5g of protein per kg of bodyweight. For easy frame of reference, there are roughly 50 grams of protein in a chicken breast, so for a 60 kg individual, they would need to consume the equivalent of ~2.5 chicken breasts each day.
The concept of carbohydrate intake is a little bit more complicated. Due to the fact that carbohydrates are our main source of energy, it’s important to be taking in a large amount of carbs if you’re spending a lot of time strength training, so a carbohydrate intake of 4-5g per kg of bodyweight is recommended for those with moderate activity levels; an individual at this activity level weighing 60 kg would want to eat the equivalent of 6 cups of white rice each day. This might seem excessive, but this amount is just over the average American man’s daily carb intake. If one is less active, it might be smart to lower carb intake to 2g/kg of bodyweight, and if one is more active, 7g/kg might be more appropriate to fuel more intense workouts.
As for fats, which are imperative for proper hormone function and are another vital source of energy, consumption should be slightly lower, providing at least 20% of your total caloric intake. Exact fat intake can be calculated once protein and carb intake is set, but it is important not to skimp on the healthy fats. Hormone production plays a huge role in muscle building, so don’t be afraid to add some avocado once in a while! And with all nutritional changes, it’s important to remember that a diet comprised of mainly whole foods is always preferable, as it’s always a good idea to fuel your body with healthy foods full of micronutrients.
What Workouts to Focus On
While nutrition is an integral part of building muscle mass, it is equally as important to implement a workout plan that will focus on overall strength and muscle gain, which can be found in the form of weightlifting. As much as we all want to go into the gym and do some complicated workout we saw on Instagram… honestly, when it comes to building muscle, simple is best. Heavy, compound lifts (aka squat, bench, and deadlift) are the key to building muscle and overall strength. Called compound due to the fact that they work on a variety of muscle groups at a time, workouts that focus on these lifts can really benefit you in the process of muscle gain. Isolation exercises such as bicep curls, leg extensions, etc. can be helpful in addition to compound lifting, as well.
During a bulking phase, it is essential to focus on progressive overload in your lifts; that is, gradually increasing the stress you are putting on your muscles during your workouts. By continuously increasing the demands you put on your muscles during your workouts, you’re insuring that you’ll continue to see strength and muscular gains. In order to actually implement progressive overload, you can increase the weight, increase the number of reps you perform, or increase the number of sets you perform, but in a bulk, it’s recommended to stay with a low-moderate amount of reps at a high weight, and increase the weight over time. It is highly recommended that heavy, intense weightlifting makes up most of your exercise habits, with little to no cardio so as to avoid unnecessary weight loss.
Rest is Critical!
One other critical part of bulking may seem slightly counterintuitive but is nonetheless hugely important for putting on muscle mass: rest! Rest and recovery is how the muscles you’re working out in the gym utilize all the food you’re eating. Without taking time to recover between workouts, your muscles won’t be given enough time to replenish themselves, which will stop you from seeing any muscle or strength gains. While the amount of time you should take between training is debated, a good rule of thumb is to limit your weight-training to 4 to 5 times a week, at most, and switch off your training of different muscle groups daily.
How Long it Takes to Gain Muscle
The duration of bulking phases can vary from person-to-person, but it’s recommended that they last roughly 4-6 months to allow your body to truly put on mass. While bulking can be excellent to truly see results in the gym, it can also be a bit of a mental battle; purposefully attempting to gain weight can be challenging to handle for some, and it’s important to realize that it won’t last forever. While a great amount of muscle can be gained during a bulk, body fat will usually be increased during this time, as well, and this is a completely normal result of the process. While it can be discouraging to see your body storing an excess amount of body fat, this isn’t a bad thing- and it won’t last forever! Following bulking, a “cutting” phase will begin.
Now What?
Cutting is the process of lowering your caloric intake so that the body will shed excess body fat. This process can be particularly difficult for some- especially after you’ve spent months trying to eat an excessive amount of calories, but it is especially satisfying to see your muscles become more defined after months of hard work in the gym. Cutting can usually take between 2 to 5 months to really see the results you’re interested in, so it’s important to remain patient and not rush the process.
How Much to Eat to See Muscle Definition
Again, you’ll want to begin by calculating your TDEE, which has likely grown after your bulking phase. It’s important to ensure that you’re still eating enough to maintain most of your muscle mass, so it’s an excellent idea with cutting roughly 500 calories from your TDEE. A 500 calorie cut is usually not dramatic enough to result in muscle loss, but if you begin to notice deficits in this area, it may be a good idea to add back in a few calories. In addition, cutting calories can be very mentally demanding, so it’s important to understand that there will be days when you go over your calorie goal- and that’s okay! We’re all human, and sometimes those cupcakes are a little too tempting. Just remember to get right back on the wagon the next day. Again, macros are very important in the cutting process, but they won’t change too much from your bulking macros. Ensuring that you’re continuing to get 2-2.5g of protein per kg of body weight will help you maintain most of your muscle while cutting, while keeping your fat intake above 20% will achieve in keep you satiated while you’re consuming fewer calories.
How to Workout to See Muscle Definition
In the gym, your weightlifting routine will likely not change too much; strength training is an excellent form of exercise for both bulking and cutting! As you lose weight, it’s possible that you will see some sort of decrease in strength as your overall bodyweight decreases, but that can be partially avoided with adequate protein intake. In addition, a higher amount of reps and sets may be utilized in order to increase the intensity of your workouts and help burn more of your calories. Along with strength training, cardio should be added into your routine to help with additional fat burn, but not the extent that it’s taking a toll on muscle mass. Cardio should be used as a supplementation tool, not a key part of your cutting process. Remember, you can’t out-train a bad diet, so it’s essential to focus on your nutrition, while using your time in the gym to maintain your muscle gain.
To Conclude: It Takes Time to See Results!
Honestly, the ideas of bulking and cutting may seem daunting and time-consuming, but if you’re set on seeing gains in your body composition, strength, and muscle definition, they are key parts of your journey. It is impossible to ‘tone’ certain body parts to see muscle definition, and the reality is that these changes take time. Loving your body is essential at every step of your fitness journey, whether it be when you’re at your heaviest during a bulk or at the end of your cut. Whether you’re still trying to figure out where to begin or you’ve walked this road a million times, remember: improving your overall health and happiness is a lifelong journey- don’t forget to enjoy every step along the way!