A Guide to Muscle Growth: Beyond Just Protein
Reading Time: 10 minutes
A high-protein diet has become increasingly popular in recent years. Looking to lose weight? Prioritise protein consumption. Want to build muscle? Increase your daily protein intake. While incorporating adequate protein into your diet is crucial for muscle growth and meeting dietary requirements, there are several other essential factors that contribute to your overall health and the longevity of your muscles.
Read on to uncover the key strategies for maximising muscle growth, while maintaining optimal health. We’ve also included valuable tips from our nutrition guide that we offer all community members at MyPT The Gym.
The Real Story Behind Muscle Growth
If you’re trying to gain muscle, you’ve likely encountered plenty of advice about eating high-protein diets and lifting heavy. However, muscle growth is influenced by several interconnected factors, and focusing solely on protein intake can mean overlooking other critical aspects. Here’s what you should know about how genetics, hormones, nutrition, training, and rest work together to influence muscle gains.
Genetics and Hormones: More Than Just Testosterone
Hormones like testosterone and oestrogen influence muscle growth, with testosterone supporting muscle synthesis, while oestrogen helps with muscle strength and connective tissue. This is supported by an article by CNET, who confirm that in general men find it easier to achieve visible muscle growth, as they have a higher testosterone level, but women also benefit from both testosterone and oestrogen when building strength and muscle structure.
Another factor to consider is genetics. Genetics can play a big role in how easily you build muscle. If members in your family tend to build muscle at a rapid pace, you may be likely to do the same, due to genetics. It is important to consider genetics when aiming to improve not only your body composition, but also your overall health, as this can guide you in setting realistic expectations. Additionally, understanding your genetics can help you cultivate greater patience with yourself in the process, especially if your family genetics indicate a slower rate of muscle development.
Beyond genetics, individual muscle fibres (fast-twitch and slow-twitch) also impact muscle growth. Fast-twitch fibres contribute more to muscle size and power, so people with a higher proportion of fast-twitch fibres may find it easier to build bulk.
The Reality of Protein
Protein is a vital macronutrient composed of amino acids, playing a crucial role in building and repairing our cells, tissues, hormones, enzymes, and supporting many other essential bodily functions.
There is proof that consuming protein after resistance training can increase muscle mass, as researched by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. However while protein is essential for muscle growth, especially after workouts, focusing on it exclusively can mean overdoing it, and then missing out on other vital nutrients.
The obsession with protein has grown as the fitness, nutrition, and weight-loss industries have boomed, according to Fortune Well. They state that it is influencers who encourage their followers to consume higher amounts of protein than most people need to or should.
The correct amount of protein you need can be worked out by multiplying your current weight in kilograms by 0.8 and 1.2. The total amounts is the amount of grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily that will be sufficient for you. Surprisingly, most people, even vegetarians and vegans, often meet this protein need if they consume adequate calories from a balanced diet.
Calories also play an important role in muscle growth. Building muscle requires more energy than maintenance, and it’s recommended that individuals add 500 to 1,000 extra calories daily to support muscle hypertrophy. Complex carbohydrates and healthy fats are equally important for sustaining energy, recovery, and overall muscle health.
Training for Muscle Growth: Hypertrophy and Progressive Overload
Your training approach significantly impacts muscle growth. Myofibrillar hypertrophy focuses on strengthening muscles, while sarcoplasmic hypertrophy builds muscle size. To achieve defined, stronger muscles, a combination of these is ideal.
For muscle growth, lift heavy weights with lower reps (about six or fewer per set) and incorporate longer rest intervals. A progressive overload approach—continuously challenging your muscles by increasing weight or intensity over time—is crucial to avoid hitting a plateau. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) or extensive cardio may not be as effective for muscle building since they prioritise endurance over strength.
At MyPT The Gym, we’ve fully embraced the strength training approach with a facility designed to support your strength training goals. Our MyPT members receive a strategic training programme, bespoke-fit to meet their fitness goals.
We have a number of success testimonials from our members, highlighting their experience with us at MyPT, and the type of results they saw after training in our gym.
Watch as one of our MyPT community members shares his inspiring journey with us. Before joining MyPT, he hadn’t engaged in any form of exercise for several years, relying solely on running. Since starting his training at MyPT, he has successfully lost nearly 20 kilos, feeling stronger and happier both mentally and physically.
Our Nutrition Guide
Our memebers at MyPT also receive a monthly nutrition plan that will support their fitness goals. Our High-Performance Recipe Guides are filled with healthy recipes that can be used to support your health and fitness goals. Ranging from breakfasts to calorie-controlled desserts, our members use these recipes to fit around their lifestyle. As taken from our nutrition guide, a tip from us is to ensure that you have a portion of protein in every meal. In our High-Performance Recipe Guide we show you the calories, protein, carbs and fats per meal so you can fully see the nutrition intake for your body. This is a great way to ensure you are eating enough protein per meal without overdoing it.
The Importance of Rest and Recovery
Strength training breaks down muscle tissue, and rest allows it to rebuild stronger. During sleep, the body releases growth hormones, crucial for tissue repair and muscle growth. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night to maximise recovery, maintain hormone balance, and improve overall muscle-building potential.
Rethinking Protein Obsession
Though it’s common to see high-protein diets promoted in fitness circles, dietitians caution that excessive protein isn’t always necessary. Those eating a balanced diet that meets calorie needs usually get sufficient protein for muscle maintenance and growth, particularly when combining plant-based proteins for complete amino acid intake. Older adults might need slightly more protein, given their higher needs for muscle maintenance.
In conclusion, muscle growth results from a balance between training, adequate rest, hormone levels, nutrition, and consistency. With a well-rounded approach, muscle gains are achievable without an extreme focus on protein alone, leaving more room to enjoy a varied, nutritious diet.
Join us at MyPT and discover how our facilities can help you break away from the ordinary and achieve your strength training goals in Croydon! Plus, enjoy our affordable gym options that fit your budget including our Corporate Membership and Student Membership offers.
Contact us today to find out more about our training programmes and nutrition guides. Why not reach out and join the best gym in Croydon today!
