Muscle gain is a complex process, it requires 3 things.
- Progressive Overload
- Protein Intake
- Surplus of Calories
Progressive Overload
Weight training with a progressive overload approach, meaning that each time you train you are trying to just be that little bit better, whether that be reps, sets, weight, tempo, Exercise selection etc, allowing intensity to stay stimulating muscle growth.
Protein Intake
Muscle is built from amino acids (broken down protein) within the body, for that to happen, protein intake needs to be adequate for that to happen. Protein intake needs to be 1.6g/kg or higher (160g for 100kg).
Surplus of Calories
Muscle growth requires a lot of energy to occur, so a surplus of calories is optimal. This is common amongst athletes, bodybuilders and gym-goers throughout winter when foods are more palatable and social lives are more intense. This can be used to help muscle growth, but a slight gain in body fat is expected.
So, when we train, we need to overload the reps and sets, requires us to work harder. Sometimes a lot harder, this is the stimulus for your body to grow and improve.
For example, if you’re squatting 100kg for 3 sets of 8 reps. Then suddenly go to 10 reps, then over 3 sets your body is lifting 600kg more that session.
If you then overload by adding an extra set, then you will be lifting 1000kg more than your last session, which isn’t easy. It puts a lot of pressure through your whole body, including your cardiovascular system. You will be out of breath, the better you are at being able to regulate oxygen through your body, the better your ability to squat.
This is why, doing some form of cardio vascular training through an ‘off season’ can help you perform better under the bar, therefore impacting muscle growth.