Hacks. Fast. We live in the “Amazon/InstaSnapBookFaceChat” Age. We can order things that are delivered immediately; we can find info (often false) on topics and people instantly; we want things now. Me included! Building muscle doesn’t occur quickly. Strength and muscle gains take time and consistent effort. It takes what it takes.
Hacks are tactics done in the short-term for a desired goal. Strategies are long term. Both are good. Both are necessary. One without the other…rarely sustainable, always suboptimal. Together…amazingly efficient. But let’s at least answer the question and go from there:
- Increase protein intake to 1.0-1.3x lean muscle mass daily.
- Consume casein protein before bedtime because it’s a “slow release” protein. This forces your body to eat throughout the night from the source instead of stored muscle.
- Consume 6 grams of creatine daily, not more than 10 grams. Adolescents should not consume creatine until completing puberty.
- Drink at least ¾ of a gallon of water daily to keep water in the muscles to facilitate recovery.
- Meat protein is optimal for gaining muscle versus synthetic protein. But given some consumption requirements and goals, it becomes very hard to eat enough.
- All conditioning must be weighted. No jogging or body weight conditioning. Wear a weight vest at a minimum.
- Get more than enough sleep to facilitate muscle repair and recovery.
These are the basic tactics to employ and adjust to alter the speed of muscle growth. Strategically, ask the questions “why”? To what end? All should do some form of strength training to fortify our body against age, harm, falls, everyday life. Some take it further to do CrossFit, powerlifting, improve their half-marathon times, etc. In those instances, a more structured plan and program are needed to maximize results. Then the coach will adjust the above tactics of a training cycle to help the athlete achieve the desired results. Combine the long-term strategy with the adjusted tactical adjustments, then you have a sound plan for performance.
-JIM
