LIVING WELL WITH GRAHAM - How to build lean muscle and boost your metabolism!

A lean, athletic frame with as much functional muscle mass as possible is ideal, whether for aesthetics, performance, or to increase our ability to have a more efficient metabolism. Muscle mass serves a purpose, whereas excessive fat mass does not. Muscles contain connective properties that enable us to generate more force and accomplish more tasks. It is also the body's powerhouse that requires energy and boosts metabolism. 

Understanding muscle growth is key. Just like the rest of our physiology, muscles adapt to specific demands. Meaning that unless they need to grow, they won't.  The force and mechanical tension you exert on your muscles determine their growth. If your body perceives the effort as significant, it triggers muscle growth to make future encounters easier and more successful.

Whether you're a bodybuilder or someone who wants to get a little stronger, the same principles of muscle building apply.  

However, the two biggest problems most people come across are:

1.      They do not understand the relationship between physics and physiology and how changing certain variables can produce various results. In other words, muscle growth is directly proportional to the amount of tension and volume applied to them. Other protocols, such as the amount of food consumed (prioritising protein) and rest employed, can affect the extent of these adaptations.

2.      People aren't willing to endure the discomfort of building muscle long enough to see the benefits, i.e., the more you do and the harder you make it, the more your muscles grow. It's up to you to decide how to manipulate these variables to find the perfect environment for growth.

I came across this analogy some time ago, and it stayed with me. Think of your muscles like a frayed rope being pulled apart by an external load. When the load becomes too much, microtears will form. However, after the task is over, someone comes in and repairs the rope to be thicker and stronger than before so it won't fray as much next time. Then, you gradually increase the load and make the task harder. The rope frays again, and then you repair it again. You repeat this process over and over. And yes, I know you can’t actually mend a frayed rope, but it’s a great visual!

Moral of the story: 

For muscle growth, tension is more important than the feeling of a 'gym pump'. 

1.      Make sure you perform exercises that allow your muscles to move through a large range of motion. This will create more mechanical tension, stimulating muscle-building pathways and leading to muscle growth. Think compound movements, such as squats, deadlifts, overhead presses and Olympic-style weightlifting.

2.      Spending more time in these positions under tension forces your muscle to work harder generating better results in strength and growth.

3.      Focus more on building muscle rather than losing fat. Maintaining and building lean muscle mass will increase your metabolism and provide your body with an armour against disease throughout your lifespan. Having more muscle mass means you burn more calories at the same body weight than if you had less muscle mass. Whereas, endless cardio and unrealistic calorie restriction will lead to muscle loss and slow your natural basal metabolic rate, which means you burn fewer calories per day.

If you're unsure how to apply these principles to your training, invest in a reputable personal trainer or a strength and conditioning facility membership.