People build muscle at different rates depending on their age, sex and genetics, but muscle development overall will significantly increase if your exercise is consistent, challenging and long-term.
While the best type of exercise for building muscle is strength training, cardiovascular exercise should not ignored. Recent research shows that regular cardio can support muscle growth and function, while also increasing your overall fitness level and helping to protect against injury. A bonus reason to add in a good share of cardio is the extra calories burned will allow you to eat more muscle building protein foods while staying lean.
What type of cardiovascular activity you add and the timing of it should be personalized to your goal, available time for exercise and your individual stamina. While most often people incorporate cardio activities after a strength training session, you may find that doing cardio by itself on off days is a better fit for you. The key is finding the right balance that doesn’t detract from the effort you are able to exert.
When choosing the type of cardio research consistently shows that high intensity cardiovascular activities can promote the release of anabolic hormones that are key to stimulating muscle growth, while encouraging fat loss. Interval training, incline walking, rowing or stair climbing of short duration can all provide these types of benefits. Aim for 2-3 sessions per week.
For the strength portion of your workouts, focus on exercises involving dumbbells, resistance bands, compound bodyweight movements and resistance machines. For overall body strenght try focusing your training into 3 sections – pushing exercise, pulling exercise and leg exercises. Each section should have 5-7 exercises. Begin with 8-15 repetitions for your exercises and progress your weight as your fitness improves. Aim for at least 2 sessions per week.
