Muscle equals movement. Without it, we would not be able to move at all, much less perform as athletes. Targeting our muscles specific to our sports is very important, and some sports require that we have a lot of it. That’s why mass training is very important for athletes. Though we aren’t bodybuilders, more muscle can help enhance our ability to grow stronger and become more explosive. Here you will learn the most efficient ways to pack on solid, functional muscle.
Maximal Hypertrophy Principles
The first thing we need to learn is how to best train our muscles for growth. The biggest factor in growth is progressive overload. This means that each time you workout, you should increase the stress on your muscles by either adding more weight to the bar, adding more reps, or adding more sets. Another key factor to consider is that hypertrophy happens mainly through time under tension, also known as TUT, and overall volume or workload. With this in mind, you shouldn’t neglect trying to get stronger, because a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle, but don’t focus primarily on getting stronger with low reps when your goal is specific to muscle gain.
Mass Training Specific to Athletes
As an athlete we can’t train exactly like a bodybuilder, because we need to use our muscle functionally, not just for aesthetics. While looking good is a huge bonus, being conscious of how the training transfers to our sports is essential. Here’s some things to consider.
Reps and Sets
We have all read the magazines that state the typical 3×12 or 4×8 for optimal muscle growth, and while there is truth to that, these principles are not designed with athletes in mind. When training for functionality we need to focus more on overall volume through full body exercises that target athleticism rather than a specific prescribed set and rep scheme. For example, set a timer for 10 minutes, and flip a tire as many times as you can in that 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes begin you start flipping that tire over and over. Once you can’t flip it anymore, you rest until you can, and then keep going till 10 minutes is up. Lets say by the end of that 10 minutes, you were able to flip the tire 50 times. That’s A LOT of reps, which is also a great deal of volume on an exercise that requires the whole body to do. You’ll gain muscle. Functional Muscle. Simple as that.
I’m not saying we should disregard the 3×12 type rep schemes, but that as athletes we should not rely on them for our main way to gain muscle. Your body doesn’t know reps and sets. Only the amount of tension and workload you put on it. Think overall volume when training like an athlete.
Exercise Selection
As athletes we need to stay away from machines, and stick to the basic compound lifts and movements that will translate to becoming a better athlete. Here’s a list of exercises below and how to train them specific to the goal of gaining SIZE.
Go to the unconventional training page of the website for more GREAT exercises for building mass.
The Importance of Diet
Lastly, but certainly not least, we need to talk about the importance of diet. In order to gain muscle you have to be eating in a caloric surplus. This means you to need to be eating MORE than your body burns throughout the day. A good way to calculate a good surplus is to multiply your bodyweight in pounds by 15-20. The number you end up with is a good estimate of what you should be eating. You can’t eat small amounts of food and expect to grow. In edition to eating in a surplus, you need to also supply yourself with the right kinds of food. You can’t afford to eat junk and perform well as an athlete. Eating clean is KEY. Here are some staple foods to include regularly in your diet.
Protein
Eggs
Chicken
Salmon
Steak
Nuts
Milk
Carbs
Pasta
Potatoes
Fruit
Veggies
Oatmeal
Granola
Rice
Fats
Whole Eggs
Avocados
Coconut Oil
Cheese
Nuts
Closing
Following these basic guidelines, will set you on a path to gaining strong, dense, functional muscle that will allow you to perform well in your sport and turn heads at the same time. Enjoy your future success!