Embody Fitness - Luxury Personal Training in the heart of London

Main Menu

  • [email protected]

Consistently Build Muscle

It Takes Time to Build Muscle

Aspiring to build muscle tissue is one of the most frequent goals amongst our new clients. Some want to build significant amounts of muscle in the long-term (fantastic for health and longevity), whilst others wish to add modest amounts to specific muscle groups simply to create a more aesthetic look.

Understanding how to produce dramatic physical change is our job. Whilst losing large amounts of body fat can be achieved relatively quickly (with the right methodology), building muscle tissue takes time. Of course, some are lucky enough to have chosen the right parents and are born hard-wired to gain muscle tissue more easily than others. For most of us, building muscle is a long-game and one that requires consistent adherence to several (often misunderstood) principles. This article will explore several fundamental principles of building muscle tissue, beyond the first few months of your new workout regime.

Maximise Muscular Tension

When exercising to build muscle, the goal of each set and every repetition should be to generate tension. The weight you lift, how you position your body and the speed with which you perform each phase of the exercise should all be optimised to focus tension on your target muscle group.

Inter-muscular tension created through exercise causes microscopic levels of damage and acute inflammation. Though it sounds counterintuitive to purposefully create damage, your body’s response is to repair and rebuild your tissue larger and better able to perform in the future. This evolutionary response has existed to help navigate our environment and ensure our survival. In the gym, we can manipulate this adaptive response and create tension in specific tissues to improve your performance. It’s incredible, when you think about it.

To consistently catalyse the growth of new muscle tissue means finding novel and more significant ways to produce tension. For example; let’s pretend that you enjoy squatting (I did say “pretend”) and want to build muscle in your gluteals. A simple way to create greater tension is to use heavier loads when you squat. By increasing the load, your brain uses more motor neurons to activate a greater number of muscle fibres, increasing tension within the musculature of the gluteals.

However, in response to the increased weight, what if you now compromise your technique as you squat? Whilst you are moving more load, you may now be relying more on leverage and momentum to complete each repetition. By changing your technique you have inadvertently lost tension in the target muscle group and therefore reduced your potential to develop more tissue.

Within a set, tension is king. The weights we use (and how we use them) are simply tools to generate tension. Of course, a goal of resistance training is to use progressively more resistance, but only use as much resistance as you can use whilst ensuring optimal technique.

Chest exercise to maximise muscle tension

Click to see Helen’s transformation.

Manage Workout Volume

When building bigger muscles, the volume of work you perform bares significant responsibility. Similar to an endurance cyclist, runner or swimmer clocking-up progressively more miles to develop their lung capacity, using a greater number of sets and weight is key to building muscle tissue. After all, you can’t beat hard work.

Your workout volume (sets x reps x weight = volume) should be one of the most gradual variables you develop over time but ultimately has one of the biggest influences on your results. The greater volume you are able to perform each week, month and year, the more new tissue you can build. When designing training programmes for athletes, volume is increased progressively over years. The same consideration must be paid when designing workout programmes for mere mortals, like you and I. Push your workout volume too hard, too fast and your muscles will be unable to recover and grow.

However, a limiting factor for many is simply the time they have available to workout. Whilst exercising for 2 or 3-hours each week and achieving a certain workout volume may allow you to build a few kilos of muscle tissue. Building 10-kilos of muscle may require 4 or 5-hours of training each week (hypothetically speaking) and a far greater workout volume.

Understanding Workout Frequency

Research shows that there is an optimal frequency at which to stimulate a muscle. Your specific training frequency depends on several factors; the size of the target muscle(s), your target muscle’s fibre type, your training-age and the volume of work you perform during each workout. As with workout volume, practicality is often a huge consideration.

At Embody, our clients tend to be very busy in both their professional and personal lives. Most have demanding jobs and young families. The number of workout you are able to fit-in each week is typically of greater relevance than how often you should workout.

If you are able to dedicate the time to workout with optimal frequency, we can look at best principles. As a rule of thumb, most large muscle groups (quadriceps, pectoralis major etc) develop optimally when stimulated every 48-72 hours. This means, on average, working each major muscle group 2-3 times each week. Smaller muscle groups can be trained with greater frequency. Generally speaking, the higher your training-age and the stronger you are, the more recovery time you require between workouts.

Progressive Overload

Imposing consistently greater demands over-time is the most fundamental principle in building muscle tissue and improving performance. Your body is a complexed biological machine, capable of immense physical adaptation to the demands that you impose. However, growing muscle tissue is (metabolically) costly. There must be a clear need for your body to make such adaptations consistently.

Your body will only develop new tissue when workout demands are significant and periodically increased. One of the common ways to measure and plan progressive overload is by using the amount of weight you lift (your workout volume) across a given programme, month or year. Assuming that all other variables are controlled (exercise selection, technique etc) you must consistently expose your muscles to greater challenges that require further adaptation.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”
– Henry Ford

One of the most common mistakes we find is people becoming comfortable and returning to a workout programme that they used previously with success. Or, using a weight and repetition range for a particular exercise that they enjoy or find familiar. You must resist the temptation to find comfort in your workouts and methodically seek new challenges. Whilst the principles of building muscle remain the same, your training frequency, the weight you lift, your workout volume and level of tension you generate must evolve. Progressive overload is as essential to long-term development as any other single factor.

Great bench press exercise technique

Always remember, great technique will maximise tension.

Build Muscle Consistently

This article only scratches the surface of the various factors to consider if training to build muscle tissue. Exercise selection, specific workout formatting and nutrition all have major roles to play. The topics highlighted above are the factors that make a significant different between building only a little muscle tissue, at the start of your new exercise regime, and continually building muscle tissue in the long-term. If your goal is to make significant aesthetic change, you must be committed to building long-term health practices.

Use these principles to guide your workouts and progress. When deciding which workout programme to employ next, consider what effect the programme will have on your workout volume. Do the primary exercises in your programme maximise tension on the muscles you wish to develop? Or, does this programme challenge your target muscles more than the last? Does the programme allow for progressive overload?

 

Hungry for more?

Read this related article: How Fast Can I Lose Fat?

Prev Intermittent Fasting, Weight Loss & Longevity
Next Strength Training with Women’s Fitness Mag

You may also be interested in...

Personal Training a client at Embody Fitness

Fitness coach vs personal trainer: What is the difference?

These days, social media is flooded with so-called health and fitness experts, all confidently sharing their opinion on the best way to lose weight and get fit. So, if you’re…

VIEW POST
Personal Training Trainer London | Transformation of the Month: Chris June 28th, 2021

Transformation of the Month: Chris

“The thing I liked most about Embody is that everyone at the gym helped me with my goal. Whenever I was in the gym, even PTs who I didn’t work with were checking in on how I was doing. It felt like a real family.”

Online Training

Register your interest today to be the first to know when we bring back online training.

Privacy Policy

Book Your Free Consultation

Know when you want to come visit us? Use the button below to book a confirmed consultation date and time online, we also welcome you to use the form below and a member of our team will get in touch to confirm a time and date.

BOOK ONLINE CONSULTATION

Privacy Policy

Book Your Free Consultation

Know when you want to come visit us? Use the button below to book a confirmed consultation date and time online, we also welcome you to use the form below and a member of our team will get in touch to confirm a time and date.

BOOK ONLINE CONSULTATION

Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

  • All credit/debit cards details and personally identifiable information will NOT be stored, sold, shared, rented or leased to any third parties. 
  • The Website Policies and Terms & Conditions may be changed or updated occasionally to meet the requirements and standards. Therefore the Customers’ are encouraged to frequently visit these sections in order to be updated about the changes on the website. Modifications will be effective on the day they are posted.
  • Some of the advertisements you see on the Site are selected and delivered by third parties, such as ad networks, advertising agencies, advertisers, and audience segment providers. These third parties may collect information about you and your online activities, either on the Site or on other websites, through cookies, web beacons, and other technologies in an effort to understand your interests and deliver to you advertisements that are tailored to your interests. Please remember that we do not have access to, or control over, the information these third parties may collect. The information practices of these third parties are not covered by this privacy policy. 
  • This website is managed and owned by Embody Fitness LLC

ONLINE PAYMENT GATEWAY – TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with this website shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom is our country of domicile.

Minors under the age of 18 shall are prohibited to register as a User of this website and are not allowed to transact or use the website.

If you make a payment for our products or services on our website, the details you are asked to submit will be provided directly to our payment provider via a secured connection.

The cardholder must retain a copy of transaction records and Merchant policies and rules.

www.embodyfitness.co.uk will NOT deal or provide any services or products to any of OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) sanctions countries in accordance with the law of UAE.

Multiple transactions may result in multiple postings to the cardholder’s monthly statement.

PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

See our pricing details here

METHOD OF PAYMENT

We accept payments online using Visa and MasterCard credit/debit cards in GBR.

REFUND POLICY

Refunds will be done only through the Original Mode of Payment.

ADDRESS & CONTACT INFORMATION

Embody Fitness

1st Floor, 1 Bartholomew Lane,
London EC2N 2AX

[email protected]

0207 628 2827

Embody Fitness Terms and Conditions

FITNESS AND HEALTH

The Client is responsible for making sure he/she is in good physical condition at each visit and that the Client knows of no medical or other condition why the Client is not capable of exercising at the facility. Neither Embody Fitness staff nor any staff members or representatives are medically trained and are therefore not qualified to assess whether the Client is in good physical condition and/or that the Client can engage in any exercise without detriment to the Client’s health, safety, comfort or physical condition. Embody Fitness and the Personal Trainer/Therapist reserves the right to refuse access to any client if they consider that the health of the individual concerned may be endangered by the use of the facilities. Clients shall not use Embody Fitness’s facilities nor engage with a Personal Trainer/Therapist if they are suffering from any medical conditions.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Any cancellations made within 24 hours of a scheduled session shall be charged at the full rate.

PERSONAL BELONGINGS

Personal belongings brought into the Facilities shall at all times remain at the Client’s risk including any personal belongings stored in lockers provided by Embody Fitness. The Client accepts and agrees that neither Embody Fitness nor its employees or representatives shall be liable for any loss, damage or theft of any property belonging to, or brought onto or left outside any Embody Fitness premises by the Client or any guest of the Client.

GENERAL

Intellectual Property: The Client agrees to having their photographs taken whilst at Embody Fitness facilities. Any data, information and copyright in any photographic or other images taken by Embody Fitness or on its behalf of the Client or relating to the Client whilst training in the Facilities shall belong to Embody Fitness absolutely and can be used for promotion, marketing and commercial exploitation of the Facilities in such form as Embody Fitness shall require from time to time. The Client agrees to having their photograph taken.

PAYMENTS

Payment for programmes and membership shall be made in full upon purchase and prior to the commencement of any programme. Any monthly payments for programmes or personal training blocks must be provided by authorised advanced credit card payment or post-dated cheques. Any failed or rejected payments shall incur an administrative fee of AED500 and services shall be suspended until payment has been made.

NO RIGHT TO CANCEL

Payments for programmes and blocks of sessions are non-refundable and cannot be cancelled. If a client chooses to cancel this agreement, they will remain liable to pay the balance of any unpaid instalments at the date of cancellation. No refunds will be provided for any unused sessions.


VALIDITY OF SERVICES

Each programme or training block is valid for up to 6 months from the date of this Agreement. Any unused sessions at that point shall be forfeited and there is no right of refund.

FREE COMPREHENSIVE
QUICK-START NUTRITION GUIDE

Start your body transformation today, download
your free expert nutrition guide.

Privacy Policy