The 3 Essential Components of Building Muscle :

Now I am sure there are many guys out there, and a few women of course, who are trying to gain lean muscle (hypertrophy) but may be struggling. Which is quite understandable because gaining weight is considered by many a lot harder of a goal to aim for as apposed to losing it and quite rightly so because it does take a lot of time and effort. Also something to bear in mind, don't expect to gain weight too quickly, if your gaining a couple of lbs (or 1KG) a month then your doing well.

1 - Nutrition - A component of hypertrophy that many along with myself believe and agree is one of the most important factors when looking to increase lean body mass. In order to gain weight you MUST be consuming more calories than you are burning. Never mind if your training program has been designed to perfection, if your not eating enough food then you won't gain an ounce. Also make sure your eating the right stuff, lean protein, a good selection of fruit and veg, complex low GI carbs to provide long lasting energy and healthy fats. This will help ensure that most of your weight gained will be lean muscle as opposed to body fay.

2 - Training - In order to gain muscle a solid resistance training program is essential. Compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, pull ups, and bench pressing are great because they work the most amount of muscles in one go including your core. Try performing 3-5 sets and 6-12 reps for each resistance exercise with about a minutes rest in between. And remember, we're trying to shock the body here so make sure your workouts are intense, theres no point spending a whole workout just lifting a weight your fairly comfortable with.

3 - Recovery - Possibly one of the most over looked aspects of lean muscle gain. Try to ensure your getting a good 8 hours sleep a night (growth hormone is only released while sleeping) and try not to over train. You've got your diet spot on, training perfect but whats the point of it if you don't give your body time to recover and grow? I personally never resistance train more than 3 days a week, i find this gives me optimal results. If your on steroids you can probably get away with more, not that i recommend them.

So there you go, a few things to bare in mind. If you have any questions at all then feel free to ask in the form of a comment and i will try and answer as soon as possible.