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Jake Duncan

Professor Reynolds

ENG 1201

27 March 2022

The Solution to Gain Muscle Mass

Many young people struggle to find the most efficient way to gain muscle. Many people

discuss different ways to gain muscle, but what is the best? The issue is becoming that many

people are training inefficiently and incorrectly. If they are not training efficiently, they are

wasting their time. If they are not training correctly, they could injure themselves. So, what is

truly the best way to gain muscle efficiently, and how should one do so? When I was younger, I

struggled with confidence. I was 120 pounds and as skinny as a board. I always felt like the

smallest kid and struggled with self-assurance. When I began training in my Junior year of high

school, my motivation stemmed from shame and lack of confidence. For the first six months, I

was training, I did not see any results. I didn’t know why because I had been putting in so much

effort. I then went to a personal trainer who taught me the aspects of gaining muscle. He

introduced a proper diet and resistance training recovery to me. Over those next six months, my

size had increased. I had learned a little but still was not training and eating the most efficiently

because I did not understand my body type. So I decided to do some more research. For young

people to gain muscle naturally and efficiently, they must have a strict diet and resistance

training regiment based on their body type: endomorphic, ectomorphic, mesomorphic. It is safe

to start training when maturing begins, and they understand their body type.

Weightlifting was first introduced to the Olympics in 1896. It was not very popular and

was removed from the Olympic Games multiple times before permanently being brought back in
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1920 (Rogers). Paul Rodger is an author for the website verywellfit. They are an award-winning

resource used for health, fitness, and nutrition information. They have six diverse and educated

members on their review board, so they can always be accurate. Back in these times, the only

goal was to lift the most weight; nowadays, everyone has their own goals and journey through

training. The advancement of equipment and knowledge has dramatically increased the potential

for gaining muscle mass. There are now all different types of cable machines, resistance bands,

and other equipment to train more efficiently than before. The debate about the most efficient

training method has changed substantially in recent years. Many people believe the only way to

gain muscle mass is by lifting heavy weight all the time, but research has shown otherwise.

First of all, the most effective method of training to increase muscle size is resistance

training. Resistance training is a method in which someone adds resistance to get muscles to

contract to build muscle or strength (“Resistance Training”). Resistance Training - Health

Benefits is an article on the Better Health Channel. This website has a list of reputable partners

like Able Australia, Austin Health, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, etc.

Resistance training is the best form of training because when muscles contract, tiny muscle fibers

tear throughout the muscle being contracted, only for them to be built back bigger and stronger.

That is why getting a maximal voluntary contraction is the most efficient way to develop muscle

mass. Maximal voluntary contraction, or MVC, is when muscles are stretched to the highest

limitation possible (“Resistance Training”). Therefore, resistance training is the most efficient

training method when utilizing maximal voluntary contraction.

Secondly, The method of resistance training to increase muscle size utilizes the

progressive overload method. Through specific training, muscles will stimulate and contract

during workouts, making them react a certain way, ultimately making them grow. One important
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method is progressive overload. “Progressive overload is when you gradually increase your

routine’s weight, frequency, or the number of repetitions” (Das). Through progressive overload,

people can improve their strength capacity scientifically; with an improvement of strength

capacity, someone could increase their muscle size by exerting more force throughout their

workout. It constantly pushes athletes to increase their weight, increasing their training regiment

and increasing their muscle size. This method yields constant improvement because it forces

more stress on muscles with each increase in weight, number of sets, or number of repetitions. If

someone refuses to use the progressive overload method, they fall susceptible to the plateau

effect. The plateau effect is the phenomenon that occurs if someone is not improving over time.

Over time, bodies will get used to specific weights and repetitions, so it is imperative to use the

progressive overload method to see constant muscle size improvement (Ardelean). Viorel

Ardelean is a lecturer at Aurel Vlaicu University; He has a masters in physical recovery. He

wrote this paper to understand the research he did through an experiment. Resistance trained

paired with the progressive overload method is the most efficient way to gain muscle.

Third of all, to be efficient in weightlifting and training, someone must be doing the

correct amount of repetitions and sets to maximize muscle gains. If someone is trying to gain

muscle mass, they must do high-volume resistance training. That means that they are doing a

large number of reps with a lower weight to compensate. Personal trainer, gym owner, and prior

MLS referee of the year, Hilario Grajeda, was kind enough to sit down and do an interview

because he thinks it is essential for the youth to be educated about proper training techniques and

diet. He mentioned in the discussion, “You want to train the body part where you are trying to

gain muscle two-three times per week, but make sure you are truly fatiguing the muscle.”

Training specific muscle groups two to three times per week is the perfect amount. If they really
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break down the targeted muscle group two-three times per week, it gives their muscles time to

recover but not waste time that they could be manipulating their muscle to tear down and rebuild.

If someone tries to overwork their muscle, they will constantly be tearing the targeted muscle

down without giving time for that muscle to rebuild, therefore losing muscle mass. The target

amount of sets for each workout is around 3-5, depending on repetitions and intensity. An

example is six different chest exercises for four sets of ten-twenty repetitions per workout

(Grajeda). For building muscle mass, want to have a high volume workout. Not doing over this

amount of repetitions is also very important. Someone who wants to gain muscle mass needs to

be doing moderate weight for high repetitions. If they can do more than 20 repetitions in a set,

they need to increase the weight to be most effective; On the flip side, only doing a small number

of repetitions with a higher weight is more effective for strength, not size. Therefore, it is

essential to find the balance of weight, repetitions, and number of sets when trying to increase

muscle mass.

One highly overlooked aspect of lifting is recovery. Recovery days are built into your

training program to give your body time to rest and build back up, but recovery is not only taking

days out of the gym. Neglecting the recovery stage often leads to injury, it is not safe to push

yourself every day without rest. To truly let your body recover, you need to sleep well every

night. “A lot of sleep is needed to gain and maintain muscle mass, and I would say at least 8

hours a night” (Grajeda). Recovery in the gym is significant because if no time is given for

muscles to recover, then they will just wear down over time. If your body is never given time to

recover, there is never a chance for improvement. Another great way to speed up the recovery

process is an ice bath. “A familiar process to many, an ice bath causes the blood vessels of the

body to constrict, pushing the blood away from the muscle because of the cool temperature.
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Once you are done and start to warm up, the vessels open up and allow blood flow back into the

muscle, bringing with it more oxygen to help you recover” (Amanda Bireline). Amanda Bireline

is one of the authors on the NIFS website. NIFS is partnered with Indiana University School of

Medicine and the IU Executive Health. Their goal is to improve the overall health and physical

well-being of athletes. Another excellent recovery method is getting a massage or using a

theragun. Both of these methods also promote healthy blood flow and the removal of built-up

lactic acid. Blood flow and oxygen are two of the keys to recovery. If your blood cannot flow

freely to your muscles, your muscles will not receive any oxygen. Oxygen creates energy for

your muscles to recover and build back up. Recovery is part of a workout routine because, with

it, there is no time for your muscles to recover. Recovery is necessary to improve muscle mass

and prevent injury.

Moving to a new topic, I would like to mention the different body types. The three

different body types are crucial to how someone should diet. The differences in body types

determine the most effective diet for them. The first body type is Mesomorphic. Mesomorphic

body types tend to be pretty muscular and build muscle very well. They tend to develop muscle

mass far easier than other body types. The second body type is ectomorphic. The ectomorphic

body type tends to be slightly more slender than the mesomorphic body type. “They have a lower

chance of building muscle mass but can increase their strength with resistance training”

(Leonard). The remaining body type is endomorphic. This body type is the biggest and most

circular type. This body builds muscle most efficiently through strength training (Leonard).
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Fig 1. The image above shows what the different body types look like (Kollias and Andrews).

Understanding personal body types are crucial to find out what diet plan is best for them. The

main difference between all three body type diets is different carbohydrate intake levels. “If they

have an endomorphic body type, they should have a low-calorie but high protein diet. If they

have an ectomorphic body type, they should focus on eating in a caloric surplus. Finally, if they

have a mesomorphic body type, the diet should contain high protein levels and a high caloric

intake to maximize muscle gain”(Payne). All body types should be utilizing resistance training

while dieting. If they are young and have a fast metabolism, they want to be eating a lot of carbs

and protein. If they are young and do not have a fast metabolism, they do not wish to take in as

many carbohydrates because their bodies do not process them as quickly, which would lead to fat

being created with muscle. The ideal diet is different for everyone, but can be readily

acknowledged with a little bit of critical thinking and research. Acknowledging the body type

present is crucial to finding the best possible diet plan.

Furthermore, hormone levels throughout the body and understanding the genetics

significantly impact muscle growth. Some people do not account for this when trying to gain

muscle and miss out on a crucial understanding of their body. Hormone levels are something that
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people need to be aware of while lifting because depending on someone’s hormone level, they

may need to change their diet plan. Testosterone, insulin growth, and the human growth hormone

play considerable parts in muscle growth. These hormones have a multitude of effects like

“improving how the body processes proteins, inhibiting the breakdown of protein, activating

satellite cells, which are a type of stem cell that plays a role in muscle development, stimulating

anabolic hormones, which promote muscle growth and protein synthesis, and enhancing tissue

growth” (Leonard). The site “Medical News Today” is a newsletter to inform the general public

about the current medical news. The hormones affect every aspect of muscle growth and are

crucial to know how a specific body works. Someone who is trying to gain muscle mass is at a

great advantage if they understand how their body and hormones work. For example, if

someone’s body struggled with protein synthesis, eating more protein than the average person’s

body type would be beneficial. Understanding specific genetic makeup and hormone levels

significantly impacts muscle growth and diet plan.

Although training is essential in gaining muscle size, it is not all about how to train. Diet

has a significant impact on muscle gains. If someone does not eat enough, they will not gain

muscle. Some people say that eating only proteins or carbohydrates will maximize muscle gain.

This is not true. People will need a diet that contains a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and

healthy fats, “Food and Drinks.” The National Health Service is a government-funded healthcare

service available to anyone in the UK. It is there to inform people about health, fitness, and

wellbeing. It is also the most prominent health website in the UK. Eating a large amount of

protein is mandatory for muscle growth. If someone trains and does not eat enough, they will

only be harming themself. This could lead to decreased energy levels, increased chance of injury,

and loss of muscle mass. During my interview with a personal trainer and gym owner, Hilario
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Grajeda, he told me, ”If you are trying to gain muscle, you must eat in a caloric surplus with high

carb intake as well as high protein intake”(Grajeda). “A caloric surplus is when the number of

calories you consume is higher than the number of calories you burn” (Leonard). When

someone eats in a caloric surplus, it will ensure that they will gain muscle mass. If they do not

eat in a caloric surplus, they risk losing weight because of the amount of stress they are putting

on their body. As a result, they would lack caloric energy and muscle-building proteins, which

are essential to gaining muscle mass. Eating in a caloric surplus and maintaining a healthy

carbohydrate and protein intake level is critical to building muscle mass and increasing overall

gains.

Equally important, water and electrolytes are imperative to muscle gain and overall

energy level. Not drinking enough water while participating in vigorous training could be very

detrimental to one's health and gains. Water helps to energize muscles. Muscles that are full of

water are stronger and have more muscular endurance. Also, training dehydrated can cause

headaches, nausea, and syncope. Dehydration can also cause underperformance in the gym.

Everyone is different and needs to consume different amounts of water to stay hydrated, but a

good rule of thumb is to drink at least half your weight in ounces (Ahmad). Raza Ahmad is a

physician at Penn Medicine. He has an international medicine board certification and a

certification in sports medicine. For example, I am 175 pounds, so I should drink at least 87.5

ounces of water every day. It is also essential to have a sports drink with a high level of

electrolytes if one participates in vigorous activity for more than one hour a day. “It is very

important to make sure they rehydrate with water and eat as soon as they can after training”

(“Food and Drinks”). Rehydration after training is very important. It prevents cramps and

improves recovery time. Drinking water is vital for muscle growth and muscle well-being.
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Some people may argue that it is not safe for a 14-year-old to begin training, but in

reality, this is not always the case; finding the right time to start training is completely relative

from person to person. It is based on previous levels of activity and maturation levels. It is well

known that people mature at different ages and go through puberty differently (Myer). This

source is from the NCBI, part of the United States National Library of Medicine. Hilario

mentioned in the interview that he looks for early signs of maturation in younger clients before

taking them on board. “There is no specific age that is perfect for everyone, but when I look for

potential clients, I look to see if they have hair on their legs, or maybe even something starting to

grow on their face”(Grajeda). Lack of maturity and pubescence could lead to injury. If someone

is too young to be training, the risk involved is much higher due to lack of knowledge, natural

strength, and childish behavior. But it is all relative; for example, Hilario said,” I have had

twelve-year-old boys come in that trained and flourished; I have also had sixteen-year-old boys

come in that I could not train because they were not ready.” Muscle training is a very

time-sensitive activity. It is terrible to start too late because the person will be behind, but on the

flip side, they cannot start too early because that could cause injury. There is no magical number

where it is safe to start lifting because it is all based on the person. Even though some people

may say it is not safe for a fourteen-year-old to train and lift weights, that is not entirely true

because it is based on maturity and pubescence.

Some people may argue that the most efficient way to start gaining muscle is to train for

strength and do high-weight low reps, but that is a barbaric way of thinking. When training and

lifting began to get popular, the way that people thought someone got bigger was by lifting the

heaviest weight. This is an outdated opinion, and It has been proven that moderate rate and high

repetitions are the best way to start gaining muscle mass. “Athletes with lower pre-training status
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experienced greater benefits from high repetition training” (Atkinson). Debra Atkinson is an

author for livestrong.com. Their goal is to improve knowledge about their health; they give

people the information they need to live a healthy lifestyle. Athletes who are just getting into

lifting get more out of high repetition training than low repetition training. This is because the

athlete is doing more “work” and improving form. The more reps done by the athlete, the more

experience they possess. Even though some people may argue that low repetition and high

weight training is the most efficient way to gain muscle, that is not the case; volume high

repetitions with moderate weight are the most efficient way to gain muscle.

The most efficient way for young people to gain muscle is resistance training and dieting

tailored to a specific body type: endomorphic, ectomorphic, mesomorphic. It is safe to start

training after maturation and signs of pubescence. After doing my research, I found that my

exercise and diet were wrong even after a personal trainer’s help. I needed to eat a high

carbohydrate, high protein diet with my specific body type, hormone levels, and metabolism. I

began eating in a caloric surplus, and I stopped training in a low repetition high weight training

style. I switched to a High repetition and moderate weight while maintaining resistance training.

I continue to improve my training bi-weekly because of using the progressive overload

technique. I am constantly bettering myself because I have become knowledgeable about gaining

muscle mass. Another thing that has changed is my motivation. My new inspiration is to keep

improving myself and become the best I can be. It gives you a lot more motivation when you

know you are doing something right and you can be confident in yourself. The gym has taught

me much about humility and personal strength, mental and physical. Gaining muscle mass

efficiently requires resistance training with maximal voluntary contraction. To continue to

improve, one must use the progressive overload strategy. Without recovery, there is no
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improvement. Recovery is the most overlooked aspect of lifting and one of the most important.

Diet is just as important as training. Then one must find out their body type, hormone levels, and

metabolism speed; then, they must choose a diet based on those findings. Finally, they need to

make sure that they stay hydrated to stay at peak performance. It is safe to start when signs of

maturation begin. Once they are mature and developed enough, then and only then is it safe to

start. Everyone should do some research before training to find out what kind of body type they

have and how they can be the most efficient they can be. Training is something that should be

taken very seriously to stay healthy and stay confident.

Works Cited

Ahmad, Raza. “How Much Water Do You Need Each Day?” How Much Water Do You Need

Each Day, Penn Medicine, 2015,

https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2015/may/how-much-

water-do-you-need-each-day.

Ardelean, Viorel P. “Improving Muscle Size with Weider's Principle of Progressive Overload in

Non-Performance Athletes.” Timisoara Physical Education and Rehabilitation Journal,

EBSCOhost database. 2021,

https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=01c3aac3-0

8f8-4797-8efc-6082bab6e81f%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3D#AN=1

54681718&db=s3h.

Atkinson, Debra. “What Are the Benefits of High Reps?” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group,

2010, https://www.livestrong.com/article/383019-what-are-the-benefits-of-high-reps/.

Bireline, Amanda. “The Importance of Recovery after Exercise.” The Importance of Recovery

After Exercise, 5 May 2015,

https://www.nifs.org/blog/the-importance-of-recovery-after-exercise.

Das, Bishnu P. “How to Know If Your Muscles Are Growing (Not Fat)?” CrazyAthlete, 29 Aug.

2021, https://crazyathlete.com/how-to-know-if-your-muscles-are-growing/.

“Food and Drinks for Sports” NHS Choices, NHS, 2020,

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-and-drinks-for-sport/.
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Hilario Grajeda. Personal Interview, March 7, 2022.

Kollias, Hellen, and Ryan Andrews. “Body Types.” The Truth about “Body Type Dieting” for

Ectomorphs, Endomorphs, and Mesomorphs., 2022,

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-body-type-eating. Accessed 1 Apr. 2022.

Myer, Gregory D, et al. “How Young Is ‘Too Young’ to Start Training?” ACSM's Health &

Fitness Journal, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3793204/.

Payne, Andrew. “Body Types: How to Train & Diet for Your Body Type.” NASM, 2022,

https://blog.nasm.org/fitness/body-types-how-to-train-diet-for-your-body-type.

“Resistance Training – Health Benefits.” Resistance Training – Health Benefits - Better Health

Channel, 2018,

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/resistance-training-health-benefi

ts.

Rogers, Paul. “The History of Weight Training and Lifting.” Verywell Fit, Verywell Fit, 17 Dec.

2020, https://www.verywellfit.com/the-history-of-weight-training-and-lifting-3498501.