{"id":5455,"date":"2021-02-16T12:55:21","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T19:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/?p=5455"},"modified":"2021-02-16T13:02:28","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T20:02:28","slug":"muscle-growth-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"The 6 Principles of Muscle Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They say muscle growth is simple, just not easy. Sure, adding size isn\u2019t rocket science, but it does require a lot of good old-fashioned hard work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, if you just focus on completing 3 sets of 10 reps on a variety of exercises, the odds are you won\u2019t have much muscle to show for all your hours in the gym.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Muscle growth requires checking several boxes \u2014 with both nutrition and training \u2014 to help your body break down muscle tissue and build it back. It\u2019s the main reason most people don\u2019t see dramatic changes. They do some of the work, but not all of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re looking to add more muscles, here are the principles you must master.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_28 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/#Principle_1_Muscle_Growth_Requires_Calories\" title=\"Principle #1: Muscle Growth Requires Calories\">Principle #1: Muscle Growth Requires Calories<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/#Principle_2_Optimize_For_Protein_But_Dont_Forget_This_Exception\" title=\"Principle #2: Optimize For Protein (But, Don\u2019t Forget This Exception)\">Principle #2: Optimize For Protein (But, Don\u2019t Forget This Exception)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/#Principle_3_Train_each_muscle_2-3_times_per_week\" title=\"Principle #3: Train each muscle 2-3 times per week\">Principle #3: Train each muscle 2-3 times per week<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/#Principle_4_Focus_on_full_range_of_motion_And_check_your_ego\" title=\"Principle #4: Focus on full range of motion (And check your ego)\">Principle #4: Focus on full range of motion (And check your ego)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/#Principle_5_Prioritize_Full-Body_Exercises_and_focus_on_building_strength\" title=\"Principle #5: Prioritize Full-Body Exercises (and focus on building strength)\u00a0\">Principle #5: Prioritize Full-Body Exercises (and focus on building strength)\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/#Principle_6_Challenge_Your_Muscles_Dont_Crush_Them\" title=\"Principle #6: Challenge Your Muscles, Don\u2019t Crush Them\">Principle #6: Challenge Your Muscles, Don\u2019t Crush Them<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-growth-principles\/#Read_More\" title=\"Read More\">Read More<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Principle_1_Muscle_Growth_Requires_Calories\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principle #1: Muscle Growth Requires Calories<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The quest for more muscle starts with nutrition. Your first order of business is getting your calorie intake in order. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaining muscle fast requires being in a calorie surplus (eating more calories than you burn).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5465\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/caloric-intake.png\" alt=\"caloric surplus for muscle gain\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/caloric-intake.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/caloric-intake-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/caloric-intake-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/caloric-intake-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/caloric-intake-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/caloric-intake-700x394.png 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means eating is a priority, but you don\u2019t need to go overboard. You can only gain muscle so fast, and a modest calorie surplus works just as well as \u201ceating everything in sight\u201d and leaves you with a lot less fat to lose later. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Editor\u2019s note: The importance of the calorie-muscle gain equation is why the idea of \u201clifting weights makes you bulky\u201d is more myth than reality. If you\u2019re not eating in a way to add size, you\u2019re not going to add size. You\u2019ll become stronger. You\u2019ll add definition. But, the amount of muscle you can gain is directly influenced by how much you eat.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even with a conservative bump in how much you eat, you\u2019ll still gain some fat with the muscle, and it\u2019s important to be prepared for that reality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, how do you determine the caloric \u201csweet spot\u201d where you maximize muscle and minimize fat gain?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To start, you need to figure out your average daily calorie intake, or maintenance calories. Tracking your eating with an app <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">makes this much easier, though a basic notebook works too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s a basic formula you can use to determine your baseline calories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>The formula:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you perform 1 hour or less of exercise a week, multiply your target body weight by 10. That&#8217;s how many calories you should consume daily.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, if you work out more than that, add 1 to the multiplier for every additional hour you train. So, if your target body weight is 180 pounds and you exercise for 3 hours a week, you&#8217;d multiply 180 by 12\u2014giving you a target of 2,160 calories a day. You can divide those calories into however many meals you want\u2014three, four, five, or six\u2014to help you hit your goal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5464\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/baseline-calories-formula.png\" alt=\"baseline calories formula\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/baseline-calories-formula.png 1920w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/baseline-calories-formula-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/baseline-calories-formula-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/baseline-calories-formula-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/baseline-calories-formula-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/baseline-calories-formula-700x394.png 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you know your maintenance calories, it\u2019s just a matter of adding the right amount of extra calories to get your body weight to increase gradually.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An extra 500 calories a day is a good starting point, but the real question is if you\u2019re gaining weight. If you want to minimize fat gain, a good rule of thumb is keeping weight gain around 2 pounds per month. If you\u2019re a complete beginner, that amount can be more than twice as much.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why 2 pounds a month? Considering muscle gain is a slow process, any more than that and you\u2019re probably adding too much fat. However, any slower and you\u2019re not gaining muscle as fast as you could be either. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you find that you\u2019ve gained 3 pounds in a week, pump the breaks. Cut your calorie intake by about around 200-300 calories per day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand,\u00a0if the scale says you\u2019re barely gaining at all, then increase your calorie intake by 200- 300 calories per day and continue to track your progress.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The calorie game plan is simple: assess, adjust, and repeat.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Principle_2_Optimize_For_Protein_But_Dont_Forget_This_Exception\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principle #2: Optimize For Protein (But, Don\u2019t Forget This Exception)<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On top of dialing in your calorie intake, you need to make sure you\u2019re eating enough protein. Research suggests that the perfect range for building muscle is anywhere from 0.6- to 1-gram of protein per pound of your goal body weight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s most of the dietary battle. If you\u2019re consistently hitting your calorie and protein goals, then you\u2019ve got your nutritional bases covered for gaining muscle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you\u2019re building muscle or losing fat, it\u2019s important to think about eating for the body <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you want<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not the body you have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, there\u2019s an exception. Remember how we said you don\u2019t want to be gaining weight <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">too fast?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Let\u2019s say you\u2019re 140 pounds and you want to weigh 180. A 40-pound jump is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a lot <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of weight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eating that many more calories and pumping up your protein would be a massive shock to your system that would likely lead to more fat gain <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be a world of hurt for your digestive system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.giphy.com\/media\/2UzgBibcqFZnTnSGf9\/giphy.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s good to know your big picture goal \u2014 but it\u2019s more important to break that bigger goal into smaller steps that will ensure constant progress. Many people force their way into plateaus during a muscle growth phase simply because they don\u2019t create more realistic check-points along the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of going all in, break your goals into 10-pound increments. That means, for the example above, you\u2019d first try to eat for a 150-pound body. Once you hit 150, then you\u2019d adjust your calories and protein for a 160-pound body. Each step you hit will also allow your body to readjust its set point.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you probably know, your body tends to gravitate to a certain weight. When you gain or lose, you want to make it easier for your body to adjust, and this process can help make that a reality so that it doesn\u2019t feel like a constant battle to stay at your new weight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Principle_3_Train_each_muscle_2-3_times_per_week\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principle #3: Train each muscle 2-3 times per week<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can gain muscle only hitting each muscle once per week, or by working each muscle even more frequently. But, if you\u2019re trying to maximize muscle gain, 2-3 times per week seems to be your best bet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cellular processes of building muscle (muscle protein synthesis) are only humming away at high speed for about 24-48 hours after you finish a workout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, if you only train a muscle once per week, your muscles are only spending about 1\/7-2\/7 of their time in \u201cgrowth mode.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Training a muscle more frequently <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> work, but your margin for error gets smaller, and you run a greater risk of overuse injuries or suboptimal recovery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember, more isn\u2019t always more with muscle gain. If all it took to gain muscle was tons of reps, there\u2019d be a lot of people walking around with massive biceps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The right amount of reps, the best exercise, a locked in diet, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> optimized recovery is essential. When you lift weight, the muscle fibers tear and break down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And then your muscles <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">grow<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recovery<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> phase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Principle_4_Focus_on_full_range_of_motion_And_check_your_ego\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principle #4: Focus on full range of motion (And check your ego)<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working a muscle through a full range of motion builds the most muscle and strength. When muscles are slightly stretched under load, more muscle damage occurs, and local concentrations of muscle-building hormones increase much more than they do with shorter ranges of motion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Basically, half reps only build your ego.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Partial Range Of Motion: Broscience Or Legit?\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jkaU-mM24_o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lifting through a full range of motion may also help with injury prevention. Your muscles add more contractile units in series, meaning your muscle can stretch farther without the risk of tearing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your nervous system also learns how to control your muscles and joints through greater degrees of joint flexion, where most injuries occur if you don\u2019t have enough control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mastering a full range of motion usually means you\u2019ll need to lower the weight you\u2019re using \u2014 sometimes significantly. It can feel like a step back, but you\u2019re playing the long game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lighter, full range reps will still have benefits. And, as you add more strength, that one-step back will turn into 10 steps forward with muscle growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Principle_5_Prioritize_Full-Body_Exercises_and_focus_on_building_strength\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principle #5: Prioritize Full-Body Exercises (and focus on building strength)\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You shouldn\u2019t build a workout around 14 different biceps exercises, and \u201cbench day\u201d shouldn\u2019t be \u201cevery day ending in \u201cy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You add muscle when you prioritize multi-joint lifts that focus on your entire body. Here\u2019s how to make sure you\u2019re picking the right movements.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select 2-3 exercises from each of the following 6 categories, and do each of those exercises once per week:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>Knee-dominant:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Back squats, front squats, leg press, hack squat, single-leg squat variations (like Bulgarian split squats)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>Hip-dominant:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, good mornings<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>Horizontal pulling: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barbell rows, dumbbell rows, t-bar rows, chest-supported rows<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>Vertical pulling:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Pull-ups, chin-ups, pulldowns, reverse grip pulldowns<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>Chest-dominant pressing:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bench press, incline press, dumbbell bench press, dumbbell incline press, dips<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b>Shoulder-dominant exercises:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Military press, dumbbell overhead press, upright row, high pull, push press<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those \u201cbig\u201d exercises should form the core of your workouts. Once you\u2019ve done 3-5 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hard<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sets for the big lifts of the day, then you can spend some time doing accessory work, whether it\u2019s curls, pec flys, lunges, or core exercises.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure you track (or write down) your workouts and try to beat your numbers each week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can be done in a few different ways. You can use the same weights and perform more reps, do the same weights and reps and add an extra set, or try to add weight to the bar. When your performance improves, as long as you\u2019re not cheating your reps, you will gain muscle.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Principle_6_Challenge_Your_Muscles_Dont_Crush_Them\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Principle #6: Challenge Your Muscles, Don\u2019t Crush Them<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no magic rep-range to maximize muscle growth. That\u2019s a good thing because it means you can train with lower and higher reps and still see results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, though, the best approach might be using loads that let you get anywhere between 5 to 15 reps per set with good form.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can gain muscle with fewer reps per set, but that usually means using loads that can beat up your joints. And, you need to make sure you\u2019re doing enough sets to reach a volume that maximizes muscle growth. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also gain muscle with more reps per set, but, generally, those sets are going to be so exhausting (especially for lower body exercises like squats and deadlifts) that you\u2019ll be gassed after the first couple sets, which can tank the rest of your workout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or, you might find that other limitations \u2014 such as grip strength or cardio endurance \u2014 give out before your muscles do. Either way, you might be exhausted, but that doesn\u2019t mean your muscles were challenged in a way that will keep you building muscle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re focusing on anywhere from 5 to 15 reps, push every set to the point <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">just before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your form breaks down (this is known as technical failure).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It sounds funny, but your muscles are lazy. They use the bare minimum amount of muscle fibers necessary to produce the required amount of force to move an object. If you can understand this concept, you can learn a key ingredient of maximizing muscle growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">last <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">muscle fibers activated are also the ones most capable of growth. But, your body won\u2019t use those fibers unless it absolutely needs to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By putting as much effort as you can into each set, and only stopping a set when you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">know<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> you can\u2019t get another rep with good form, you use more of your muscle fibers, including those that influence growth the most.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Muscle growth takes time, but, now you know what to do, and it\u2019s up to you to put in the work and \u2014 most importantly \u2014 stay consistent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Read_More\"><\/span><em>Read More<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/bcaas-muscle-growth-and-fat-loss\/\">BCAAS: EFFECTIVE DOSE FOR MUSCLE GROWTH AND FAT LOSS<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/muscle-building-mistakes\/\">5 MUSCLE BUILDING MISTAKES (AND HOW TO MAKE GAINS)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bornfitness.com\/4-step-biceps-builder\/\">THE 4-STEP BICEPS BUILDER<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Muscle growth requires checking several boxes \u2014 with both nutrition and training \u2014 to help your body break down muscle tissue and build it back. If you\u2019re looking to add more muscles, here are the principles you must master.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","bf-level-all-levels"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 6 Principles of Muscle Growth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"They say muscle growth is simple, just not easy. 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