How much strength should i be gaining

Shoot for a diet of 1. However, you may want to eat up to 1. Well, you have to look at it from a percentage standpoint, rather than a pound-for-pound increase. Some people will say you can add 20 pounds to your bench press a month. This translates to about 1. Getting in shape isn't easy. She had dedicated over three years to the educational field as a health and physical education teacher before deciding to pursue a career in the fitness industry.

She is now certified in Personal Training, Group Fitness, and Sports Nutrition and contributes health and fitness knowledge to websites like Noob Gains. This page may contain affiliate links. We earn commissions when you purchase through these links. Overall, more noticeable changes in muscle mass tend to happen for people of either sex who have more muscle mass to begin with.

Aerobic exercise, otherwise known as cardio, raises your heart and breathing rates. It strengthens your cardiovascular system. You may have heard that too much cardio is bad for building muscle. Aerobic exercise can actually help with muscle growth, muscle function, and your overall exercise capacity. These effects are particularly noted in older and previously sedentary individuals.

The sweet spot with cardio to promote muscle growth has everything to do with the intensity, duration, and frequency.

Scientists recommend exercising at an intensity of 70 to 80 percent heart rate reserve HRR with sessions that are 30 to 45 minutes in length, 4 to 5 days each week. You can find your HRR by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate.

Bottom line: Working out with both cardio and resistance training exercises will keep your body and heart healthy and strong. The foods you eat may help you build more muscle, too. Your protein intake, in particular, plays an important role in fueling your muscles. How much protein should you eat?

The current guideline is around 0. For example, a pound woman would need to take in around 54 grams of protein a day. A pound man, on the other hand, would need to take in around 66 grams of protein a day. Stuck on what to eat? Look for protein-rich foods that are also rich in the amino acid leucine. You can find leucine in animal products like:. Learn more about high-protein foods ». How can you get started? The first step may be heading to your local gym and having a consultation with a personal trainer.

Many gyms offer a free session as part of a membership promotion. A personal trainer can help you master the correct form with free weights, weight machines, and more. Proper form is key for avoiding injury.

Always remember to talk to your doctor before starting a new workout routine, especially if you have a health condition.

They may have recommendations for exercise modifications that can help keep you safe. If you're looking to see gains in strength, you may wonder how to gain muscle without gaining fat. Triceps Pushdown Get tight triceps with this exercise. Triceps Kickback This move targets your tricep muscles. Machine Dips Tighten your triceps with this exercise. Leg Day 3 Sets of Each. Leg Press Machine Work your quads with the leg press machine.

Lying Leg Curls Build your hamstrings with this simple exercise. Squats Take your squats to the next level with the addition of a weighted bar. Lunges With Weights Add weights to your lunges to add an extra challenge.

Standing Calf Raises Build the muscles in your calves with this exercise. Pull Day 3 Sets of Each. Pullups Go back to gym class and build those biceps with this exercise.

Lat Pullsdown Work the biceps and forearm with this exercise. Seated Cable Row This exercise works all the muscles in the middle back.

Bicep Curls This common exercise is great to targeting your biceps. Hammer Curls Hammer curls target the muscles around your elbow. Equipment Picks if you are starting a strength-building workout, don't rush into buying too much equipment. Wirecutter product The Best Kettlebells. Wirecutter product The Best Adjustable Dumbbells. Wirecutter product The Best Resistance Bands. How Much? Figure out your sweet spot for exercise frequency. Figure out the heaviest amount of weight you can lift one time.

Figure out your 1-Rep Max. Then use weights that are between 30 to 50 percent of your 1-Rep Max and aim to do up to 25 repetitions in each set. A study by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario in found that people who used this approach gained just as much muscle and strength as a group that did a more traditional weightlifting routine with heavier weights and fewer repetitions The bottom line is that the number of reps you do is less important than the extent to which you exhaust your muscles.

Track Your Progress Keep an eye on the right goals as you progress through your workouts. Find Your Fitness Level Most people who begin a new exercise program measure their progress by the numbers they see on the scale.

The Push Up Test: How many push-ups can you do without stopping? Use this online calculator to get a sense of your upper body strength relative to other people your age and gender.

Men should perform the test using the standard push-up position. Women can perform this test with their knees on the ground if necessary. Women should use a pound barbell, and men should use an pound barbell. Have someone hand you the bar, and do as many full repetitions as you can. Then use this online calculator to see how you did. The Sit Up Test: How many sit-ups can you do in 60 seconds? Time yourself, and enter your number, age and gender into this online calculator to see where you ranked.

Then track your progress. Stick your right leg out in front of you and then sit down on the bench and stand up while continuing to hold your right leg in the air. Do three repetitions, and then switch legs and repeat. Did you do each rep with proper form? Then you did fantastic. If you can do one or two reps on each leg with proper form, then you did O. What's Your Fitness Age? October 15, How to Cope With Muscle Soreness Bad news, if you strength train correctly, you will have a bit of soreness.

Advocates say they help relieve tightness and soreness in muscles and their surrounding connective tissue. At least one small study found that men who were assigned to roll their muscles with a foam roller for 20 minutes after an intense weightlifting session had reduced levels of muscle soreness and improved range of motion compared to a control group. There is not a ton of evidence for its benefits. But some small studies have found that people who rub it on their muscles in the days after a tough workout experience less soreness than those who do not.

Massage Therapy : A massage can be great for many things. But the evidence for its ability to reduce muscle soreness after an intense workout is mixed. Active Recovery : One thing that often helps to relieve achy muscles is to simply increase blood flow to the affected area, which helps to remove inflammatory byproducts, said Dr. If your legs are feeling tight or tender after an intense leg workout, try going for a walk. If your arms and shoulders are sore, try swinging your arms in circles periodically throughout the day to stimulate blood flow to the region.

Active recovery has not been studied as in depth as some other methods. But Dr. Westcott said he has found in his decades of experience that it often helps. Wirecutter product The Best Foam Rollers. A team of researchers published an extensive study in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in analyzing a dozen rigorous trials that looked at the benefits of pre-exercise and post-exercise stretching.

Some like to hop into an ice bath. Others prefer to step into a full-body cryotherapy chamber. What to Eat What you do in the kitchen can be just as important as what you do in the gym. Figure out your target body weight. Then aim to consume about 0. For example, if your goal is to weigh pounds, then you should consume about grams of protein per day. Ideally you should get most of your protein from whole foods.