Build 5 Lbs of Muscle in 3 Weeks, Naturally!

A little known fact among many weight lifters is that your diet will decide at least 60% of your results. You can work out as hard and long as you want, but without the proper diet you will get nothing. The first thing to know is that you need a surplus of calories to build muscle. It's not realistic to try to lose fat and build muscle at the same time without anabolics. Find your BMR (metabolic rate) and add 500 calories to it. After that its time to focus on your macros.

1) Protein

Protein is the building block of muscle. Without it, you're not building anything. Eat meat or other protein sources with every meal and mix it up. When trying to build muscle, 40% of your calories should come from protein. Generally you want to shoot for 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

2) Carbs

Carbs are one source of calories your body uses for energy. Without them you'll feel sluggish and your body will just burn protein and muscle fiber for energy instead. You don't want that. 40% of your calories should come from carbs.

3) Fat

Fats are an important part of your diet as well, regardless of common perception. Fats are vital for cellular renewal and are also good for your heart if consumed properly. Omega 3's like those contained in fish oil are especially healthy for your heart. A diet rich in healthy fats is also known to boost natural testosterone production! Try to avoid too many saturated fats, and avoid trans fats completely. When building muscle, try to make 20% of your calories come from fat. Remember that fat is much more calorically dense than protein and carbs, so don't go gram for gram.

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When trying to build muscle mass it's important to focus on compound lifts. A compound lift is one that works several muscles at once vs an isolation exercise which targets one muscle. If you want to pack on some weight, you should be hitting the compound movements. This brings me to the big three:

1) Bench Press

Everyones favorite lift. Bench press is a great mass building exercise as it works your chest, triceps, and shoulders. It's a great upper body compound exercise.

2) Squat

If you're not squatting, you're not maximizing your training efforts. Squatting builds your quads, hamstrings, and lower back. It's a full lower body workout. It also increases your natural testosterone production and growth hormone release!

3) Deadlift

The least popular of the big three is the deadlift. The deadlift is one of the most important compound lifts because it works your whole body. Your legs, back, arms, and just about everything else. Start deadlifting and you can expect to pack on some weight very quickly.

Don't over-do it if you want to put on some size. Overtraining is one of the biggest mstakes among newbie lifters. Hitting the gym every day doesn't give your muscles time to recover and can greatly damper your gains. Hit the gym 3 or 4 times a week and work the compound lifts. If you are lifting hard you shouldn't be able to handle any more than this.

Also, don't forget to drink a post-workout shake right after your workout which contains a lot of protein and simple carbs. A general number to shoot for would be 50g of protein and 80g of carbs. You can add peanut butter or 2% milk for more calories or buy yourself a weight gainer.