INBA PNBA natural bodybuilder Adrian Pietrariu gives tips to help you build muscle mass.
Hitting a plateau in the gym is common among gym-goers. If you’re past your newbie gains, then at some point, you’ll likely hit a plateau. In addition, there are specific diet protocols you must follow to build muscle mass. International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) natural bodybuilder Adrian Pietrariu shared tips on Instagram (IG) to help you build muscle mass no matter where you are in your fitness journey.
Adrian Pietrariu is an INBA PNBA Hall of Famer and was the INBA PNBA Athlete of the Year in 2018. On IG, Pietrariu stated:
“Eat Breakfast to help build Muscle Mass. Eat every three hours. Eat Protein with Each Meal to Boost Your Muscle Mass. Eat vegetables. Eat carbs & protein after your workout. Eat healthy fats. Drink water to help you build Muscle Mass. Eat Whole Foods 90% of The Time.”
Adrian Pietrariu continues to say:
“To stimulate muscle growth pick 1 or 2 basic exercises per muscle group and perform 4 to 6 all out hard work sets for each exercise. Rep range should be between 6 to 20 reps with all the weight you can safely handle.
Secret #2: Heavy Basic Exercises Build Big Muscles!”
Tips to Build Muscle Mass
According to Adrian Pietrariu, you’ll want to eat breakfast every three hours, protein after every meal, vegetables, carbs and protein after every workout, healthy fats, whole foods, and drink water to build muscle mass. You should also pick 1-2 exercises per muscle group and perform 4-6 sets in the 6-20 rep range.
Many doctors say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and Pietrariu concurs. Eating every few hours and including carbs, will continue to give your muscle the muscle glycogen it needs and keep your metabolism functioning efficiently. Protein is imperative for muscle growth, and consuming it within an hour after your workout can help with protein synthesis.
Eating whole foods is better for your body than junk food, of course. And clean foods including vegetables will have calories go into the muscle-building process instead of fat. Healthy fats will help fuel your workouts and hormones. Staying hydrated is essential because water transports vital nutrients to build muscle.
Performing reps with heavy weight in the 6-20 rep range will give your muscles the load and volume it needs to stimulate muscle growth. Of course, the number of reps you do will depend on your goal and the exercise.
For example, suppose you’re looking to focus more on building strength. In that case, we recommend heavier weight with fewer reps (6-8 reps) on big compound movements, e.g., barbell bench press and barbell shoulder press and medium reps (8-12 reps) on accessory exercises, e.g., barbell curl and tricep extensions. However, if you’re focusing on muscle mass, we recommend you lift in the medium rep range 8-12 reps on compound movements and higher reps closer to 20 on isolation movements.
Recap
There’s a science behind building muscle mass, and you must follow the correct strategies, especially of your diet, if you want to maximize muscle growth. So give these tips a try if your goal is to build more muscle!
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