The Stack

The resurgence of building muscle has increasingly dominated social media since the pandemic - one which I believe has brought a lot of positive and empowering views on growing muscle.

Part of this surge has also focused on the importance of building and maintaining muscle as we age. With studies showing that muscle mass is linked to longevity and more survivability against disease (I’m already sold!). Research is even showing that stronger legs can preserve mental function.

It’s never too late to start building your muscle mass but it’s also a good idea to start as soon as you can. With that said, you can start growing your muscle mass as per the stack below.

1. Resistance training, be it body weight, with resistance bands or weights, is the best way to train your way towards muscle growth.

2. From a diet point of view, consuming enough protein is essential for muscle growth and maintenance. Across the board, there are a few recommendations on how much to consume. The range that encapsulates most of these recommendations is between 1.6 to 2.2g per kg of body weight.

3. Next is heat exposure. There are studies showing that sauna exposure can increase muscle growth. You can get even bigger benefits if you follow resistance training with heat exposure, than doing both on separate occasions.

4. As a bonus, Dr Rhonda Patrick recommends 2-4g of omega 3 per day for muscle gain.