if you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know by now that i have totally changed my workout routine over the past 3ish years and as a result feel like my body has really changed as well! i get asked all the time “how can i get arms like yours?!” (which, thank you! that’s nice of you to say haha) or questions around building muscle in general. as women i think this is something we tend to feel intimidated by or just…clueless about! i definitely did up until a few years ago.
so today i just wanted to share 3 simple tips with you guys for building muscle! keep in mind – i am not a personal trainer or a doctor or a dietician. these are all just tips i have learned from doing my own research, from my own workout routine, and from my own results. so, take this all with a grain of salt and know that i am NOT an expert! these are just a few things that have really helped me build muscle over the last few years!
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tip #1: protein
you can workout hard in the gym every day and still struggle to increase muscle / strength if you aren’t eating adequate protein. having enough protein in your diet is CRUCIAL for building muscle. again, i am not a dietician but what i have learned from research and listening to the experts is that in order to build muscle, you need .75g – 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. so, if you weigh 150lbs, you should be trying to get in around 150g of protein a day. and i think most women are REALLY undereating when it comes to protein! if you have no idea how much protein you’re getting in…it might be helpful to just track it for a day or two to see! so if you usually eat a bowl of oats in the morning and then a banana for a mid morning snack…that’s almost no protein. vs having 2 eggs in the morning with cottage cheese mixed in and then a protein shake mid-morning…that could be around 50g of protein!
i noticed a HUGE shift in my overall muscle tone when i upped my protein! i try and get in around 130g of protein everyday and it’s made a huge difference in my muscle and strength in the gym!
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tip #2: exercise programming
again, i am not a personal trainer so don’t come @ me for this. but i have researched this topic a lot, spoken with a lot of experts, as well as have my own experience to speak from and i personally think that the best way to gain muscle is…strength training. i love yoga and pilates and barre and running. but i really think those things will not move the needle when it comes to building muscle. that’s going to come from strength training / lifting weights.
if you don’t know where to start when it comes to weight lifting…i LOVE following a program that creates the structure for you! i have been doing madeline moves workouts since 2020 and also love evlo – both of these are incredible programs for strength training and it just takes the guesswork out of it for you. they have upper body days, lower body days, core-focused days, full body etc. i have seen incredible results with both of these workout programs and love how they’ve allowed me to put on muscle and just learn so much about strength training.
prior to finding these programs i kind of hopped around between a bunch of different workouts – spin classes, running, abs here and there, yoga, pilates etc. and there is NOTHING wrong with that! when it comes to working out, do what you enjoy and what’s fun for you! BUT if we are talking about this from a muscle-building standpoint…doing a bunch of random workouts like that will not be the most effective at gaining muscle. consistently strength training, specific muscles on certain days, week after week after week…is what will allow you to build muscle.
exercise selection / programming is everything when it comes to putting on muscle. if your goal is to just move and be active and have fun – then 100% go to all the classes and just do whatever sounds fun to you! but if your goal is to put on muscle, i think being consistent with one strength training program is where you will notice the best results.
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tip #3: supplements
supplements are intended to be just that –supplemental to your diet. so first you want to make sure you are adequately fueling your body with protein like we mentioned above! BUT i’ve noticed that there are 2 supplements in particular that have really helped me both with muscle building and muscle recovery!
the first is creatine. creatine is one of the most studied + proven supplements to help with muscle building and muscle recovery. there are SO many benefits to taking creatine daily: build lean muscle, quicker recovery, increase energy, and cognitive boost…to name a few! i’m currently taking the create creatine gummy and LOVE it . prior to this gummy i was taking the cymbiotika creatine+ which i also highly recommend. having a good creatine in your supplement regimen – whether it’s a powder you put in a smoothie or one of the ones i mentioned above, can really help when it comes to muscle building! creatine can also help to reduce post exercise fatigue and support muscle mass and strength. michael and i both take creatine everyday!
the other supplement i take regularly that i think has helped with both muscle building and muscle recovery is kion aminos. i’ve listened to the founder of kion on a few podcasts explain the science behind amino acids and why kion in particular is so effective for muscle building and muscle recovery. i won’t get into all the science here but if you’re curious to learn more definitely check out the podcast he did with the skinny confidential if you want the nitty gritty! but here’s the gist of my understanding – amino acids form the proteins that make up your muscles. your body needs essential amino acids (EAAs) in order to build muscle. high protein foods contain up to 25% EAAs where has EAA supplements 100% EAA’s!
(sorry – i tend to nerd out over stuff like this lol but here’s the cliff note version). kion aminos can help sculpt a toned body, age powerfully, and activate your athleticism! Kion Aminos contains up to 8x more EAAs than whole food protein sources gram for gram. i put a scoop of this (my favorite flavor is mango) in my water and drink it once a day, every single day, and have notified a significant improvement in both muscle growth and recovery! also this link should get you 20% off kion!
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again, take ALL of this with a grain of salt! i am not a personal trainer or a doctor or a dietician! this is all just information i’ve gathered over the past few years after doing my own research and putting together a workout + diet routine that’s allowed me to put on muscle! so i hope these tips are helpful for y’all! let me know if you have any questions i can help answer!
xo Lauren
