Building muscle is relatively simple once you have all your systems in place.

• Energy Balance: Can’t build something from nothing. A positive energy balance (when caloric intake is more significant than energy expenditure) is a positive stimulator for muscle growth. Eat at or above maintenance calories (by 250 calories).

• Strength Training: Muscle tissue needs to be torn down in order to be rebuilt. This requires an appropriate stimulus. Following a strength program that prioritizes progressive overload is ideal.

• Protein Intake: Protein turns into necessary building block for repairing, maintaining, and growing muscle tissue. Have protein be the center stage of every meal you eat. 0.8-1.1 grams of protein per pound of body weight is an appropriate range to aim for.

• Sleep: Deep sleep which occurs during the first third of sleep time is when growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland. This is also when the body heals itself through repair and tissue regeneration. This is the physical restoration stage of sleep. Adequate sleep is more than 7 hours per night.

• Consistency: Committing to your strength program and proper nutrition for an extended period of time is necessary to make strength and muscle gains. building muscle should be a long term goal measured across months and years, not days and weeks.
  
  The hardest parts about building muscle are…you guessed it, patience and consistency.
  
  If you can settle into your routine and stay focused on lifting heavy and eating well… time will do the rest.