The science of building muscle – One thing that we really liked about Bigger Leaner Stronger, is the fact that, while keeping things simple and easy to understand, the book still goes into detail about the science behind building muscle. According to Mike, there are 4 laws of building muscle, which are:

• Your muscles will only grow if you force them to grow
• Your muscles will only grow from being overload. They won’t grow from pumps or fatigue
• Muscle is built outside of the gym
• Your muscles will only grow if they are fed with the right nutrients

People seem to think that we build muscle in the gym through lifting weights. This is not true, in fact, it’s the exact opposite. We actually destroy our muscles through lifting weights as we cause microscopic rips and tears in the muscle tissues and fibres. The body actually repairs these tears when we rest, rebuilding them bigger and stronger than they were previously. However, it only does this if it has access to the right nutrients, and if the body is getting enough rest.

In order to build muscle, heavy weights must lift, and ideally you should perform intense, relatively low reps to failure. Getting enough sleep is vital when it comes to building muscle, as is eating the right foods at the right times. Without the right nutrition, it doesn’t matter how hard you are training, you simply won’t make any real progress. Generally, Mike Matthews breaks down the process of getting in shape into three sections:

• Lift hard and heavy
• Make sure you are getting enough rest
• Ensure that you are feeding the body with the right nutrients