What is Muscle Mass? How to Build and Maintain Muscles
STEEL Team
January 12, 2025
NEW
THIS IS A NOTICE
Muscle mass is a key determinant of your body’s strength and endurance. Not only does it enable effective physical activity, but it also plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health. At STEEL, we understand that building muscle mass is not just about appearance but also about enhancing strength, flexibility, and metabolism.
Achieving this requires a balanced diet and a well-structured training plan. Let STEEL guide you through the details of muscle mass and how to optimize the process below.
Muscle mass refers to the amount of muscle tissue in your body, which determines strength, endurance, and mobility. It enables activities like lifting, running, and maintaining balance, while also playing a vital role in metabolism. A well-developed muscular system helps the body burn calories efficiently, even at rest, aiding in weight control and cardiovascular health.
Muscle mass also protects bones and joints, reducing the risk of injuries during physical activities, which is especially important as we age. Beyond strength, muscles maintain flexibility, helping the body adapt to daily physical challenges.
To effectively build muscle mass, you need a consistent training regimen combined with a proper diet. In the following sections, we’ll explore the factors influencing muscle mass development and ways to optimize the process.
Muscle mass doesn’t just enhance physical strength; it also brings numerous health and quality-of-life benefits. STEEL emphasizes the importance of muscle mass and the positive impacts it can have on the body. Below are some key advantages of maintaining healthy muscle mass:
Increasing muscle mass not only makes you physically stronger but also enhances your daily life. With more muscle, everyday tasks like carrying items or taking on physical challenges become easier. You’ll experience less fatigue and more energy throughout the day.
Muscle mass also boosts metabolism, enabling your body to burn more calories even at rest. This helps maintain body composition, prevent weight gain, and reduce fat, effectively turning your body into an "energy-burning machine."
Muscle development provides a protective "armor" for joints, reducing the risk of injury, especially for older adults or those engaged in regular physical activities.
A strong muscular system improves balance and flexibility, minimizing future joint and bone issues.
Muscle growth stimulates the production of key hormones like testosterone, cortisol, and neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
As we age, muscle mass naturally declines, increasing the risk of falls and balance issues. Maintaining muscle mass promotes stability and strength, reducing the likelihood of injuries.
For older adults, muscle mass supports independence, reducing reliance on others, and improving overall quality of life.
Building muscle mass is not just a physical goal but also a journey that fosters mental resilience. Healthy muscles allow you to live fully and find meaning in daily activities and experiences, achieving harmony between physical and mental health.
A strong, healthy body not only improves appearance but also enhances confidence. Seeing the results of your efforts in the mirror brings satisfaction and pride, which positively impacts every aspect of life, from work to social relationships.
Several factors influence the development and maintenance of muscle mass, including genetics, diet, strength training, and sleep.
Understanding and optimizing these factors can help you not only develop muscle mass but also sustain it for long-term health and fitness benefits.
Strength training is the most effective method for promoting muscle growth. By challenging your muscles with resistance, you create microscopic tears in the muscle fibers, which then repair and grow stronger. This "breakdown and rebuild" cycle is central to muscle development.
In addition to building strength, resistance training improves bone density, cardiovascular health, and hormonal balance. It stimulates the production of growth hormones and testosterone, which are crucial for maintaining muscle mass and overall health, especially for older adults and women.
Consistency and a structured approach to strength training are essential for long-term results. There are no shortcuts—scientific and disciplined workouts are key.
To effectively build and maintain muscle mass, a consistent workout schedule is essential. Exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are highly recommended because they not only target individual muscle groups but also engage multiple groups simultaneously, maximizing the efficiency of each session. Complement these with free-weight exercises or simpler movements to ensure well-rounded muscle development.
You should aim to train 3-4 times a week to establish a sustainable foundation for muscle growth. Since muscles require time to recover and grow after each session, maintaining a regular schedule is key to continuous adaptation and improvement.
"If this feels too challenging or overwhelming, STEEL will craft a detailed plan for you—your only job is to stay persistent and follow the meticulously designed roadmap step by step."
However, consistency alone isn’t enough; increasing the intensity of your workouts is equally important. Over time, your body will adapt to the current training level, so you’ll need to gradually increase weights or intensity. This approach not only sustains progress but also accelerates muscle development. Small, incremental changes—such as adding 5% more weight or a few extra reps per set—will ensure your muscles don’t plateau.
Pushing your muscles out of their comfort zone is the key to building muscle mass. If you always keep workouts at a comfortable level, your muscles won’t be motivated to grow stronger. Therefore, regularly increase intensity by adjusting weights, rest periods, or reps in each exercise.
These small challenges force your muscles to adapt, driving continuous development. Additionally, varying exercises and targeting different muscle groups prevent stagnation, ensuring comprehensive growth.
Lastly, nutrition plays a vital role in increasing muscle mass. Without adequate nutrition, muscles cannot grow, no matter how hard you train.
Protein is the cornerstone of building and maintaining muscle mass. However, the required amount of protein varies by individual. For adults, consuming 1.2g to 2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is recommended.
Higher levels, such as 1.6g to 2.2g per kilogram, are suitable for individuals with significant muscle growth goals, such as athletes or those in a muscle-building phase.
To meet your daily protein needs, prioritize diverse sources from natural foods such as lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, and legumes.
However, protein alone isn’t enough. Carbohydrates provide energy for workouts, helping you sustain endurance and recovery, while fats aid in nutrient absorption and support essential bodily functions.
In summary, combining proper training with a balanced diet establishes a solid foundation for building and maintaining muscle mass. To sustain results, persistence is key, along with regularly adjusting both your workout and nutrition plans. Always listen to your body and make appropriate changes as needed.
"DON’T SKIMP ON TIME FOR EATING, SLEEPING, AND TRAINING"
At STEEL, we prioritize more than just “weight loss”—we focus on “fat loss” to maintain a healthier, more resilient body. We understand that living longer isn’t as important as living well—with vitality and the strength to face unexpected challenges.
The philosophy of muscle mass is at the core of STEEL’s training programs—not just for achieving a toned physique but also for building a sustainable foundation of health. If this process feels overwhelming or complex, STEEL is here to craft a detailed roadmap for you. All you need to do is stay persistent and believe in yourself.
