Top 5 Tips for Building Muscle

Building muscle is much harder than most people realise. It’s slow, it’s demanding, and it requires far more consistency than motivation. You can train for months before you see noticeable changes, and that’s completely normal.

The truth is, muscle growth isn’t about doing something fancy — it’s about nailing a handful of fundamentals and repeating them over and over again. If you get these basics right, the process becomes far more predictable and your results finally start to show.

1. Progressive Overload

Muscle only grows when it’s given a reason to, and that reason is progressive overload. Over time, you need to steadily increase the challenge — whether that means lifting a little heavier, performing more reps, adding an extra set, slowing the tempo, or improving your range of motion. As long as you're consistently asking your body to do slightly more than before, you’ll keep moving forward.

2. Sufficient Training Volume

Muscle responds best to a solid weekly dose of work. Typically, most people grow well with somewhere between 10 and 20 hard sets per muscle group each week, depending on training age and recovery. Too little volume won’t stimulate growth, and too much will leave you unable to recover, so finding that sweet spot is key to steady progress.

3. Training Close to Failure

One of the biggest drivers of muscle growth is pushing your sets close to the point where you can’t complete another rep with good form. This doesn’t mean every set should be a max-out, but the final reps should feel challenging, controlled, and slow. Most people stop far too early, so learning what true effort feels like is essential.

4. Eating Enough to Support Growth

Without adequate fuel, your body simply won’t prioritise building muscle. Hitting consistent protein intake, eating enough calories to support training, and consuming enough carbohydrates for energy all matter more than people think. If your goal is to grow, your nutrition has to match the demand you’re placing on your body.

5. Prioritising Sleep and Recovery

Muscle isn’t built during the workout — it’s built afterwards. Good sleep supports hormone balance, recovery, strength, energy, and the muscle-building process itself, while proper rest days prevent burnout and reduce the risk of injury. When you view sleep and recovery as part of your programming instead of an afterthought, your results accelerate.