July 16, 2025 • 21 mins
Whether you wanted to build stronger looking legs, more rounded shoulders or just a stronger, more muscular body all around... here are the 7 steps to take to make it happen.
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Kindal Boyle has been a personal trainer for nearly 20 years focusing on women's strength and fitness. She'll teach you how to combine strength training and cardio for a hybrid approach to build the fittest body and life no matter where you are in your fitness journey.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) What's up guys?
Welcome to the fit ones with the podcast
on today's episode We are gonna talk about
the importance of not sticking a potato up
your hoo-ha.
Yeah, you heard that right But before we
do welcome to the show It's been a
hot minute since you and I've just sat
down had a conversation We've had some guests
on for the past couple episodes and I've
also been playing some older episodes because you
(00:22):
know it they're over 750 previous fit ones
with the episodes and I'm gonna guess you
probably haven't heard all of them So I've
been super busy putting together a couple of
new programs and in the meantime I thought
that was a great opportunity to bring some
of the more popular past episodes out of
the safe and Replay them for you guys.
So definitely check those out if you haven't
(00:43):
already now on today's episode I'm gonna share
with you step by step what I would
do if my goal was strictly to add
Muscle mass to my body.
I wanted to get more toned What is
it that I would do with my daily
routine to make sure that I got the
results that I wanted But to start us
off.
I want to rewind about 20 years ago
(01:06):
Actually a little bit less than that.
We're gonna say 18 years ago Right out
of college.
I wanted to get a med school So
in the meantime all I was saying for
my MCATs My first job out of school
was working as a medical assistant for a
breast center and the doctor that I worked
for Was amazing.
Her name was dr.
Baron.
She became a second mother to me She
(01:27):
became a mentor to me and we would
sit basically in a dark cave She was
a radiologist that specialized in mammography.
So she was sitting in a dark room
all the time just looking at images and
We had some really great conversations in those
times where we're just sitting together looking at
all of these all the films and During
(01:49):
that she would share with me different stories
about her Experience going through med school and
one of them was during her fellowship.
So out of med school She was working
out at an ER at a hospital and
she had this woman come in Well a
woman came into the ER and she was
leaking green goo out of places that should
(02:09):
not be leaking green goo And so of
course, they're like what's going on.
Let's run all of the tests They sent
her up to do x-rays and when
the x-rays came to dr.
Baron, she looked at it went Oh my
gosh, this is not normal.
What the heck is going on?
There's definitely something up there So, of course
doctors went up took a look and they
(02:32):
found a rotten potato Yeah, you heard that
correctly and so they went to the lady
and I was like, why did you have
this potato up there?
I'm sure that's not the exact way that
the conversation went but something along those lines
And she went oh my gosh I forgot
I had had a yeast infection a couple
weeks ago and I had heard that sticking
(02:53):
a potato up there Will help get rid
of the yeast infection It did not get
rid of her yeast infection and obviously it
caused more harm than good But I've always
wondered like how did you one get it
up there to not feel it and three?
Forget about it, especially when you started to
(03:14):
get goo coming out of places that should
not be that kind of goo, right?
But anyways the story and how this all
ties together.
I can't believe I've never shared this on
the podcast I actually just sent this story
out on my newsletter and my husband every
time we're around people He's like you've got
to hear this story So he's been trying
(03:35):
to get me to tell it to you
guys forever But I I don't want to
just tell a story to tell it I
want to make sure that I can tie
it in and I feel like I can
finally do that because what this story tells
us is that We live in a society
where you hear things and you go well
so-and-so told me this so it
must be true, right?
Especially because of social media especially because of
(03:58):
things like tick-tock where that's where a
lot of people get their Information from they
can say oh my gosh so-and-so
is it a quote-unquote expert?
You know they went through some sort of
certification and now they're telling me that I
should be taking these ten supplements that this
is What's gonna change my body?
It's gonna balance out my hormones or They
look at somebody who looks amazing and they
(04:20):
say she must know what she's talking about
because look at her When at the end
of the day these quote-unquote experts are
not experts at all and we're putting our
trust in untrustworthy people people that are just
very passionate about something but that doesn't mean
that they actually know what they're putting out
and People who are sometimes just unfortunately trying
(04:41):
to make a buck and in the end
their advice could either be holding you back
Taking it giving it a longer opportunity for
you to get the results that you want
Or it could be a potato up the
hoo-ha and causing you more harm than
good Simply because you heard this was what
was gonna solve your problems So it is
(05:02):
so so important to make sure that you
are going to the experts with what it
is that you're looking after not Just with
your health and fitness, but in all realms
of life, right?
if you need help with something find someone
who actually is an expert who knows what
they're doing and is a qualified individual to
help you in the journey that you're trying
to get through and as a personal trainer
(05:24):
for over 18 years and as someone who
did not get My certification and just immediately
start training people online I literally trained clients
one-on-one for over 15 years So
yeah, I feel like I'm qualified to answer
the questions that you guys have and recently
see now bringing this all full circle I
was asked the question.
(05:44):
What would I do if my goal was
to gain five to ten pounds of muscle?
What are the steps that I would take
and there are actually seven of them that
we are quickly gonna go through so that
you Can take this information and go ahead
and get started First off I would go
ahead and have a realistic expectations If it
is muscle mass that I want to build
(06:05):
whether it's trying to build a better, but
whether I'm trying to build total body Mass
all over trying to build muscle throughout my
entire body or if I'm trying to target
areas get better shoulders Whatever it is.
I'm gonna have realistic expectations and realize that
for a woman I'm gonna expect about a
quarter to a half a pound of Muscle
(06:26):
mass building per month and I know that
that doesn't sound long or sound like a
lot But it takes a lot of energy
and effort for your body to actually build
muscle mass and that takes time and most
of all It takes being consistent when I
look back from one month to the next
sometimes I'm like am I really seeing the
results that I want?
(06:46):
But then when I look back for like
six months, I'm like, oh man, the results
have been showing So set those realistic expectations
for yourself And if you're not getting these
crazy muscle building results within just a week
or two Know that this is not something
for the liver King, right?
We're not taking steroids We're not going about
this in an unhealthy way But this is
(07:07):
realistic and as long as you're putting in
the work of these other six steps You
will get the results that you want cool
Step number two is stop being in a
calorie Deficit in order to build muscle mass
your body needs the tools that it needs
to build that mass and that takes Making
sure that you get enough protein into your
diet and make sure that you are getting
(07:28):
enough calories in through your diet So that
your body can repair itself and rebuild.
You are not trying to go and be
in a deficit.
You're trying to Build right trying to be
in an anabolic state of building and so
to do that make sure that you are
in some sort Deficit of anywhere between 100
or I'm sorry Surplus where you're eating about
(07:49):
100 to 300 calories extra per day now
There is an asterisk if you're brand new
to straight training You can get some crazy
newbie gains at the start of your training
where even if you are in a calorie
deficit You're going to go into like a
body Recomposition phase where it is pretty easy
for newbies that are just getting started on
(08:09):
their journey to burn body fat and build
muscle Simultaneously, but for someone who's already been
working out consistently Those newbie gains are going
to be a lot slimmer and it does
take being more into a cool calorie surplus
to actually build muscle mass So if you're
always in a deficit and you're wondering why
you're not looking more toned That is why
start eating at least at maintenance But preferably
(08:32):
go into that 100 to 300 calorie surplus
and you're going to build yourself up to
get faster results tip number two Prioritize protein
like I just said we want to be
in that calorie surplus But we also want
to make sure that we're giving our muscles
the building blocks that they deserve Muscle is
made out of amino acids and that is
(08:52):
made from protein So we're taking our protein
from our diet and then helping us to
rebuild and repair our muscles after our workouts
to then get bigger stronger muscles, so how
much protein should you be getting a Normal
diet recommends about 0.6 grams of protein
per pound that you weigh.
However, we're not doing a normal diet We're
(09:13):
trying to go into an anabolic phase where
we're actually building muscle and so for that
We're trying to go into more of a
0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein
Per pound that you weigh if you are
considered obese Then going with a 1 gram
of protein might be very very difficult for
you depending on how much that's recommend Recommending
(09:35):
right so trying to get like 250 grams
of protein might be a little bit too
much Just a little bit too hard So
in order to not feel defeated from the
get-go at least start with that point
eight But if you're capable definitely work more
towards that one gram if not up to
1.2. There's no Greater gains if you're
trying to go beyond that so make sure
(09:57):
that the protein is good quality Make sure
that you're getting a well-rounded diet.
And if that means Supplementing with a protein
powder then that's fine and we'll talk more
about that here in just a second number
three Lifting obviously if we want to build
muscle, you gotta start picking up weights You
got to start moving your body and you
(10:18):
have to go near failure for most of
your workouts So you want to go into
big compound lifts meaning lifts like squats deadlifts
pull-ups Binch press Big exercises that work
multiple muscle groups at once and big muscle
groups to get the biggest bang from your
buck and you want to Lift about three
(10:39):
to five times now in a previous episode
recently I talked about how you should do
your splits should you do all total body
workouts?
Should you do an upper body lower body
split and really that depends on what your
training routine looks like if you're lifting Three
days a week.
I would recommend all three of those lifts
being total body That way you're making sure
that you're getting the most volume for all
(11:01):
of your big muscle groups if you're working
out more than that, I do recommend probably
two total body lifting days and then One
to two or I'm sorry And then you
can do like two split days So you
can do a total body and then you
can do an upper body split Then you
can do a lower body split and then
you can do another upper body split Make
sure that you're never doing or and on
(11:21):
another total body split Make sure that you're
never doing back-to-back-to-back lifts
of the same muscle groups because you do
want to make sure that you're giving your
muscles time to rest and recover so when
I'm doing like an upper body split followed
by a Total body.
I'll make sure that that total body split
is more Tailored towards the lower body to
(11:44):
give my upper body from the workout before
a little bit of a rest But I'll
still make sure to add in some of
the exercises that maybe didn't target a certain
muscle so for example if that sounded really
confusing if I do an upper body workout
where it's a lot of pulling a lot
of different rows and Then I have just
like one or two Press exercises like an
(12:04):
overhead press or a chest press then I'll
incorporate more of those press Exercises into my
next workout so that my back can recover
from all the pulling and then I'll make
sure to add in some extra lower body
exercises So you do want to make sure
that you're tailoring it correctly so that you
give your body the opportunity to rest and
recover and You don't push too hard back
(12:25):
-to-back days now that also comes down
to actually following a training program versus just
Picking random workouts offline and being like that
looks like fun So this is when if
you have a specific goal I cannot stress
the importance enough of actually working with a
trainer and following a program of some sort
and fitmans weekly live which is my online
(12:46):
training program.
We do eight week chunks of Training goals
like right now.
We're focusing on kettlebell strength and cardio endurance
and then after eight weeks We'll change things
up to another training block But we do
that to have a goal in mind and
then also to make sure that we are
programming out smart training for our clients So
make sure that you find a trainer that
(13:07):
works for you that is working on the
goals that you want to actually accomplish and
then the fourth tip is make sure that
you're tracking and that goes back to the
different workouts because like I said Every workout
that you do you want to make sure
that you're really pushing your effort to where
you're almost at failure with your lifts Or
with your workouts depending on what your goals
are So if it's obviously we're trying to
(13:29):
make our muscles going to a state of
hypertrophy We want each of our lifts to
go near failure And how do you know
if you're doing that if you're not tracking
if you're not tracking and you don't remember
what you did from one workout to the
next then chances are you're gonna be leaving
a little bit of Gas in the tank
when you should be starting out heavier because
you're going wait I don't remember what I
did last week So I'm just gonna start
(13:49):
it this weight and then I'll work my
way up if I feel like I need
to So make sure that you're tracking so
that you can say okay last week I
did three sets of eight reps using a
35 pound weight this time I'm gonna stick
with three sets of eight reps, but instead
of the 35 pound I'm gonna try to
do it with a 40 pounder, right?
(14:10):
So you're trying to progress and push a
little bit harder from one time to the
next and if you're not tracking You're doing
yourself a huge disservice and slowing down the
results that you could be getting so track
Tip number next I think this is tip
number six.
I think the last I think tracking was
actually tip number five Tip number six sleep
(14:30):
and recover.
I can't stress this enough I feel like
this is something that's talked about and a
lot of times you go like well duh
But yet we don't do enough of it
Make sure that you're getting at least seven
hours of sleep per night Preferably eight to
nine and make sure that you're cutting out
the stresses of life that you can now
I know life is busy life is stressful
there's some things that we just can't cut
(14:50):
back on but if you are able to
take a Some of that stress out and
push it to the side Now is the
time to do it try to simplify your
life as much as possible Make sure that
you're also spending time doing other recovery habits
like stretching and foam rolling things that will
help drive blood To those muscle groups that
you're working so hard on so that they
(15:12):
can recover faster and be ready and also
heal and get bigger And stronger and then
tip number seven supplement with a couple of
things if Needed like I'm never gonna say
you need to take this But if I
were personally and that was what the topic
was if I was personally trying to gain
muscle I would make sure to be supplementing
(15:32):
with creatine, which I would be taking five
grams a day Every single day which I
do do that I'd also be taking an
electrolyte just to help with my body and
help with hydration because obviously hydration is key
to recovery and movement and performance and I
would be taking a whey protein supplement I
Obviously believe in getting most of my food
(15:53):
or most of my nutrients through real food
However, when you're trying to take in so
much protein of one gram of protein per
pound that I weigh That can be really
hard.
And you know while some people might love
eating that much meat throughout the day That's
not so great for me So I would
personally use a really high-quality whey protein
(16:15):
to help with that And I say whey
protein because it's gentle on the stomach.
It is a complete protein and It's pretty
easy to find Right.
We just get ours from Costco now the
great thing.
There are so many options There's some great
plant proteins out there as well.
But if you're gonna do a plant protein
source, make sure that it is a Mix
(16:37):
of different types.
So like rice protein pea protein Broccoli protein
alfalfa protein make sure that it's sourced from
a whole bunch of different things to make
sure it is making a complete protein versus
if you just Stick to like I don't
know one type and then I would also
avoid a soy protein supplement for some people
(16:59):
It can have some side effects.
I'm not a fan of soy protein but
you do you and just make sure that
you're tracking so that you know the different
type that how much you're actually getting per
day and I think that's it.
Oh also when it comes to tracking I'm
Have my notes so I don't forget anything
Make sure that you're doing things also to
(17:20):
track your progress not just how you're doing
with one workout to the next But like
I talked about earlier because muscle building is
such a prolonged Activity right, it's not as
if you're gonna gain 10 pounds in one
month.
You're gonna have those times You're like I'm
not seeing results So I would suggest once
a week or at least once every two
weeks Taking progress of pictures of yourself and
(17:42):
then making sure to compare them I personally
was going through a hypertrophy program for about
12 weeks at the end of 2024 up
until the spring of 2025 and at times
I was going like is this really working?
I'm pushing myself to the brink of like
oh my god I can't lift one more
(18:02):
rep, but am I actually seeing results and
so when I actually took the time to
take progress pictures I was like, oh my
god, my legs have never been this defined
and for some people you they might look
at that and go I can see a
difference, but it's pretty small.
Well, you know what again small results are
results I've been lifting for 20 years now
so to be able to continue to Get
(18:25):
changes with my physique or to build more
muscle mass is pretty cool and to be
able to see those results made me realize
This is working.
Obviously, luckily, I know what I'm doing, but
it's still yes This is working.
I'm seeing results and it helps you to
continue working forward and keep going So take
progress pictures.
(18:45):
I wouldn't suggest necessarily taking Your scale like
your weight because we're not trying to lose
weight We're trying to build muscle and for
some of us that can really play mind
games with us when we get on the
scale And you might be up a few
pounds, even though it could be water weight.
It can be inflammation from lifting so hard
And yes, if you gain muscle, it's going
to weigh a little bit more But how
(19:08):
would you feel with your body if you
looked completely different you looked leaner you look
stronger But you gained 10 pounds more with
that take away From the benefits and the
results that you've gotten I'm gonna guess probably
not but yet it can still mess with
us So I would stay away from the
scale if you are somebody like that and
I can totally relate But progress pictures are
(19:30):
absolutely the way to go So that's what
I would do if Michael was to gain
muscle mass get out of the calorie surplus
Have realistic expert expectations of how much time
this is going to take prioritize protein lift
three to five times per week one additional
tip with that too is while I would
(19:51):
absolutely focus on compound lifts like I talked
about with Knee flexion hip flexion push and
pull exercises at the end of the workouts
I would add in one to three accessory
lifts meaning more isolated movement.
So if my goal was to build Shoulder
caps right?
I wanted better delts at the end of
my workout I would add in a couple
(20:12):
of sets of lateral raises and front raises
and shoulder pulses and things like that that
are then gonna focus directly on The specific
muscles that I want to train.
I wouldn't do that at the front of
a workout because then I'm Risking fatiguing muscles
that are gonna help me with my compound
lifts And those are definitely where you're gonna
get more bang for your buck So just
(20:32):
something to keep in mind track track the
actual workouts that you're doing and track your
progress with track progress pictures sleep recover cut
stress as much as possible foam roll stretch
and then Supplement if you feel like you're
capable of doing that things with creatine which
I've recently did a podcast episode on creatine
(20:52):
So check that out and away protein powder
or any type of protein powder that works
for you Alright guys, that's what we had
if you found this episode Helpful at all
do me a quick favor Hit that like
button and share it because I'm gonna guess
if you enjoy this kind of content that
other people in your life Are gonna enjoy
(21:13):
it as well.
We typically surround ourselves with people that are
similar to us, right?
So share it with your friends and family
and I would love you forever Comment down
below any questions that you have and we
can answer it on Friday's follow-up Q
&A I do want to get back to
doing follow-up Fridays where I just answer
questions and they're very short and just very
relaxed episodes So comment your questions.
(21:35):
Let me know what's on your mind and
we'll continue the conversation.
Alright Bye
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) What's up guys?
Welcome to the fit ones with the podcast
on today's episode We are gonna talk about
the importance of not sticking a potato up
your hoo-ha.
Yeah, you heard that right But before we
do welcome to the show It's been a
hot minute since you and I've just sat
down had a conversation We've had some guests
on for the past couple episodes and I've
also been playing some older episodes because you
(00:22):
know it they're over 750 previous fit ones
with the episodes and I'm gonna guess you
probably haven't heard all of them So I've
been super busy putting together a couple of
new programs and in the meantime I thought
that was a great opportunity to bring some
of the more popular past episodes out of
the safe and Replay them for you guys.
So definitely check those out if you haven't
(00:43):
already now on today's episode I'm gonna share
with you step by step what I would
do if my goal was strictly to add
Muscle mass to my body.
I wanted to get more toned What is
it that I would do with my daily
routine to make sure that I got the
results that I wanted But to start us
off.
I want to rewind about 20 years ago
(01:06):
Actually a little bit less than that.
We're gonna say 18 years ago Right out
of college.
I wanted to get a med school So
in the meantime all I was saying for
my MCATs My first job out of school
was working as a medical assistant for a
breast center and the doctor that I worked
for Was amazing.
Her name was dr.
Baron.
She became a second mother to me She
(01:27):
became a mentor to me and we would
sit basically in a dark cave She was
a radiologist that specialized in mammography.
So she was sitting in a dark room
all the time just looking at images and
We had some really great conversations in those
times where we're just sitting together looking at
all of these all the films and During
(01:49):
that she would share with me different stories
about her Experience going through med school and
one of them was during her fellowship.
So out of med school She was working
out at an ER at a hospital and
she had this woman come in Well a
woman came into the ER and she was
leaking green goo out of places that should
(02:09):
not be leaking green goo And so of
course, they're like what's going on.
Let's run all of the tests They sent
her up to do x-rays and when
the x-rays came to dr.
Baron, she looked at it went Oh my
gosh, this is not normal.
What the heck is going on?
There's definitely something up there So, of course
doctors went up took a look and they
(02:32):
found a rotten potato Yeah, you heard that
correctly and so they went to the lady
and I was like, why did you have
this potato up there?
I'm sure that's not the exact way that
the conversation went but something along those lines
And she went oh my gosh I forgot
I had had a yeast infection a couple
weeks ago and I had heard that sticking
(02:53):
a potato up there Will help get rid
of the yeast infection It did not get
rid of her yeast infection and obviously it
caused more harm than good But I've always
wondered like how did you one get it
up there to not feel it and three?
Forget about it, especially when you started to
(03:14):
get goo coming out of places that should
not be that kind of goo, right?
But anyways the story and how this all
ties together.
I can't believe I've never shared this on
the podcast I actually just sent this story
out on my newsletter and my husband every
time we're around people He's like you've got
to hear this story So he's been trying
(03:35):
to get me to tell it to you
guys forever But I I don't want to
just tell a story to tell it I
want to make sure that I can tie
it in and I feel like I can
finally do that because what this story tells
us is that We live in a society
where you hear things and you go well
so-and-so told me this so it
must be true, right?
Especially because of social media especially because of
(03:58):
things like tick-tock where that's where a
lot of people get their Information from they
can say oh my gosh so-and-so
is it a quote-unquote expert?
You know they went through some sort of
certification and now they're telling me that I
should be taking these ten supplements that this
is What's gonna change my body?
It's gonna balance out my hormones or They
look at somebody who looks amazing and they
(04:20):
say she must know what she's talking about
because look at her When at the end
of the day these quote-unquote experts are
not experts at all and we're putting our
trust in untrustworthy people people that are just
very passionate about something but that doesn't mean
that they actually know what they're putting out
and People who are sometimes just unfortunately trying
(04:41):
to make a buck and in the end
their advice could either be holding you back
Taking it giving it a longer opportunity for
you to get the results that you want
Or it could be a potato up the
hoo-ha and causing you more harm than
good Simply because you heard this was what
was gonna solve your problems So it is
(05:02):
so so important to make sure that you
are going to the experts with what it
is that you're looking after not Just with
your health and fitness, but in all realms
of life, right?
if you need help with something find someone
who actually is an expert who knows what
they're doing and is a qualified individual to
help you in the journey that you're trying
to get through and as a personal trainer
(05:24):
for over 18 years and as someone who
did not get My certification and just immediately
start training people online I literally trained clients
one-on-one for over 15 years So
yeah, I feel like I'm qualified to answer
the questions that you guys have and recently
see now bringing this all full circle I
was asked the question.
(05:44):
What would I do if my goal was
to gain five to ten pounds of muscle?
What are the steps that I would take
and there are actually seven of them that
we are quickly gonna go through so that
you Can take this information and go ahead
and get started First off I would go
ahead and have a realistic expectations If it
is muscle mass that I want to build
(06:05):
whether it's trying to build a better, but
whether I'm trying to build total body Mass
all over trying to build muscle throughout my
entire body or if I'm trying to target
areas get better shoulders Whatever it is.
I'm gonna have realistic expectations and realize that
for a woman I'm gonna expect about a
quarter to a half a pound of Muscle
(06:26):
mass building per month and I know that
that doesn't sound long or sound like a
lot But it takes a lot of energy
and effort for your body to actually build
muscle mass and that takes time and most
of all It takes being consistent when I
look back from one month to the next
sometimes I'm like am I really seeing the
results that I want?
(06:46):
But then when I look back for like
six months, I'm like, oh man, the results
have been showing So set those realistic expectations
for yourself And if you're not getting these
crazy muscle building results within just a week
or two Know that this is not something
for the liver King, right?
We're not taking steroids We're not going about
this in an unhealthy way But this is
(07:07):
realistic and as long as you're putting in
the work of these other six steps You
will get the results that you want cool
Step number two is stop being in a
calorie Deficit in order to build muscle mass
your body needs the tools that it needs
to build that mass and that takes Making
sure that you get enough protein into your
diet and make sure that you are getting
(07:28):
enough calories in through your diet So that
your body can repair itself and rebuild.
You are not trying to go and be
in a deficit.
You're trying to Build right trying to be
in an anabolic state of building and so
to do that make sure that you are
in some sort Deficit of anywhere between 100
or I'm sorry Surplus where you're eating about
(07:49):
100 to 300 calories extra per day now
There is an asterisk if you're brand new
to straight training You can get some crazy
newbie gains at the start of your training
where even if you are in a calorie
deficit You're going to go into like a
body Recomposition phase where it is pretty easy
for newbies that are just getting started on
(08:09):
their journey to burn body fat and build
muscle Simultaneously, but for someone who's already been
working out consistently Those newbie gains are going
to be a lot slimmer and it does
take being more into a cool calorie surplus
to actually build muscle mass So if you're
always in a deficit and you're wondering why
you're not looking more toned That is why
start eating at least at maintenance But preferably
(08:32):
go into that 100 to 300 calorie surplus
and you're going to build yourself up to
get faster results tip number two Prioritize protein
like I just said we want to be
in that calorie surplus But we also want
to make sure that we're giving our muscles
the building blocks that they deserve Muscle is
made out of amino acids and that is
(08:52):
made from protein So we're taking our protein
from our diet and then helping us to
rebuild and repair our muscles after our workouts
to then get bigger stronger muscles, so how
much protein should you be getting a Normal
diet recommends about 0.6 grams of protein
per pound that you weigh.
However, we're not doing a normal diet We're
(09:13):
trying to go into an anabolic phase where
we're actually building muscle and so for that
We're trying to go into more of a
0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein
Per pound that you weigh if you are
considered obese Then going with a 1 gram
of protein might be very very difficult for
you depending on how much that's recommend Recommending
(09:35):
right so trying to get like 250 grams
of protein might be a little bit too
much Just a little bit too hard So
in order to not feel defeated from the
get-go at least start with that point
eight But if you're capable definitely work more
towards that one gram if not up to
1.2. There's no Greater gains if you're
trying to go beyond that so make sure
(09:57):
that the protein is good quality Make sure
that you're getting a well-rounded diet.
And if that means Supplementing with a protein
powder then that's fine and we'll talk more
about that here in just a second number
three Lifting obviously if we want to build
muscle, you gotta start picking up weights You
got to start moving your body and you
(10:18):
have to go near failure for most of
your workouts So you want to go into
big compound lifts meaning lifts like squats deadlifts
pull-ups Binch press Big exercises that work
multiple muscle groups at once and big muscle
groups to get the biggest bang from your
buck and you want to Lift about three
(10:39):
to five times now in a previous episode
recently I talked about how you should do
your splits should you do all total body
workouts?
Should you do an upper body lower body
split and really that depends on what your
training routine looks like if you're lifting Three
days a week.
I would recommend all three of those lifts
being total body That way you're making sure
that you're getting the most volume for all
(11:01):
of your big muscle groups if you're working
out more than that, I do recommend probably
two total body lifting days and then One
to two or I'm sorry And then you
can do like two split days So you
can do a total body and then you
can do an upper body split Then you
can do a lower body split and then
you can do another upper body split Make
sure that you're never doing or and on
(11:21):
another total body split Make sure that you're
never doing back-to-back-to-back lifts
of the same muscle groups because you do
want to make sure that you're giving your
muscles time to rest and recover so when
I'm doing like an upper body split followed
by a Total body.
I'll make sure that that total body split
is more Tailored towards the lower body to
(11:44):
give my upper body from the workout before
a little bit of a rest But I'll
still make sure to add in some of
the exercises that maybe didn't target a certain
muscle so for example if that sounded really
confusing if I do an upper body workout
where it's a lot of pulling a lot
of different rows and Then I have just
like one or two Press exercises like an
(12:04):
overhead press or a chest press then I'll
incorporate more of those press Exercises into my
next workout so that my back can recover
from all the pulling and then I'll make
sure to add in some extra lower body
exercises So you do want to make sure
that you're tailoring it correctly so that you
give your body the opportunity to rest and
recover and You don't push too hard back
(12:25):
-to-back days now that also comes down
to actually following a training program versus just
Picking random workouts offline and being like that
looks like fun So this is when if
you have a specific goal I cannot stress
the importance enough of actually working with a
trainer and following a program of some sort
and fitmans weekly live which is my online
(12:46):
training program.
We do eight week chunks of Training goals
like right now.
We're focusing on kettlebell strength and cardio endurance
and then after eight weeks We'll change things
up to another training block But we do
that to have a goal in mind and
then also to make sure that we are
programming out smart training for our clients So
make sure that you find a trainer that
(13:07):
works for you that is working on the
goals that you want to actually accomplish and
then the fourth tip is make sure that
you're tracking and that goes back to the
different workouts because like I said Every workout
that you do you want to make sure
that you're really pushing your effort to where
you're almost at failure with your lifts Or
with your workouts depending on what your goals
are So if it's obviously we're trying to
(13:29):
make our muscles going to a state of
hypertrophy We want each of our lifts to
go near failure And how do you know
if you're doing that if you're not tracking
if you're not tracking and you don't remember
what you did from one workout to the
next then chances are you're gonna be leaving
a little bit of Gas in the tank
when you should be starting out heavier because
you're going wait I don't remember what I
did last week So I'm just gonna start
(13:49):
it this weight and then I'll work my
way up if I feel like I need
to So make sure that you're tracking so
that you can say okay last week I
did three sets of eight reps using a
35 pound weight this time I'm gonna stick
with three sets of eight reps, but instead
of the 35 pound I'm gonna try to
do it with a 40 pounder, right?
(14:10):
So you're trying to progress and push a
little bit harder from one time to the
next and if you're not tracking You're doing
yourself a huge disservice and slowing down the
results that you could be getting so track
Tip number next I think this is tip
number six.
I think the last I think tracking was
actually tip number five Tip number six sleep
(14:30):
and recover.
I can't stress this enough I feel like
this is something that's talked about and a
lot of times you go like well duh
But yet we don't do enough of it
Make sure that you're getting at least seven
hours of sleep per night Preferably eight to
nine and make sure that you're cutting out
the stresses of life that you can now
I know life is busy life is stressful
there's some things that we just can't cut
(14:50):
back on but if you are able to
take a Some of that stress out and
push it to the side Now is the
time to do it try to simplify your
life as much as possible Make sure that
you're also spending time doing other recovery habits
like stretching and foam rolling things that will
help drive blood To those muscle groups that
you're working so hard on so that they
(15:12):
can recover faster and be ready and also
heal and get bigger And stronger and then
tip number seven supplement with a couple of
things if Needed like I'm never gonna say
you need to take this But if I
were personally and that was what the topic
was if I was personally trying to gain
muscle I would make sure to be supplementing
(15:32):
with creatine, which I would be taking five
grams a day Every single day which I
do do that I'd also be taking an
electrolyte just to help with my body and
help with hydration because obviously hydration is key
to recovery and movement and performance and I
would be taking a whey protein supplement I
Obviously believe in getting most of my food
(15:53):
or most of my nutrients through real food
However, when you're trying to take in so
much protein of one gram of protein per
pound that I weigh That can be really
hard.
And you know while some people might love
eating that much meat throughout the day That's
not so great for me So I would
personally use a really high-quality whey protein
(16:15):
to help with that And I say whey
protein because it's gentle on the stomach.
It is a complete protein and It's pretty
easy to find Right.
We just get ours from Costco now the
great thing.
There are so many options There's some great
plant proteins out there as well.
But if you're gonna do a plant protein
source, make sure that it is a Mix
(16:37):
of different types.
So like rice protein pea protein Broccoli protein
alfalfa protein make sure that it's sourced from
a whole bunch of different things to make
sure it is making a complete protein versus
if you just Stick to like I don't
know one type and then I would also
avoid a soy protein supplement for some people
(16:59):
It can have some side effects.
I'm not a fan of soy protein but
you do you and just make sure that
you're tracking so that you know the different
type that how much you're actually getting per
day and I think that's it.
Oh also when it comes to tracking I'm
Have my notes so I don't forget anything
Make sure that you're doing things also to
(17:20):
track your progress not just how you're doing
with one workout to the next But like
I talked about earlier because muscle building is
such a prolonged Activity right, it's not as
if you're gonna gain 10 pounds in one
month.
You're gonna have those times You're like I'm
not seeing results So I would suggest once
a week or at least once every two
weeks Taking progress of pictures of yourself and
(17:42):
then making sure to compare them I personally
was going through a hypertrophy program for about
12 weeks at the end of 2024 up
until the spring of 2025 and at times
I was going like is this really working?
I'm pushing myself to the brink of like
oh my god I can't lift one more
(18:02):
rep, but am I actually seeing results and
so when I actually took the time to
take progress pictures I was like, oh my
god, my legs have never been this defined
and for some people you they might look
at that and go I can see a
difference, but it's pretty small.
Well, you know what again small results are
results I've been lifting for 20 years now
so to be able to continue to Get
(18:25):
changes with my physique or to build more
muscle mass is pretty cool and to be
able to see those results made me realize
This is working.
Obviously, luckily, I know what I'm doing, but
it's still yes This is working.
I'm seeing results and it helps you to
continue working forward and keep going So take
progress pictures.
(18:45):
I wouldn't suggest necessarily taking Your scale like
your weight because we're not trying to lose
weight We're trying to build muscle and for
some of us that can really play mind
games with us when we get on the
scale And you might be up a few
pounds, even though it could be water weight.
It can be inflammation from lifting so hard
And yes, if you gain muscle, it's going
to weigh a little bit more But how
(19:08):
would you feel with your body if you
looked completely different you looked leaner you look
stronger But you gained 10 pounds more with
that take away From the benefits and the
results that you've gotten I'm gonna guess probably
not but yet it can still mess with
us So I would stay away from the
scale if you are somebody like that and
I can totally relate But progress pictures are
(19:30):
absolutely the way to go So that's what
I would do if Michael was to gain
muscle mass get out of the calorie surplus
Have realistic expert expectations of how much time
this is going to take prioritize protein lift
three to five times per week one additional
tip with that too is while I would
(19:51):
absolutely focus on compound lifts like I talked
about with Knee flexion hip flexion push and
pull exercises at the end of the workouts
I would add in one to three accessory
lifts meaning more isolated movement.
So if my goal was to build Shoulder
caps right?
I wanted better delts at the end of
my workout I would add in a couple
(20:12):
of sets of lateral raises and front raises
and shoulder pulses and things like that that
are then gonna focus directly on The specific
muscles that I want to train.
I wouldn't do that at the front of
a workout because then I'm Risking fatiguing muscles
that are gonna help me with my compound
lifts And those are definitely where you're gonna
get more bang for your buck So just
(20:32):
something to keep in mind track track the
actual workouts that you're doing and track your
progress with track progress pictures sleep recover cut
stress as much as possible foam roll stretch
and then Supplement if you feel like you're
capable of doing that things with creatine which
I've recently did a podcast episode on creatine
(20:52):
So check that out and away protein powder
or any type of protein powder that works
for you Alright guys, that's what we had
if you found this episode Helpful at all
do me a quick favor Hit that like
button and share it because I'm gonna guess
if you enjoy this kind of content that
other people in your life Are gonna enjoy
(21:13):
it as well.
We typically surround ourselves with people that are
similar to us, right?
So share it with your friends and family
and I would love you forever Comment down
below any questions that you have and we
can answer it on Friday's follow-up Q
&A I do want to get back to
doing follow-up Fridays where I just answer
questions and they're very short and just very
relaxed episodes So comment your questions.
(21:35):
Let me know what's on your mind and
we'll continue the conversation.
Alright Bye
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