Gaining muscle (also called hypertrophy) is a combination of progressive resistance training, proper nutrition, and recovery.
With the right approach, you’ll not only add size and strength — you’ll also improve your metabolism, bone health, and athletic performance.

When your goal is muscle growth, your training should:

• Apply progressive overload to challenge muscles over time
   
• Target all major muscle groups evenly
   
• Include enough volume (sets × reps × weight) for growth
   
• Allow recovery to repair and build muscle fibers
   

• The foundation of muscle growth
   
• Focus on compound lifts for mass + isolation exercises for detail
  Examples: Squats, bench press, deadlifts, pull-ups, rows, shoulder press, curls, triceps extensions
   

• Gradually increase the challenge to force adaptation
  Ways to overload:
  ✅ Add more weight
  ✅ Do more reps
  ✅ Add more sets
  ✅ Slow down the tempo
  ✅ Reduce rest between sets
   

• Keeps your heart healthy without interfering with muscle growth
   
• Best as low- to moderate-intensity (walking, cycling, light rowing)
   
• Avoid excessive cardio — too much can burn calories you need for growth
   

4-Day Upper/Lower Split

• Mon: Upper body strength + accessory work
   
• Tue: Lower body strength + accessory work
   
• Wed: Rest or light cardio
   
• Thu: Upper body hypertrophy
   
• Fri: Lower body hypertrophy
   
• Sat: Optional cardio or active recovery
   
• Sun: Rest
   

• Reps: 6–12 for most hypertrophy work
   
• Sets: 3–5 per exercise
   
• Rest: 60–90 seconds for hypertrophy, 2–3 minutes for heavy compound lifts
   

You can train perfectly but won’t gain muscle if you’re not eating enough.
For most people:

• Slight calorie surplus is needed for growth
   
• Protein: ~0.8–1.2g per pound of body weight daily
   
• Include quality carbs for energy and healthy fats for hormone health
   

• Not eating enough to support growth
   
• Neglecting progressive overload
   
• Training inconsistently
   
• Overtraining without enough rest
   
• Ignoring smaller muscle groups (rear delts, calves, core)
   
• Doing excessive cardio that burns needed calories
   

For muscle gain, consistency and patience are key — most people underestimate how long it takes to add noticeable muscle.
Pair smart training with the right nutrition plan, and track your lifts so you can see steady progress over weeks and months.

Now that you understand muscle gain training, explore:

• Staying Motivated & Consistent
   
• Workout Planning & Progression
   
• Strength Training
   
• Nutrition for Your Goals
   

Or let ShedPilot create a custom muscle-building program — with workouts, meal guidance, and progressive tracking — so you can maximize gains and minimize wasted time.