If gaining muscle is on your radar – and I’m not just talking about bulking up Arnie-style!) – you’ll know that there is a lot of advise out there on the best strategy. A combination of weight exercise and good nutrition will definitely put you on the right road for success. But of the two, is one more effective than the other at helping to build muscle?

You can’t add on muscle mass without any building blocks, which means you need to be taking in more calories then you’re burning off. The tricky part is to ensure that those extra calories end up stored where you want them.

A surplus of between 250kcal and 500kcal per day is recommended. Protein (1.5–2.2g per kilo of bodyweight) will help your muscles repair and grow. Carbs will feel your workouts, and nutritious fats will maintain healthy hormone levels.

Hypertrophy occurs when a muscle is repeatedly stressed, which means pushing yourself to your limits until those limits increase. Research shows that the load doesn’t significantly affect hypertrophy, so long as you’re working close to the point of failure. Keep your rep ranges between eight and 12, using weights that are at least 60% of your one-rep max. Slow and heavy(ish) wins the race.

The decider:
Exercise