Which sports allow you to gain muscle mass?

There are two types of exercise: catabolic processes, which consumeoxygen and induce a degradation of the glycogen in the form ofenergy, and the anabolic, anaerobic processes, where energy is immediately consumed and which lead to an increase in mass muscular. During anabolic effort, there is energy production without any oxygen supply: the body then burns sugars and not lipids.

To gain muscle mass, you should favor high intensity exercises for short periods of time. © Bojan, Adobe Stock

Chain short efforts to gain muscle mass

In general, all endurance sports (swimming, jogging, cycling …) are catabolic. Conversely, weightlifting and high intensity exercises performed on short durations like sprinting or interval running, are anabolic. To be performed anaerobically, the exercise must not exceed two to five minutes and be very intense in energy. Must therefore regularly chain short efforts rather than making an effort at long course. This type of training requires a good condition physical and rapid recovery because the body quickly accumulates waste metabolic likeLactic acid.

Anabolic window: when to consume protein?

After weight training, muscle glycogen deficiency creates a " window anabolic "during which the body absorbs up to 50% of protein more. Protein and amino acid intake between 30 minutes and two hours after the session thus helps to build muscle mass quickly. A contribution in glucose is also indicated to promote secretion ofinsulin, a hormone anabolic. Note that the more you train, the more the anabolic window tends to shorten and the more difficult it becomes to gain muscle.