Building muscle and strength is a topic hotly discussed in our society today, as gyms are more crowded today than they have ever been before. Many different routines and techniques are promoted as ways to get big immediately or lose an absurd amount of weight in a short amount of time, but most will not do what they promised for you. There are five basic tips that, if followed, are guaranteed to build you solid muscle mass without spending a lot of money and time to do so.

1. Consistency is key. Dedication is everything when it comes to building muslce, losing weight, or accomplishing any goal for that matter. Making excuses for why you can't go to the gym or eat better is only going to hurt YOU. It isn't going to bother anybody else if you don't complete the goals you set for yourself.

2. Compound exercises. Many routines will spend each day at the gym focusing on a different part of your body, but that is a waste of your time and energy. Compound exercises are those that work multiple parts of your body with multiple muscles. Lifts such as squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and barbell rows are excellent compounds that work many muscles with just one exercise.

3. Heavy weights. To build muscle mass, your compound lifts have to be done with heavy weights and low reps. Muscle mass is built by adaptation - When your muscles are lifting a heavy weight and become fatigued, the fibers are torn down to be replaced by larger ones during recovery. That is why all compound routines are designed with recovery days in between lifting days.

4. Eating right. It is a common belief that all of the muscle gain is done at visits to the gym, which is actually totally incorrect. Muscle fibers are torn down during the lifts, and then rebuilt larger and stronger during recovery. To build the most solid muscle effectively, you have to eat enough and eat right. Avoid fast food, eat smaller meals every three hours rather than three large meals each day, and make sure each meal is high in protein, fruits, and vegetables.

5. Get enough sleep! Another extremely important step to muscle gain is getting enough sleep each night. Building muscle is just another process your body needs energy for, and sleeping is the best way to get that energy. While your sleeping, your body can focus solely on rebuilding your muscles into a stronger, larger state. For maximum recovery, you should be getting eight to nine hours of sleep each night.

Building strong, solid muscle can be very easy if you have the dedication and the resources to do. By following the tips above, you will be on the right track to getting better results in the gym than you could have ever believed.