It’s important to incorporate strength training into your workouts for health reasons, but achieving visible muscle definition—like sculpted arm muscles and washboard abs—can be a difficult process. Ideally, once we hit the gym and lift some weights, it should be easy to gain muscle anywhere we target, but this is not the case. Increasing muscle mass is hard work and requires serious dedication. Many people find that they’re not getting the results they want no matter how many crunches, deadlifts, and bicep curls they do. This is partially because “fit” looks different on everyone, and our genetics have a major influence on our overall body shape, bone structure, weight distribution, and muscle mass. For example, people who are born with a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers due to their genetic inheritance tend to get more sculpted-looking muscles and gain muscle mass faster. If you’re frustrated about not being able to get more developed muscles in certain areas, there are cosmetic procedures that can help, such as Emsculpt Neo®. The Dallas area’s Dr. Ellen Turner explains that this treatment offers two main benefits for patients who are bothered by “problem areas” on the body that are difficult to tone up: reducing fat and building muscle.

There are many practical and health-related benefits associated with building muscle, such as increasing your metabolic rate, which promotes increased fat loss. This is ideal if you’re trying to lose weight, strengthen the bones and ligaments to avoid injuries, lower your risk of chronic diseases, and make simple everyday activities such as lifting bags or opening jars easier. Not to mention, many people find that muscle looks more attractive than fat and creates a more pleasing, balanced body shape in clothes or swimsuits.

Emsculpt Neo® is a non-surgical procedure that addresses areas of stubborn fat on the abdomen, arms, buttocks, and thighs by using a combination of high-intensity focused electromagnetic technology (HIFEM) and radiofrequency (RF) energy. The device can reduce fat, build muscle mass, or do both simultaneously depending on a patient’s goals. Emsculpt Neo is proven to increase metabolism due to the fact that when fat is being reduced and muscle mass is being increased, the metabolic rate will naturally increase—in this case up to 26%.

The procedure stimulates muscle contractions and actually strengthens various muscle groups, so that your stamina is improved, and your usual workouts require less effort. By decreasing fat, your muscles will look more sculpted as well since they won’t be as hidden.

In addition to Emsculpt Neo®, you can try these other techniques to help build stronger muscles.

Lift Heavier Weights

If you’ve been consistently lifting smaller weights—perhaps the same ones you started off with when you first began working out—it might be time to increase the intensity of your workouts. Your muscles need to be stressed to become denser and stronger. You need to be lifting a weight that is heavy enough to break down some muscle tissue so that growth occurs when your body repairs it. Alternatively, you might not need to lift heavier weights, but simply increase your reps. The important thing is lifting until your muscles are fatigued.

Some exercise professionals are proponents of bulking and cutting, the process of increasing protein intake and reducing carbohydrates. This will help increase your muscle mass and lose body fat, thereby improving the without gaining fat, which often leads to improved muscle definition.

Don’t Focus So Much on Cardio  

Cardio is good for you for a lot of reasons, but it isn’t exactly the best if your primary goal is muscle building. In fact, running and biking create a calorie deficit, which can work against you when you want to increase mass. You might want to add more weight training and skip some of your long, steady-state cardio sessions.

Get More Sleep

Getting an adequate amount of sleep is incredibly important. It keeps your skin healthy, helps your body recover from stress, and even helps you to maintain a stable weight. However, studies show that most Americans don’t consistently get as much sleep as they need—which is seven to nine hours per night for adults. If you’re pulling too many all-nighters, your punishing schedule is probably inhibiting muscle growth as well, because your muscles need enough time to rest and rebuild themselves.

Contact the Dallas area-based Dermatology Office of Dr. Ellen Turner for more information on non-surgical body contouring treatments for reducing fat and building muscle. Call (214) 373-7546 or submit a contact form to request a consultation if you’re ready to get started.