If your workout goals include building strength and increasing muscle mass, then there are some key concepts that you should review to make sure you’re on the right path and getting the most out of your routine. A primer on both can help.

Building Strength

When you’re looking to build strength, it’s important that your workout routine works the major muscle groups. This includes muscles in your shoulders and arms, abdomen, chest, back, hips, and legs. Strength building a minimum of two times each week is important to see results over the course of time. Some great activities to add to your workout to help increase muscle strength include doing pull-ups, push-ups or sit-ups; implementing resistance bands into your routine; and lifting weights. Some types of yoga can help you build strength while also finding inner balance. Consider looking into rocket, power, or ashtanga yoga styles.

Targeted exercise is important for strength gains, but nutrition plays a role too. Be sure you’re consuming enough calories each day and that the foods you eat give you the macros you need in terms of fat, carbs, and (especially) protein. Aim for up to 35 percent of your total caloric intake to derive from protein sources, 50 percent from carbs, and the remainder of your calorie allotment from fat (up to 35 percent, depending on your intake of protein and carbs). Opt for heart-healthy fat sources, including avocados and olive oil, whenever possible.

Increasing Muscle Mass

Building muscle mass is a matter of science and requires positive energy balance, which simply means taking in more calories than you use. To build a pound of muscle, 2,800 calories are needed, which supports the turnover of protein. However, it’s important to note that the body can only build so much muscle at once, so eating too many calories can make you gain weight. So, if you're looking to get jacked, adding from 250 to 500 more calories to your diet is sufficient.

Although nutrition is important to adding mass, your workout routine is the big determinant of how bulked up you get. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s ripped physique comes from pushing himself to the limit at the gym. At the gym, Johnson loads up with the maximum weight he can handle, knocks out some reps, takes off some plates, and then repeats the process until he finds the pair of plates that he likes best.

It’s important to remember that Johnson no doubt has a whole team helping him work out, so he can go super hard if he wants. He likely has physicians and trainers waiting in the wings to make sure everything goes okay and that he doesn't hurt himself. Still, challenging yourself without tearing or dislocating something is a good game plan to consider when you’re looking to build muscle mass.