8 min read IF BUILDING MUSCLE was easy, every beach in the world would resemble a Dwayne Johnson- lookalike contest . “People think they can do some sets and reps and suddenly walk out looking like a superhero. That just doesn’t happen,” says Men’s Health ’s fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. Gaining even a couple of pounds of muscle mass is a difficult pursuit that takes time , nutritional precision , and difficult workouts . When we say “time,” intermediate gym-goers would be lucky to add a pound of legitimate muscle tissue in a month. You need to be in a slight caloric surplus, eating smart to pack on muscle and not (too much) body fat. And you need to attack every workout like it’s the last training session you’ll ever have. If that sounds intense, don’t sweat it. To help you cut through the noise, we’ve compiled all the information you need to gain muscle mass, as a part of the Men’s Health ’s Ultimate Guide to Building Muscle , exclusively available to Men's Health MVP subscribers .…