Print Article for : Tips On Muscle Building

Your Online Guide » Sports » Build Muscle

[T960]Tips On Muscle Building

by Tony Schwartz, Ton

1. Focus on compound movementsThis is a muscle building tip you have probably heard many times before, but it is so important that I couldn’t neglect to mention it here. Compound movements use more muscles than isolation movements, so they have a greater potential for packing on weight than isolation movements. Not to mention the hormonal benefits, training economy, and functional strength. If you increase your squat by 100 pounds I guarantee you will be much bigger, but if you increase your leg extension by 100 pounds it’s not as likely you will have developed any appreciable amount of muscle mass.

2. Nutrition is your full-time jobYou can only lift weights for so many hours per week. But your job is not finished when the workout is over. You should be eating something with protein in it every 2-3 hours if you are serious about packing on muscle. Lifting weights is a great start, but if you don’t supply your body with ample amounts of the building blocks of muscle (protein, carbs, and fats) you will only get stronger and not much bigger. Simply put, you’ve got to eat big to be big.

3. Don’t neglect your weaknessesWhether it’s only performing your favorite lift or only working a few select muscle groups, you are setting yourself up for poor gains and a lifetime of injury. Simply working the “beach muscles" (chest and biceps) or only doing bench presses leads to muscular imbalances that can take months to correct and may lead to some serious injuries down the road. Not to mention the fact that your body has protective mechanisms that prevent you from getting one muscle group much stronger than another. So if your bench press hasn’t been increasing like it used to, you may need to incorporate more back work in order to balance your muscles so that your chest can continue to grow.

4. Liquid caloriesBy far the biggest complaint I hear from guys trying to pack on muscle fast is that they have trouble eating every 2-3 hours. If that’s the case for you then liquid calories are the secret to getting in more calories every day. You can start with a simple protein shake between meals and if you need more calories you can add a variety of things to the shake such as natural peanut butter, fruit, heavy whipping cream, ice cream, olive oil, etc. You can easily make a 1,000 calorie shake if that is what you need. This is cheaper than buying a pre-packaged weight gainer and you won’t be full when it’s time for your next meal. This is one of the most powerful muscle building tips you will ever hear.

5. Focus on your strengthsThis may seem in opposition to muscle building tip number 3, and while you need to pay attention to your weaknesses you also need to make your strengths even stronger. For example, if you can pretty easily increase the weight on your bench press every week then go ahead and milk it for all it’s worth! You will want to make sure to also get some work in for your weaknesses as well, but the focus should be on your strengths.

6. SupplementsI get hundreds of questions every month from my website visitors, and probably 70% of them are about supplements. Look, I love supplements as much as the next guy. It’s cool to think that something as simple as taking a pill or powder will give you an edge. But the problem is that I know for a fact that most of the guys who ask supplement questions have no rhyme or reason to their training and nutrition program. The bottom line is that I’ve never seen a supplement put more than 5 pounds on anyone in a 12 week period, but my trainees routinely put on 20 or more pounds of muscle in that same time. People neglect the importance of a proper training and nutrition program because it’s not as easy as taking a pill, but it’s much cheaper and much more effective. So the next time you’re about to shell-out your hard-earned cash for the latest supplement, just think for a moment if you wouldn’t be better served using that money for a training and nutrition program designed by a professional that has guaranteed results.

Prior to enrolling in a muscle building program of your choice, you need to identify your goals and set realistic targets. Besides this, you must also eat right, maintain an optimum workout regime, take ample rest between workouts, and stay motivated in order to succeed in your muscle building program. Here are a few useful tips to help you succeed -

Tip 1 - Warm up before you work out and cool down after your workout is over. Warming up is meant to move and activate all your body parts and it can include any aerobic activity such as riding the stationary bike, stair climbing, elliptical training, or any other activities which supplies your body with adequate amount of oxygen.

Finally, you must perform 5 to 10 minutes of cooling-down exercises as well. The cooling down exercises should not be ignored because they help in normalizing your heart beat to its resting rate and in restoring the body back into a state of normalcy by reducing the adrenalin levels in blood.

Tip 2 - Stretching exercises for your muscles: Cultivate the habit of stretching the muscles in your body at least once or twice a day for about 10 minutes. Initially, you must stretch only as much as you can. Gradually, begin to stretch a little more or hold in the stretched position for a little longer. Remember to breathe freely and never hold your breath as you stretch and relax. Stretching exercises can either be performed before, during or after the weight training session. Irrespective of whenever you do it, stretching greatly improves the flexibility of your body.

Tip 3 - Make sure you get a full range of motion and go with the flow of your muscle: You can get complete benefit from an exercise only when it is preformed correctly. If you do not exercise your muscle through its entire range of motion, and stick to just half and quarter reps, then your muscles will not be drawing the optimal benefit in terms of increased growth or improved strength from this exercise. Also if you maintain an incorrect posture or plane of motion of your muscles during a workout, then your muscles are sure to get injured. Therefore, work your muscles in their natural plane of motion to derive maximum benefits from a particular exercise.

Tip 4 - Progressive overload: If you want to stimulate the growth of your muscles, you must learn to exert your muscles a bit more than your previous workout, a technique known as 'progressive overload', which is usually done by gradually scaling-up the weights used, or by increasing the number of repetitions performed.

Tip 5 - Switch to split training: Split training involves "splitting" the major muscles in your body into different groups. You focus on one muscle group on just one day of the week and allow it to rest for the rest of the week. For example, you can perform all the upper body exercises during one training session and then workout your lower body during the next exercises session. The best thing about split training is that you can train different parts of the body everyday and still give your muscles enough time to recover from the stress of the workouts. This should be followed by exercises for developing muscular strength and endurance.

Finally, remember not to overload or over-train your muscles. Stop completely if your body says 'no'. Take some rest before you resume your training. You are sure to benefit from your muscle training program if you stick to the tips provided here.

Article Source : Pg. 30

About Author

Both Tony Schwartz & Jason Diggs are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Tony Schwartz has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Build Muscle and Fitness. Get more and a FREE report on. Tony Schwartz's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.

Jason Diggs has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Build Muscle and Health. Professional fitness instructor, Jason Diggs, gives quality, non-biased reviews on the nets top " " instructional programs. His #1 pick goes to. Jason Diggs's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.