The first thing to note that if the body is "hungry," it isn't going to build muscle. That means one should always have some sort of food in them- fasting is usually a poor idea. In particular, the body needs protein to help build the muscles being worked out. Steak, peanut butter, and special shakes or candy bars are usually good sources of protein.
Drugs are sometimes used to help increase muscle mass as well, but such drugs are usually under heavy regulation practices. Steroids, for example, can only be obtained in some nations with a doctor's prescription. This is because many of such drugs can be very dangerous and impose serious health risks. Some over the counter drugs can be obtained, such as Creatine, but these too may have side effects.
Hydration, like keeping nourished via food and snacks, is important in building muscle mass the healthy and safe way. One should actually drink small amounts of water all throughout the workout to prevent dehydration, since one actually feels the thirst for water they are already hydrated. Don't over hydrate your body, however, as this can have adverse effects on one's health.
The actual workout can now begin after one's body is properly nourished. A workout should be strenuous enough to tire the body, but not so much that it pulls muscles and ligaments. A trainer can help a consumer through the process of building muscle mass the most effective way, as they can take different factors about a person and make a customized routine for working out.
Be very careful not to overwork the body. There have been many documented cases where muscle will actually start to deteriorate from exercising it too much. Other times, muscle may expand too quickly, usually with the use of steroids, and seriously rupture muscle tissue. If this occurs, regenerative therapy will have to be ensued, and progress will be lost.
Have you been going to the gym regularly for months and haven't been able to put on any serious poundage? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it's time to take a step back and make some plans. Building muscle is not rocket science. There are four key factors that will mean the difference between building muscle and staying skinny. You have to ask yourself these four questions.
Is my diet optimized for building muscle?
It's time to get out of the ?3 meals per day? mentality. If you want to gain (or lose) weight you need to feed your body whole foods, six times per day. This means splitting your large meals up and eating about once every three hours. Not only is this good for your metabolism, but your body will use the foods instead of storing them as fat.
Your six meals per day should consist of mainly complex carbohydrates and protein. You should aim for at least thirty grams of protein per meal. High protein foods include lean meat, chicken, fish, egg whites, cheese and milk products. Complex carbohydrates are found in brown rice, brown bread and potatoes. Stay away from foods high in salt and sugar
Should I be using supplements, and when should I be taking them?
If you can afford supplements you should be using them. The basic three you should be considering are protein, carbs and creatine. Whey protein supplements are the fastest known way to deliver quality protein to your muscles. This makes shakes particularly effective after your workouts, when your body is craving protein for muscle re-growth.
There are three key times that supplements should be taken. First thing in the morning, after your workout and before bed. If your diet is up to scratch you shouldn't need supplements at any other time. Don't use supplements to replace meals. Supplements are supplements, not meal replacements.
Am I training hard and not smart?
The biggest mistake the new lifters make is thinking that the more they workout the bigger they'll get. This couldn't be further from the truth! Two basic rules you must remember when it comes to weight training. First, quality is better than quantity. Second, compound exercises are the kings of building muscle.
Compound exercises require at least two joint movements. Big compound exercises are the squat, bench press, wide grip pull up and seated row. These movements recruit many more muscles fibers to use to move the weight. This means more muscle groups are worked, the exercise is more challenging and the potential for growth is much greater.
Generally you should be doing three compound exercises for one isolation exercise. For example your back/biceps workout might consist of wide grip pull ups, seated row, bent over row and standing bicep curl. You might think this is not enough work for your biceps? Wrong. Your biceps are worked heavily in all over these exercises; the bicep curl just finishes them off.
The length of any training session should not exceed one hour. And you only need to train one muscle group once per week. This means a split routine should only need to be three days per week. In fact, most professional bodybuilders only train four times per week. Remember, it's quality not quantity.
Do I get enough rest and recovery time?
When you workout you're not building your muscles, you're breaking them down. The reason why you looked ?pumped up? when you're in the gym is because your muscle tissue is swollen and damaged. Your muscles actually grow when you are resting. So in simple terms, no rest equals no muscle growth.
So take it easy when you're not working out. Ease up on the cardio. And make sure you get plenty of sleep. Sleep is the body's number one time for building muscle. This is also why it's important to eat before bed, so your body has the fuel to repair muscle in your sleep.
Simple isn't it?
So you can see that despite what you read in magazines or on the web about building muscle, it's surprisingly simple. If you get the four aspects I have mentioned in this article right, you will build muscle. If you've got any questions, I'm available on the forum on my site. See links in my bio.
Both Alex Gwen Thomson & Dpm 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.
Alex Gwen Thomson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Income Tax Return and Wrinkles. Thomas writes tips and articles for people who want to and become fit and healthy. Visit. Alex Gwen Thomson's top article generates over 673000 views. to your Favourites.
Dpm has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Build Muscle. This article was written by Darren Macleod, writer for Muscle&Strength, the . Also check out the. Dpm's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.