Not too long ago, I was quite confused about the best way to build muscle. If you've spent any time in the gym trying to build a muscular physique, you can probably relate to my frustration. After all, there's so much conflicting advice out there. There are many times that I felt like giving up, but fortunately I discovered some basic truths about muscle building.

For a long time I listened to other guys in the gym who tried to convince me about their methods. However, after a while I realized that they weren't too successful themselves. I mean, why would you listen to someone who didn't have the muscle to prove his knowledge? They seem to think they knew a lot about building muscle just because they used all the right words. They often talked about how great a "pump" they were getting from their workouts, and they did their best to keep up with the latest supplement fads.

One of their biggest mistakes, however, was spending way too much time in the gym. Many beginners wrongly assume that more time in the gym equals more muscle. This is definitely not the best way to the train in the gym. The problem is that your muscles don't grow until after leave the gym! You have to give your body enough rest to allow the muscles to grow back bigger and stronger. Spending all day at the gym neglects the importance of recovering from your workouts. Of course, you have to eat enough protein and overall calories if you're going to build muscle.

These last two concepts, diet and recovery, are crucial to your success. Despite this, far too many trainees ignore them. Or maybe it's just that they're not aware of how important they are. If that's the case, I want to take a moment to emphasize just how crucial they are. Despite what you might think, your commitment does not end at the gym doors. That is the beginning, not the end, of your training. Everything you eat and drink, for one thing, will go a long way towards determining what you look like in a few months time. You can remain the same because you didn't eat enough even though you worked out that the gym. You could also gain a bunch of fat because you decided to eat the wrong foods thinking that all calories are equal. Or you can follow some basic rules and develop some serious muscle.

The rules for building muscle are actually not too hard to understand. They are simple, but they're not easy. You still have to put in the effort, but the basic principles are simple enough to understand. Because there's so much conflicting information, though, it's best to stick to a proven program that teaches you all aspects of building muscle. Find a program that has proved its worth - a program that has helped build 40 pounds of muscle in under 6 months.