There is so much conflicting information about muscle building that it can be very difficult to know where to start.
If you're a beginner, the following eight points will get you on the right track.
1) Concentrate on weight training and compound. Free-weight movements.
If you really want to make significant gains in muscle size and strength, you should train with free weights and focus on basic compound exercises, which are exercises that stimulate more than one muscle group at a time. Examples of these exercises include deadlifts, squats, pullups, bench presses, overhead presses, barbell rows, dips, and lunges. Compound movements allow you to handle maximum weight and stimulate the maximum number of total muscle fibers.
2) Be prepared to train hard.
One of the biggest factors that separates moderate and high profiters is training intensity. To maximize muscle fiber stimulation, you should be willing to push to failure on every set you perform in the gym.
Muscle FailureThe point where you can no longer perform repetitions with correct form.
Sub-maximal training intensity leads to sub-maximal results that are straightforward.
3) Track your progress at the gym week by week.
Our bodies build muscles as a result of an adaptive response to the environment. When you go to the gym, you lift weights and break down muscle fibers. Your body perceives this as a potential threat to survival and reacts accordingly, building damaged fibers larger and stronger to protect against future threats. To consistently get a , you need to constantly focus on making progress in the gym each week. This means doing 1-2 repetitions per exercise or increasing the bar weight. Keep a detailed exercise log to track your progress as your strength increases over time.
4) Avoid overtraining.
Overtraining is your number one enemy when it comes to building muscle mass and strength. Most people fall into the misconception that more is better when starting an exercise program. They naturally assume that the more time they spend in the gym, the better the results. When it comes to gaining strength, nothing is farther from the truth! Spending too much time in the gym will take you farther from your goals than closer to them. Remember, muscles don't grow in the gym. It grows outsidef the gym while you rest and eat. Recovery is absolutely critical to the muscle growth process. If you don't give proper recovery time between workouts, your muscles won't have a chance to grow.
5) Eat more often.
The main area where most people fail miserably in their muscle-building mission is in the all-important task of proper nutrition. Weight training is only half the battle! The gym breaks down muscle fibers, but if you don't provide your body with the right nutrients at the right time, the muscle growth process becomes almost impossible. You should eat 5 to 7 meals a day, spaced 2 to 3 hours apart. Each meal should consist of high-quality protein and complex carbohydrates.
6) Increase your protein intake.
Of the three major nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and protein), protein is arguably the most important for anyone trying to gain muscle mass and strength. Proteins are found in literally all of the 30 trillion cells that make up the body, and their primary role is to build and repair body tissues. Without adequate protein intake, the body is unable to physically synthesize a significant amount of lean muscle mass. If your body is a home, think of protein as a brick. 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day from quality sources such as chicken, beef, fish, eggs, peanut butter, milk, and cottage cheese.
7) Increase your water intake.
If you are looking for a simple, easy, and highly effective way to maximize muscle gains, drinking more water is the way to go. Water plays so many important roles in the body. It does, and its importance cannot be overstated. In fact, muscle alone is 70% water. Drinking more water not only makes your muscles fuller and more vascular, but it also increases muscle strength. Studies show that just a 3?% drop in water levels can increase muscle contraction by 10?0%. Aim to consume 0.6 ounces pound of body weight daily for optimal benefits.
8) Be consistent.
Consistency is everything. Maximum muscle size and strength are achieved by those who can consistently apply proper technique. Knowledge alone is not enough.
Building muscles is the result of the cumulative effect of small steps. Admittedly, extra repetitions of the bench press don't make much of a difference in overall results. But in the long run, every extra rep you do and every little meal you eat will determine your overall success. If you work hard and do all your muscle-building tasks consistently, all of these individual steps add up to significant gains in overall size and strength.
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