While most people think of building muscle as bodybuilding, if you’re doing it for health you don’t have to end up massive and bulging with muscle. Simple, effective muscle building will leave you looking relatively slight, but with the techniques in this article you’ll still enjoy the health benefits from your hard work.
Regardless of how frequent or intense your workout sessions are, if you are not eating sufficiently, your body will not have enough proteins to build muscle. It is therefore critical to eat meals often. You should strive to consume at least 20 grams of protein every three hours. In addition, it is more important to eat often rather than to eat large portions.
A common problem is the willingness to sacrifice form for speed. You’ll always get better results if you complete repetitions slowly and correctly, rather than if you try to get your reps done too fast. Going slow can also force you to incorporate more muscles into the move and make you work harder by eliminating momentum.
Eat a lot of protein. It’s a well known fact that the more protein your body can store, the more muscle you can build. Try to have at least one gram of the protein you need for every pound that you weigh. For instance, a 150 pound woman should attempt to eat approximately 150 grams, meat and other protein, every day.
To increase your muscle mass, you must increase your intake of nutritious foods. Eat an additional 3500 calories per week, which will be enough to put on about a pound. Find healthy ways to get anywhere from 250 to 500 more calories daily. If you don’t see any weight change, consider altering your eating habits.
An often overlooked part of a good exercise program is warming up. As your muscles are getting worked out more, there is a higher chance that they will get injured. Stretching before working out is the best way to avoid injury. Prior to serious lifting, try light exercises for around five or ten minutes, then three to four light and medium warm-ups.
Giving into your carnivorous side can help you build muscle. You should want to eat at least one gram of protein for every pound you weigh. This allows your body to store protein, giving your muscles the ability to develop more fully.
Make sure to get an ample amount of sleep each night. Your muscles need time to repair themselves after you strain them during weight lifting sessions. If you do not allow the muscles to rest enough, it can lessen the results that you see from your weight lifting efforts dramatically.
Try varying the order that you do exercises. People who workout typically do exercises out of habit. However, it is important that you switch the exercises around in order to promote additional muscle growth. Try reversing the order of your typical routine. This lets you do heavier weights on the exercises that you typically do last, which can increase the growth of those particular muscles.
Try training your opposing muscles in a single workout, such as your chest with your back, or your hamstrings with your quads. This is a good way to let a muscle rest while you focus on another one. You will ultimately raise the intensity and efficiency of your workout while also reducing the duration of your routine.
Your caloric intake has to be high enough. There are online calculators available for determining how many calories you need to eat in order to gain a given amount of muscle in a certain time frame. Use one or two of the calculators; then change your diet accordingly, including the proper amounts of carbs, proteins and other vitamins to build your muscles.
Keep good records. Have a workout diary, which notes the exercises in your workout routine, and how many reps and sets you perform. This not only helps to keep your workouts organized, but you can see your progress. This is inspiring, especially at first when progress is made rapidly. You can see how far you have come and set goals.
Perform each exercise until you hit the point of failure. The point of failure is when you reach the point that you physically cannot do another repetition. This will ensure that you are getting the maximum benefit from your workout. A word of caution – know your limits. Trying to push yourself beyond what your body is capable of can result in injury that can set back all of your efforts.
Everyone would like to be healthier and look great, and what you’ve learned here should help you get started towards reaching your goals. You’ll be able to look great, have plenty of self-esteem and reap the health rewards that come along with building your body in a safe and effective way. Enjoy your new life and body!
