Muscle Gain
Muscle gain is a great idea, even if you are not looking for
that ripped look. Increasing your lean muscle mass will raise
your metabolism and increase the rate that you burn calories.
Embarking on a good muscle building programme will also improve
your general health, blood flow to the brain, alertness, any
number of other factors that just make life easier every day.
Gaining muscle then, at its core, is about training with weights.
There are a variety of derivations such as resistance or
elastic training, but weights are by far the best and simplest
way to go. Do not panic though, if you have never set foot
in a gym, because it is not as complicated as you might think.
A good all-round weight training session can be performed
with a pair of adjustable dumbbells and nothing more. Of course,
once you are underway and in the thick of your new sport you
will want to branch out a bit, but getting started is as simple
as picking up a couple of weights and starting to lift them.
The crucial thing is how you lift them. Raise and lower a
dumbbell the right way and your muscles will feel the benefit.
Do it wrong and you are just wasting your time.
Try to get your hands on a couple of good books that demonstrate
simple weightlifting exercises, or better yet take a trip
to your local gym or fitness centre and ask a pro to show
you the ropes. Once you have a feel for the right way to handle
a dumbbell, you are well on your way to a leaner, fitter,
better body.
So you have got your weights, and you know basically how
to lift them. What next? Well, you will want to plan your
workouts ahead of time, preferably on a chart or diary of
some kind. Never start a workout with just a general idea
of which exercises you might want to do. Always have a plan.
You want to work each muscle group to its limit, which should
always be a little higher than last time, and then move on
to the next one. This is because the goal of lifting weights
is to slightly damage the muscle, sending signals to the body
that it is not strong enough, and stimulating a transformation
reaction.
The muscle will be regenerated bigger and stronger than before,
and you will notice the results almost immediately. But if
you do not push your muscles to the max, you will not initiate
the change response. You will just be wasting your time. And
if you push them too hard for too long, you will just damage
the muscle too much. It will not have time to recover before
your next session, and your performance will dip right down.
Short, intensive workouts, that is what gets results, and
that is why you want a plan. So you know what you are doing,
how well you are doing, and what you need to change next time.
It will keep you motivated to see your progress, and keep
your muscle gain on track.
Now that you have got your technique down, and got yourself
a tight exercise plan, you are going to need to feed your
body what it needs to push you through your workout and sustain
the recovery afterwards. If you are trying to gain muscle,
you will need to consume more calories than the average person,
even if your goal is to lose weight as well as gain muscle.
Do not cut back on carbohydrates, your body needs them. It
needs them for the energy to reach your full potential during
your lifts.
Remember that if you do not push your muscles all the way,
you will not stimulate the transformation reaction, and you
will not be gaining muscle at all. And if your body does not
have the energy it needs, you will not reach that high point.
You will find that once your muscles get stronger, you will
naturally lose fat as a result of your higher metabolism,
not as a result of the exercise itself. So do not worry about
it.
You will want to eat plenty of protein as well. The quality
of the protein is important, as that is of course what your
new muscle tissue will be built from. Whey protein is favoured
by body builders due to its quick absorption and high levels
of essential amino acids needed for the synthesis of muscle
fibre. Most meal replacement shakes and bars, as well as weight
gain supplements, contain whey protein, or sometimes casein
protein. Other good sources of protein are lean meat, fish
and cottage cheese (also rich in amino acids).
Supplements are used by many bodybuilders to maximize the
results of their workouts. There are supplements to set you
up for a workout, supplements to drive you through it, and
more to aid recovery afterwards. The most popular body building
supplement is Creatine, which has been proven time and again
to safely increase strength, muscle mass and endurance, as
well as mental alertness and concentration. Creatine is recommended
if you are serious about gaining muscle fast, as well as amino
acid and glycogen supplements to help replace natural sources
consumed during high intensity exercise. Once you start working
out, you will quickly learn more about what your body needs
and when, and be able to find the appropriate supplements
to fit your particular needs.
The last piece of advice we have for you is simply this:
sleep well. The majority of your muscular regeneration will
happen while you are asleep, as this is when the body can
shut down other processes and devote sufficient energy to
the task. If you do not get enough sleep, your muscles will
not regenerate fully, and you will see your performance dip,
and your gains reduce.
Work hard, work smart, eat right, sleep tight. Simple as that.
Muscle Gain
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