Putting on muscle is a very common goal for many people. Some people want to do it to be healthier and stronger, while others are looking for a more attractive body. Whatever the reason, building muscle is difficult if you don’t know how. Read on to find out what you need to know to make yourself more muscular.

Aim for a high number of reps with medium-intensity weight when you train. For each individual exercise you do, try to do a set of 10 to 15 reps, resting less than one minute in between each set. This causes lactic acid to build up in your muscles, which makes you “feel the burn” while stimulating growth.

Try to consume some carbohydrates and proteins prior to going to sleep. The calories that you obtain will cause your body to reduce the rate at which it breaks down proteins while you are sleeping. Eating a small portion of cheese and a fruit is a great way to do this. You should also eat something soon after you wake up.

When attempting to build muscle mass, it is important to ingest the right foods. If your efforts to add bulk are stagnating, it could be because you have an insufficient nutritional intake. To add bulk, you need to consume at least 4000-6000 calories each day from foods, which are calorie dense. Some examples of calorie-dense foods are pasta, nuts, eggs, bagels, trail mix and steaks. Since vegetables have low calorie-density, keep their intake to a minimum.

When following a lifting routine, try to always workout your abs last. When you train your abs before a large body part, you can decrease your strength and increase your chances of getting injured. This is why you should do your ab workout after your main workout, or you could simply make it a separate workout during a different time.

After working out it is important to stretch well if you want the muscles to repair and build themselves well. Anyone that is under forty years old needs to make sure that each stretch is held for a minimum of thirty seconds. Someone over forty should try to stretch for about 60 seconds. Stretching properly protects you from injuries related to working out.

Make yourself appear larger than you are through the power of illusion. You can do this by focusing your training on your upper chest, your upper back and your shoulders. A bulkier upper body will make your waist appear smaller by comparison, giving you more impressive proportions.

Pay attention to your body fat and measure it on a regular basis. Try not to be discouraged if there is not significant weight loss when building muscle, because your weight might not change much using a weight and muscle building routine. Your body fat is a better measure of your overall health as opposed to weight.

Try the farmer’s walk in order to make your cardio exercise a more productive part of your muscle-building workouts. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides and keep your abdominal muscles sucked in tight while you walk. Start off with a ten-minute walk, and aim to increase this to 20 minutes as you practice.

In order to avoid burnout you should change up your routine from time to time. This means that you don’t want to follow the exact same exercise plan for more than 8 consecutive weeks. Not only does this keep things interesting, it also helps your body continue to grow.

Building muscle isn’t so hard when you have the proper technique. In this article, you’ve learned the best methods to build up your body effectively and safely. Applying these tips to your workout routine will give you results sooner than you may expect, so why wait? Start working now!