Trying to build muscle can sometimes be a daunting endeavor. You have to do a tough workout a few days a week and watch your diet carefully. If after working so hard you don’t notice positive results, you can easily become discouraged. You can increase your odds of success and keep yourself motivated by using the suggestions provided below.
You need to make sure you eat plenty of vegetables in order to maintain a healthy diet. Many diets designed to help you build muscle focus too much on carbohydrates and proteins without including the necessary vegetables. There are many vitamins and nutrients you can only find in vegetables, meaning you won’t get them in pasta or meat. They are also great sources of fiber. When you have a good amount of fiber in your body you can utilize the protein going into your body.
Focus on squats, dead-lifts and bench presses. These three main exercises are the best for building a good body. They have all been proven to increase muscle bulk and strength, as well as improve conditioning. Make sure to incorporate all three of these into your routine.
When trying to bulk up and build muscle mass, you should increase the total number of calories that you eat. You would want to consume the required food in order to gain an average of one pound per week. Look for ways to take in more calories and if you still don’t see a change, think about adding more calories.
Muscle Mass
You have to make sure that you always warm up if you are trying to build your muscle mass. The process of increasing muscle mass subjects your muscles to increased stress, which increases the probability of injury. Stretching before working out is the best way to avoid injury. Don’t do any heavy lifting until after you’ve done some light exercising for five or ten minutes, followed by a few light to moderate sets to get warmed up.
A great way to motivate yourself is by making short-term goals and once you reach these goals, reward yourself. It takes a long time to build muscle so do not get discouraged and do not give up. Make your rewards coincide with your goal to gain muscle. One good idea of a healthy reward is getting a massage.
Unless you include carbohydrates in your daily diet, you will not get the best results from your routine. These carbohydrates give you the extra energy your muscles need to build mass. If you plan on training extensively, consume two to three grams of carbohydrates for every pound of your body weight, each day.
If you want to get toned, then use lower weights and more reps and sets. Do at least fifteen lifts while taking a break of less than a minute in between. This constant effort keeps your lactic acids pumping, increasing muscle growth. Repeating this many times in each session will maximize muscle-building.
Many people overestimate how much protein they need in their diet at the beginning of their weight training efforts. This calorie increase can lead to weight gain if there is not enough exercise. Try increasing your protein slowly, a few hundred calories every few days, and your body will have a chance to turn it into muscle growth.
When you workout, it is important you train with different muscles; such as, chest with back, or hamstrings with your quads. By focusing on opposing muscles in different exercises, the non-working muscle has an opportunity to rest while the working one is performing all the work. Using such exercises will allow you to increase the intensity and reduce the overall length of your workouts, allowing you to achieve your results while cutting back on your gym time.
Drinking enough water is critical to building muscle. If you’re not drinking enough water, you could injure your muscles or yourself. Furthermore, staying hydrated makes it much easier to build and maintain your muscle mass.
Know your limitations, and don’t stop short of exhausting them. You want to try and push yourself to your limit during every set. Don’t stop until you’re unable to do even a single more. You can reduce the number of reps in each set to allow yourself to truly push to your maximum.
You can cut corners a bit when you lift, although always be safe. Getting in a few more reps by putting a certain portion of your body to work is a good way to ramp up your exercises. However, be careful not to over-use this technique. Keep a controlled rep speed. Do not compromise on your form when you are doing your reps.
Eating protein rich foods both before and after exercising has got to be one of the most important things as you’re trying to build up your muscle mass. Fifteen grams of protein about an hour prior to training and after you train is recommended. To get an idea of how much 15 grams is, think a couple of glasses of milk.
Try to make your bicep curls better. During a typical biceps curl, you don’t receive the most benefit from the upper part of the curl because you failed in moving the bar or the dumbbell past the parallel point. However, the top of the bicep curl is the most effective part. You can fix this by doing seated barbell curls.
It can be hard to build muscle. Not only does it require that you regularly work out, but your workouts must be intense. You must make sure you pay close attention to your daily diet. Putting in a big effort and not succeeding could discourage you. Use the advice contained within the following paragraphs to maximize the odds that your bodybuilding program will be successful.