Bodybuilding is not all about hours and hours spent in the gym lifting weights. There are many factors that contribute to the results you see when you spend time weight lifting. Read the following article and you will know what you need to do to achieve the most from your efforts.
An often overlooked part of a good exercise program is warming up. Once your muscles are stronger they will be more prone to injury as a result of additional stress. However, if you correctly warm up, injury can be prevented. Prior to doing heavy lifting, spend five to maybe ten minutes exercising lightly, followed by three or four warm-up light and intermediate sets.
Every muscle building routine should contain three classic exercises. The “big three” muscle development exercises are: bench presses, dead lifts and squats. Along with adding muscle, these exercises help you improve your strength and condition your body. Try to include variations of these workout staples each time you exercise.
Set small short-term goals that are easy to achieve to help you reach the long-term results. Building muscle is a long term process, so you have to stay determined and motivated. Make your rewards coincide with your goal to gain muscle. As an example, obtaining a massage can not only improve the blood flow to your muscles, it can also aid in recovery on days you take off from working out.
Repair and build your muscles by making sure to stretch post-workout. Any individual under forty years of age should strive to hold every stretch for thirty seconds at the least. If you are over 40, hold each stretch for a full minute or more. This helps to lessen the chance of injury after you have just worked out.
Consume lots of protein when looking to gain muscle. Protein is a major building block of muscle, so not eating enough of it may actually lead to your losing muscle, which defeats the whole purpose behind bulking up. You might even require a daily gram of protein for each pound your body weighs.
A lot of individuals make the error of boosting their protein intake at the same time they start working out. This calorie increase can lead to weight gain if there is not enough exercise. Instead of adding in a large amount of protein all at once, try substituting other foods in your diet for protein, or adding it in small increments. This is the best way to give your body a chance to use the protein that you are consuming in the proper way.
Now you know that it is rather simple to increase your muscle strength. Now that you have been informed, use this advice right away to get the muscles you want.