Lifting weights, if done properly, is a fun way to increase your health and fitness levels. You will find satisfaction in your workout, the benefits and the results of building muscle. The first step is learning which exercises work best for you and your lifestyle, and this article will help you to do that.
Anyone trying to bulk up will need to consume more daily calories, overall. The amount you eat should be equivalent to you gaining around a pound of weight each week. Try finding ways to boost your calories, and if after a couple weeks, there isn’t a change to your weight, try consuming more calories.
Proper warm-up exercises are essential when you are trying to increase your muscle mass. As muscles grow stronger, they are more stressed and prone to injury. Stretching before working out is the best way to avoid injury. Before doing any heavy lifting, exercise for about 10 minutes then do warm up sets.
Giving into your carnivorous side can help you build muscle. Consume enough meat to amount to one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Having the protein your body needs will help you get the muscles you desire.
Build Muscle
When working to build muscle, make sure you are consuming plenty of protein. Protein is the basic element for building muscles. If your body isn’t properly fueled with protein, then you can’t build muscle mass. You need to have a minimum of two protein-rich meals a day, with at least one high-protein snack.
Set small short-term goals that are easy to achieve to help you reach the long-term results. It takes a long time to build muscle so do not get discouraged and do not give up. Give yourself healthy rewards along the way to stay motivated. You could get a deep tissue massage, for example; it will increase your blood flow, help to boost your mood and even aid in rebuilding damaged muscles.
Don’t attempt to build muscles when you are preparing for a marathon or tackling other extreme cardio workouts. Cardio is helpful to keep in shape, but a lot of it can slow down your efforts to improve muscle mass. If increasing muscle mass and strength is your primary goal, stick with resistance training.
Keep every one of your workouts to less than 60 minutes, maximum. If you work out for longer than an hour, your body will start producing large amounts of cortisol, an unhealthy stress hormone. Cortisol may block testosterone, which hurts all your efforts that you have been putting in towards achieving more muscle mass. Keeping workouts less than sixty minutes is a great way to get the most out of your workout.
If you are planning to increase your protein consumption because you want to lift weights, do so cautiously. This can lead to an additional amount of calories than you need, and if you aren’t exercising hard, you might gain fat instead of the muscle that you want. Increase your protein gradually as you increase the intensity of your weightlifting exercises.
You need good hydration if you are going to build muscle properly. You can injure your muscles if you do not keep your body well hydrated. Hydration is not only important for building muscle mass, but maintaining it as well, so don’t neglect this important aspect of bodybuilding.
Add some plyometric exercises to your workout routine. This type of exercise targets fast-twitch muscle fibers. Targeting these fibers improves overall muscle growth. Plyometrics are similar to ballistic moves due to the fact that acceleration is required. When completing plyometric push-ups, for example, you would remove your hands from the floor, pushing your body upward as high as you can.
One problem many people have when trying to build muscle is certain muscle groups growing slower than others. Fill sets are wise in order to focus on the slower muscles. A fill set is 25-30 reps of an exercise specifically designed to target your weak areas as maintenance between full workouts.
If your muscle development routine is working, it should be making you stronger. You should see a steady increase in the amount of weight you can lift over time. If you are new to weight lifting, you should see an increase of approximately 5% in the weight you can lift every other workout session. If you are having difficulty meeting your goals, it may be necessary to rethink your current plan of action. If you’re feeling weak, consider how long you rested between workouts.
It’s important to limit working out to three or four times weekly. This allows your body time to recover from the workouts. Working out too frequently could lead to injuries, which will end up being counterproductive as it comes to your end results.
If you have muscle groups that hold you back in certain exercises, consider pre-exhausting. Biceps can tire out before your lats when you’re performing rows, for example. An exercise that isolates and works only your lats, performed before your workout, allows you to avoid this problem. Your lats can get exhausted and when doing rows, make sure that your biceps do not limit you.
Heavy Weights
Be careful about using heavy weights for moves that don’t favor much weight. Neck work, split squats and dips sometimes include unfavorable joint positions that can put you at risk for serious injury. Use the heavy weights for exercises like rows, presses, squats and deads.
Try to be realistic with your muscle-building goals. Remember that it will take a lot of time and effort to reach your ultimate goal. Trying to use stimulants and steroids can harm the body, and lead to very bad health problems.
Feeling healthy is its own reward, and adding lean muscle to your physique is an excellent way to achieve that goal. When put together with cardiovascular routines, weight training can get you the results you want in less time than just cardio workouts. Pair these together and workout often so you can see changes quickly!