If your focus is on increasing muscle mass, you should read the below article for tips on the areas that you should focus on. You might need to change your diet as well as working out in order to get the results you desire. See what needs more work and keep building from that you get your desired results.

One common mistake is to be more concerned with the speed of your workout than the techniques you use. You’ll always get better results if you complete repetitions slowly and correctly, rather than if you try to get your reps done too fast. Take time to be certain you are doing the exercise correctly.

Warming up and stretching is essential to developing your muscles. As you strengthen your muscles, you also place a heap of additional stress upon them that may increase the likelihood of injuries. If you spend an adequate amount of time warming up, your risk of injury will decrease. Before you do any serious lifting, lightly exercise for five to ten minutes, and then do three or four light and intermediate warm-up sets.

Include the “big three” exercises in your exercise regimen. The “big three” muscle building exercises are: bench presses, dead lifts and squats. These exercises simultaneously increase both muscle mass and strength. Make these exercises a part of your weekly routine.

Muscle Mass

Protein is essential in building up muscle mass. Protein is what builds strong muscles and what they are made from. If your body isn’t properly fueled with protein, then you can’t build muscle mass. Try to eat healthy, lean proteins in two of the three major meals and one or two of your snacks every day.

Vary your workout routine from week to week. As with any workout routine, you can easily become bored after a while, which may keep you from continuing. Make it a little difference by switching the exercise that you do each time that you head to the gym. If you are able to do this successfully, you will not get as tired of your routines, and you will want to continue to do them.

Don’t combine intense cardio exercise with muscle building routines. Cardio is essential for good fitness, but too much cardio may cancel out your attempts at bulking up through strength training. Focus on a healthy balance between cardio exercise and weight training.

You should eat a healthy meal before you workout. Consume a large amount of nutritionally dense calories about one hour before starting your exercise regimen. While working out doesn’t give you a free pass to overeat, your body will need and burn more calories on days that you exercise.

Muscle Groups

Compound exercises will help you develop your muscle mass. These exercises use many muscle groups in the same lift. One popular example of a compound exercise is bench pressing. This exercise works three muscle groups at once: the triceps, shoulders, and chest.

When you are done with a workout, stretching is very important, so that your muscles can repair themselves and rebuild. Someone under the age of forty should stretch for at least 30 seconds. Someone over 40 should hold their stretches for at least 60 seconds. This method of stretching helps you avoid injury after your weight training exercises.

Increase your protein intake to build your muscle mass. Protein is the basic building block for muscle cells. If you’re not getting enough protein in your diet, you can lose muscle mass instead of gaining it. You should consume up to one protein gram per pound that you weigh.

As you have now learned, obtaining additional muscle strength can be achieved in a variety of ways. Any of the above advice will help you to achieve a stronger body. Use the exercises which work your muscles the most. Try out different combinations until you find something that works best for you.