Are you attempting to increase your muscle mass? You have lots of options when it comes to building muscle and maximizing your workouts. If you are working out in order to increase your strength and build up your muscles, you can find some handy advice in the following article. Avoid wasting your time and use these tips.

Try to focus your time on the bench press, the dead lift and the squat. This trio is thought to be the best foundation for bodybuilding success. They are exercises that are proven to build strength, increase bulk, and improve your overall conditioning. You should use each exercise in some manner every time you workout.

When trying to build more muscle, you will need to eat more in general. Increase your food intake to the amount of calories that will produce a weight gain of one pound per week. Investigate ways to raise your caloric intake, and if after two weeks you see no change in your weight, consider taking in even more calories.

As a source of motivation, set goals that are short-termed and reward yourself when each goal is attained. Building muscle is a long term process, so you have to stay determined and motivated. You may even give yourself rewards that are directly related to muscle development. As an example, get a massage, which will help increase your blood flow and benefits muscle growth.

Heart Muscle

Though creatine is safe for use when trying to build muscle mass, there are precautions you must be aware of. Check with your doctor and let him know about specific kidney problems you are having. Another possible effect of creatine supplementation is adverse effects on the heart muscle, including arrhythmia and heart muscle cramps. The adolescent age group is at a much higher risk for developing these types of problems. Be sure you keep your creatine intake at or below suggested safety levels.

Eat very well on the days that you plan to work on your muscle development. Consume a large amount of nutritionally dense calories about one hour before starting your exercise regimen. Make sure that you don’t eat in excess but that you moderately gauge how much you’re eating and plan your meals on the days you workout, accordingly.

Compound Exercises

Compound exercises are crucial when building muscle. Compound exercises work more than one muscle group at once. Take the standard press; it works your triceps, chest and shoulders all at once.

Complete as many repetitions as you can during your workout. Target fifteen lifts, allowing for a minute break between each set. This keeps your lactic acid moving, and your muscles building. You will maximize your weight training by committing to this several times during each of your sessions.

It is important to remember that certain groups of muscles are more difficult to build than others. Bodybuilders often use fill sets to correct this problem. Completing 25-30 reps of an exercise which targets that muscle group a few days after you’ve extremely worked it out will increase the visible mass.

Protein helps build bigger, stronger muscles, so make sure to eat quality proteins both before your workouts and after them. Try to consume 15 grams of protein 30 minutes prior to exercising, and 15 grams afterwards. This is about the same as one or two cups of milk.

As you have learned, there is a lot that you can do so that your efforts will pay off. Apply the tips laid out here, and you will be able to efficiently start muscle building. Get the most from your weight training workouts with this information.