Great advice is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to build muscle and get into great shape. The methods contained in the following article have been proven successful. Carefully read this advice and retain it, as best as you can.
If you want to be successful at building muscle, you need to consume enough carbohydrates. Your body runs on carbs, so they are essential to complete your workouts and do all the other tasks that you must do each day. If you are following a particularly grueling training program, adjust your protein intake to match. That means about 2-3 grams of protein per pound of weight.
Since you will be burning more calories than normal, it is important that you eat well on days you lift. Fuel up for your exercise session by taking in some calories an hour before heading to the gym. Don’t overeat on workout days, but eat more than days that you aren’t planning on weight training.
When training, high reps and a good number of sets will show the best results. For example, do 15 lifts and then take a break of one minute. This stimulates the release of lactic acid, which is a key component in muscle growth. You can grow your muscles tremendously by following this advice.
60 Minutes
Try to limit your workouts to around sixty minutes. After 60 minutes of exercise, your body starts to produce more of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol blocks testosterone–a hormone that promotes muscle growth–and undermines all of the work you are putting into building muscle. Restricting workouts to 60 minutes or less helps you get more out of each workout.
You must be hydrated to build muscle properly. If you aren’t keeping yourself hydrated with water properly, then there is a high chance that you will injure yourself or your muscles. Hydration also plays a key role in maintaining and building muscle, so it’s crucial to drink plenty of fluids.
You can cut corners a bit when you lift, although always be safe. If you need to use a bit of your body to get those last couple of reps in, it’s okay. In fact, this is a great way to increase your workout volume. Cheating a little is okay, but cheating a lot will just be cheating yourself out of great results. Maintain a rep speed that is controlled. Do not compromise your form.
Limit your workouts to no more than four times during the week. This allows your muscles to repair and rebuild themselves with a bit of rest. When you workout too much, you can make your body overwork itself and not build muscles and get into shape properly, so you won’t get the results you’re seeking.
An important component of bodybuilding is your diet. There are good calories and bad calories, and you need to know the difference. At an extreme, a bad diet will lead to more fat instead of muscle.
Start using the advice from this article right away. Using determination to reach your goals will pay off for you. There are no magic shortcuts, but if you work diligently at it, you will reach your goals.