Building muscle extends beyond a few trips to the gym every week to lift weights. There are a variety of factors that determine what kind of results you get from a bodybuilding program. Keep reading for great advice on how you need to approach muscle development to get it to really work for you and produce optimum results.

Your top three exercises will be a squat, deadlift and bench press. These three exercises make up the core of a solid bodybuilding routine for good reason. They are exercises that are proven to build strength, increase bulk, and improve your overall conditioning. Try to do these exercises in each workout, somehow.

Adapt your diet in function of how much you exercise. Ideally, you should build a pound of muscle per week. Look into ways you can take in more calories. If you don’t see any changes in your weight within two weeks, try consuming an even higher amount of calories.

Meat is very helpful for building up your muscles. By eating at least one gram of protein for each pound in your target weight you can hit the goal quickest. You will be able to store more protein if you eat the right amount of meat which will help your muscles to be able to grow as large as you would like them to get.

Compound exercises will help you obtain the best possible muscle growth. These exercises use multiple muscle groups in a single lift exercise. A great example of a compound exercise is bench pressing. This exercise works your triceps, chest and shoulders all at the same time.

Always stretch thoroughly after working out to give your muscles the best chance to repair and grow properly. Someone who is under forty should hold each stretch at least thirty seconds. However, if you are older than forty, you should try to maintain a stretch for about sixty seconds. This way you’ll be less likely to become injured as you complete your exercises.

Drink water before, during and after a workout. Failing to maintain proper hydration leaves you susceptible to injury. Additionally, hydration has a role both in maintaining and increasing muscle mass, which is why it is vital for a lot of reasons.

Make sure that you are eating enough calories in general. There is a wide selection of online calculators that will help you figure out how many calories you will need to consume depending on how much muscle weight you are trying to gain. Let these tools help you to design the ideal muscle development diet.

Definitely learn your limits, but do not quit doing a particular exercise until your ability to complete a rep is totally exhausted. When doing your sets, keep going until you literally cannot go any further. This may require shortening your sets as your workout continues.

Coming up with a beneficial bodybuilding workout routine will keep you strong and help to avoid injuries. You should start with two workouts a week and build up to three times when you feel that you have a handle on your routine.

It should be easy to see the various ways you can impact your weight training in a positive and easy way. Now that you have this great information at your disposal, you can start a muscle-building routine immediately for the quickest results.