Everybody wants a great body, but most people won’t do what it takes. You, however, have already taken the first step by decidedly seeking out this information. Here are a few handy tips to help you build muscle mass quicker and more safely.
Caloric Intake
When attempting to build muscle, it is a good idea to eat enough food overall. Up your caloric intake until you are gaining one pound each week. Research different methods to increase you caloric intake. If you don’t see any changes in your weight within two weeks, you may want to think about ingesting even more calories.
Meat is a protein-rich food that will help aid muscle growth. You’ll need to ingest at least a gram of protein for each pound of body weight. This will allow your body to store some of that protein, and stored protein can result in increased muscle mass.
Use caution when taking creating supplements for long periods of time. You can develop severe kidney problems with prolonged creatine use. Also, it has been shown to cause heart arrhythmia, muscle cramps and muscle compartment syndrome. Teenagers are particularly affected. Be sure you keep your creatine intake at or below suggested safety levels.
Though they get a bad rap, carbohydrates are an essential part of exercise nutrition. Carbs provide fuel for your body, giving it the energy to complete your daily routine. When training consistently, you must take in two to three grams of carbohydrates per pound of weight.
Compound exercises are an excellent way to build muscles to their fullest extent. Working out many muscles in one lift is more efficient. Bench presses, for example, work your chest, arms and shoulders at the same time.
Use as many repetitions as possible when training. Commit to lifting at least fifteen times while resting for about a minute before the next lift. This keeps your lactic acid moving, and your muscles building. Doing this consistently while you train will optimize the amount of muscle built over time.
Cool down with a short stretching routine to ensure that your muscles start the repair process from a healthy point. If you are younger than forty years old, you should be capable of maintaining each stretch for half a minute. However, if you are older than forty, you should try to maintain a stretch for about sixty seconds. This helps to prevent injuries after you have exercised to build muscle.
Create the illusion that your body is larger than it really is. Concentrate on training your upper back, chest and shoulders to get this effect. Bulking up this way makes your waist look smaller, and it can make you look larger overall.
In each workout, train the opposing muscles. For example, work out your chest and back together, and your hamstrings and quads together. By working out this way, one muscle can take a break while the other is being trained. You can increase the intensity of your workout to make up for spending less time in the gym.
It is acceptable to cheat a little when lifting. Slightly using your body for pumping out a few final reps is a great way to increase your workout volume. That being said, it’s not a good idea to cheat too often. Always keep your rep speed controlled. You should be careful to never compromise your form.
Alter your diet to go with your training. It is important to consume plenty of protein and limit your fat intake when you are trying to build muscle. This does not mean you should eat more food; this means you should have a more balanced diet. You should consider taking vitamins and protein supplements to help you build muscles quicker.
Working out your muscles has many great benefits to your overall life, even if you don’t like the idea of being bulky. You will be raising your self-esteem, improving your joints and overall strength, and your lungs will even get stronger if you add some light or medium cardio work to your exercise routine.
Be realistic in your muscle building goals. Hundreds of workouts will be required to achieve good results. Any potential shortcuts that tempt you have rather vicious downsides you want to avoid. Working out too hard is asking for an injury, and using steroids or other stimulants will only expose you to seriously negative health consequences down the road.
Use smarts as you are doing squats. Move the bar to the area on your back closest to the trap’s center. This balances out the concentration of muscle, and it allows you to squat additional weight that would be impossible otherwise.
It is very important that you begin your workout by stretching. Stretching before working out can help prevent injury. Stretching after you workout can help you avoid becoming sore. In order to speed up relaxation and shorten your recovery time, you can also add a schedule of massages to your workout routine.
If muscle-building is your goal, a good diet is required. Without proper nutrition, it will be difficult for your body to regenerate muscle fibers. To aid the recovery process, take a protein shake after every workout.
Try using a creatine supplement. Creatine will help you push your body and be more effective in building your muscles. As with any supplement, though, you need to be careful. Take the creatine exactly as instructed on the label, never exceeding the recommended amount.
If you’re new in bodybuilding, it is important that you have perfect form before concentrating on power. You will use heavier weights over time, and by using improper form you could have diminished results later on. The result will be an increase in injury, which will never help you to accomplish your long term goals.
Hopefully now you can see that muscle building is an attainable goal. It takes some work on your part, but the knowledge you’ve gained here will ensure that it will be simple and easy for you to begin to build muscle and feel your best.