Become informed to ensure that you're performing the most effective exercises for increasing muscle. Different exercises target different things; some may work on muscle development or toning. Don't forget to use a variety of different methods so that each muscle group is worked.
A great method of motivating yourself is to set short-term goals and give yourself rewards when you reach them. Since gaining muscle involves a long-term commitment, it is important to stay motivated constantly. You can even set rewards that are beneficial for your muscle gaining efforts. For instance, get a massage; they increase the body's blood flow and assist you in recovering on your off days.
Quite often, people will mistakenly emphasize their speed instead of technique. Form and technique are extremely important in muscle building and it is always better to go slow and focus on form, rather than speeding through a workout. Don't rush, and focus on doing each rep with proper form.
Be sure you mix up your routine. If a workout routine becomes mundane and boring, you are less likely to stick to it. Add variety to the exercises you perform, and try to focus on different muscle groups with each gym visit. By doing this, you will stay motivated and exercise at optimal levels.
Strength Training
Don't try to build muscle while doing intensive cardio workouts. Doing cardio is great for overall fitness, though if you do too much, your body will not be able to build a lot of muscles mass with strength training at the same time. Make sure to use strength training the most when building muscle.
Do some web research to ensure that the exercises you are doing match your bodybuilding goals. You should know different exercises allow you to focus on different groups, toning or building. It is important to be certain that you are using techniques that offer variety and that you work multiple muscle groups, rather than just one or two.
Building muscle cannot happen if you're not getting a good amount of protein. An excellent method of consuming an adequate amount of protein is by making use of supplements, such as protein shakes. Such beverages are especially useful following exercise and just prior to bedtime. Consume one a day to build muscle as you lose weight. Try having three a day when you want to get bigger while building muscle.
Don't work out for longer than an hour. The body begins to produce more cortisol, a stress hormone, after sixty minutes of working out. Cortisol may block testosterone, wasting effort you put toward building your muscle. You will optimize your efforts by keeping your workouts short and intense.
Try to make sure you stretch out your muscles while you work out. Hold a stretch for about thirty seconds if you are under forty years old. Someone over 40 should hold their stretches for at least 60 seconds. This will work to prevent any injuries from happening after you have worked your muscles.
Proper warm-up exercises are essential when you are trying to increase your muscle mass. As you strengthen your muscles, you also place a heap of additional stress upon them that may increase the likelihood of injuries. If you warm up, injuries can be prevented. Don't do any heavy lifting until after you've done some light exercising for five or ten minutes, followed by a few light to moderate sets to get warmed up.
It is necessary to monitor your calories, if you want to build muscle. There are good calories and bad ones, so it's important to know which ones promote muscle growth and which ones hinder it. At an extreme, a bad diet will lead to more fat instead of muscle.
One way to work around muscle groups that are holding you back is "pre-exhausting." As an example, you might have weaker biceps that fatigue before you can complete lats on rows. To solve this problem, first perform an exercise that isolates the lats but does not require much from the biceps, like straight-arm pulldowns. Once your lats are pre-exhausted, you can take on exercises like rows without weak biceps setting you back.
Make your bicep curl better. During a typical biceps curl, you don't receive the most benefit from the upper part of the curl because you failed in moving the bar or the dumbbell past the parallel point. It is important to get the full benefits of the upper part of the curl. This can be remedied by doing the barbell curls while seated.
If you plan on using creatine, use it with caution when taking it for any extended amount of time. Those with kidney problems should not take creatine at all. Creatine can also bring on cardiac arrhythmias, muscle cramps and muscle compartment syndrome. Adolescents are particularly at risk. If you take this supplement, take it in the recommended safe quantities.
Make sure you stretch before working out. Stretching is essential to warming up your muscles and preventing injury, and stretching exercises post-workout can help your muscles relax as they enter the recovery phase. Massages can also help relax and promote muscle recovery, an important part of bodybuilding.
Try switching the grip for your back. Grip the weight bar with a staged or mixed grip position when performing deadlifts and rack pulls, to achieve a varied workout and better overall results. Using this staggered grip allows you to twist the bar in one direction while your other hand twists in the opposite direction. This method will prevent the bar from rotating in your hands.
Watch your diet and what you eat when you want to build muscle. The importance of staying hydrated is often mentioned in many health matters, but since muscles are 70% water, it is especially true in this case. Do not drink too much alcohol. It breaks down muscles in large quantities.
Include an effective number of repetitions in your training session sets. Fifteen lifts is a good number, with no more than a minute break between sets. This keeps your lactic acid moving, and your muscles building. The more times you can complete this process during your workout, the more muscle growth you can expect.
It's important to maintain a healthy diet if you want to build muscle. Your body's muscles need specific types of nutrients so that they can stretch, grow and recover efficiently over the course of your muscle-building efforts. Protein shakes have been proven to be a great source of protein to consume after a workout to help rebuild muscle fibers.
You should now have an arsenal of useful information you can put to immediate work in your weight training regimen. With what you've learned here, you should be ready to safely build your muscle mass to the point you wish to reach. Dedication to your goals will result in awesome results sooner than you might think.
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