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Introduction
A muscular physique isn’t only about looks. Strong muscles can help regulate blood sugar, stabilize cholesterol levels, keep you at a healthy weight, and even prevent mild depression. Likewise, strong muscles enhance your physique, fitness, conditioning levels, and ultimately your overall health.
Strong muscles also decrease the likelihood of injuries. Muscles helps develop and reinforce bones and tendons, which can help avert tears and sprains. Likewise, specific muscle training delivers different results. For instance, core exercises can improve both balance and coordination.
However, building muscle requires the coordination of different factors. It might be a bit tricky due to people’s differences in body type, nutritional needs, and the like. Nonetheless, with the right techniques, you may be able to build those muscles.
Work Multiple Joints and Muscle Groups
Exercises that target multiple joints and muscles should be incorporated into your regimen. This unlocks muscle growth and promotes resistance.
For instance, a dumbbell row rep challenges your biceps, lats, and abs. Apart from this, moves like squats, deadlifts, pullups, and bench presses stimulate multiple muscle groups at the same time. To note, when you maximize multiple muscle groups, it encourages you to lift more weight and strengthen muscles.
Take Supplements
The right combination of supplements can greatly impact fat loss, muscle building, and performance. There are a wide variety of supplements to choose from including protein, creatine, etc., all the way on up to hardcore muscle enhancers.
For example, muscle-building supplements, particularly SARMs UK, amplifies androgen levels in the body which results in a surge in recovery and performance. These can dramatically enhance physical performance during resistance training and aid in stimulating muscle growth.
Of course, most of us won’t want to go so extreme and therefore should opt for simple protein and pre-workout supplements. SARMS and other hardcore supplements definitely aren’t for the average Joe or Jane.
Don’t Always Go Hard On Your Regimen
Your body should move every day. However, it doesn’t imply that your workouts should push you to extreme exhaustion.
To note, recovery is crucial to develop and maintain muscles. Constantly training them will be counterproductive to their needed restoration. Instead, intense workouts should only be performed every three times a week, not on back-to-back days.
Work With A Trainer
The ideal personal trainer can create a program tailored to your abilities and goals.
If you’re healing from an injury or if you have a chronic health concern, you may reach out to a physical therapist. However, if you’re in good health, seek out supervised programs from a certified training coach. Through their expertise, you may be able to reap your desired results without risking muscle strains and ligament tears.
Eat Every Three Hours
Consider the amount of calories you need in a day and divide it by six. That is the number that should serve as your guide with each meal. Make sure you eat protein-rich food and target around 20 grams for every 3 hours.
Consuming the right food at the right time is critical in boosting your muscle mass. The most convenient way to do this is to complete your three meals, post-workout snacks, pre-bed, and two snacks in between.
To note, not eating for long periods can cause you to over-eat at the next meal or top yourself up with unhealthy snacks. To manage cravings, discipline yourself to eat at fixed times. In due time, you will be surprised at how your body will adjust and feel hungry during those specific times.
Watch Your Diet
A healthy diet provides the essential building blocks to strengthen your muscles. You need a combination of protein, grain-based carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables. To suggest, a nutritionist may help you design a meal plan to maintain energy and build muscles.
A daily range of 130 grams (g) of carbohydrates for both men and women is crucial for muscle growth. This incorporates nine servings (four and a half cups) of fruits and vegetables and 56 g of protein for men, 46 g of protein for women.
Fruits and vegetables are also packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. For this reason, aim to consume them every meal. Though some fruits have higher sugar content than others, most of them help in digestion and are low in calories. This means that you can eat them without gaining fat or weight.
Incorporate Protein
Intense training breaks down your muscles. Gladly, protein restores them back. Hence, it is crucial to consume the right amount of protein to support muscle recovery. More or less of which will not show much difference in maintaining muscles.
According to research from the University of Stirling, weightlifters need to eat 0.25 to 0.30 grams of protein per kilogram body weight per meal to optimize protein growth. For a 175-pound individual, that equates to 20 to 24 grams of protein at every meal.
Choose Your Post-Workout Snacks
After your workout, your body attempts to rebuild its glycogen stores and repair those muscle proteins. Post workout nutrition can efficiently facilitate this process. To note, consuming the right nutrients after your exercise is as important as your pre-exercise meal.
While you need carbs for energy, most people eat more than they need. When building muscles, down your carbohydrate intake only after your workout session. Take note to refrain from white carbs. Instead, you can have a banana, a peanut-butter sandwich, or any whole grain snacks.
Get Adequate Sleep
Muscle building, recovery, and repair occur during sleep. Hence, ensure that you aim for sufficient rest to replenish your muscle’s energy stores. Failure to do so may delay your muscle-building efforts and possibly lead to illness and injury.
Likewise, with insufficient sleep, the muscles may continue to tear without rebuilding. Ashley Wiater, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital stated that sleep is crucial to facilitate proper healing of the tissues when we stress them.
To note, when you strengthen your muscles, they need 48 hours to re-knit. Hence, do not tire yourself too much and rest as you can.
Conclusion
To set yourself up for success, set a strategic framework for both your training, lifestyle habits, and recovery. Harmony among the three will help you attain muscle growth and maintenance.
Moreover, when attempting to build muscles, remember that it takes time. Do not compare your progress to anyone. Learn to stay committed, determined, and patient to the process.
All in all, focus on your progress and in due time, you will surely reap the results!
About Theresa Duncan
Originally from Detroit, MI, Theresa has been offering health and fitness advice for the last 30 years while working as an engineer. She decided to turn her passion into a profession, and finds nothing more satisfying than helping others reach their health and fitness goals.