Recommended Programs
Muscle Building
Follow Along As I Get Back In Shape
It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. I can’t believe that I started this site over 4 years ago now. Believe it or not, this site is seen by something like 600 people every single day! I’ve let a huge resource and a massive source of accountability completely go to waste. Oh well… No better time than now to jump back in to it.
I’ve actually become somewhat fanatical about health again recently. So why not get this blog up and running again and let everyone else share my journey.
This post will act as a bit of an intro to what my goals are and my next few posts will dive in deeper as to the exact action steps that I’m taking to achieve my goals.
My current stats:
202 lbs – as of today 7/11/2011 (Free slurpee day but I’ll resist!)
Right Bicep – 14.5″
Left Bicep – 14″
Waistline – 39″
Hips – 40″
Right Thigh – 21″
Left Thigh – 21″
So that’s where I stand right now. I’m going on vacation in New Zealand in October. My goal is to get down to 180 lbs and about a 35″ waistline by October 1st. I figured that publicly announcing this on a blog that gets seen by 600 people a day should be pretty good motivation to make it happen.
My current diet follows the 4 hour body diet from Tim Ferriss’s latest book (future post to come about this diet).
My current workout routine consists of mostly kettlebell workouts and cardio. I’m trying to shrink right now. After my vacation, I’ll put my focus heavily on muscle building.
That’s where I stand right now. Please sure your thoughts, comments, and encouragement in the comments section below.
Using High Reps To Build Muscle? Three Ways To Do It That Will Shatter Any Muscle Growth Plateau!
Nick Nilsson asked:
When I say “muscle building,” I’m sure the first thing that jumps into your head is NOT high-rep training!
In fact, when trying to build muscle, most trainers will actively stay FAR away from anything resembling high reps (and when I say high reps, I mean anything more than 13 to 15 reps per set).
Here’s the thing…that can actually be a huge mistake!
Just like heavy weights and low reps, the higher rep ranges can be a very valuable and even essential tool in your muscle-building arsenal.
I’ve got three high-rep training techniques I want to share with you right now. And I’m going to explain exactly why each one is critical to your muscle-building success.
1. Very Light Weight, Very High Reps
Yep, I know this sounds absolutely CRAZY. How can light weight and very high reps do anything for building muscle? Here’s a hint…it’s not about resistance…it’s about physiology.
In order for a muscle to grow, first you’ve got to stimulate growth by overloading it with resistance – no argument there. But after you’ve stimulated the growth, you’ve got to supply nutrients to the muscle cells to help them rebuild.
What if your blood supply is poor to the trained muscle? Got a muscle group that doesn’t pump up very easily? It’s probably one of your hardest muscle groups to develop. Poor circulation means fewer nutrients get to that muscle for recovery and rebuilding, leading to reduced growth.
THAT is where light weight and very high reps come into play. You see, very high reps have the effect of increasing capillarization in muscle tissue (simply defined, capillaries are the tiny blood vessels where blood cells release their nutrients to the rest of the cells in the body).
Bottom line, you do a set of 100 reps and your body responds by increasing capillary density in the targeted muscle, which sets the stage for future muscle growth.
The high reps sets don’t directly cause muscle growth (the resistance isn’t high enough), they just improve blood circulation to the target muscle so when you DO train heavy and for lower reps, your target muscle gets more nutrients and can grow and recover more easily.
Want to put this tip to work?
Pick a “hard to pump” muscle and at the start of EVERY workout you do for that bodypart (e.g. every time you train biceps), do a single set of 100 reps with a very light weight. Basically, pick an exercise and just crank out the reps. Do this every time you train that bodypart and you soon will start to notice a difference in how easily that muscle pumps up and how well it grows.
2. Moderate-Weight, High-Rep Training
This sure sounds like an oxymoron. After all, how can you use moderate weights when you’re performing high reps!
As a matter of fact, you CAN. In fact, it’s one of the best training techniques you can use for building muscle fast. It’s a technique even elite powerlifters (who normally train with very low reps) use to increase muscle mass.
There are definitely certain exercises that lend themselves more to heavy-weight, high-rep training. Squats, for example, are the best example for this technique (you may be familiar with the popular “20-Rep Squat” program),
This moderate-weight, high-rep training has many of the same circulation benefits of the very high rep training but with the advantage of increased resistance, which will help directly stimulate muscle growth in addition to helping improve circulation.
Using myself as an example, I used squats with this technique and worked up to performing a set of 40 reps with 315 lbs (believe me, THAT was fun…). I’ve also managed a set of 25 reps with 225 lbs and a set of 70 reps with 135 lbs on the bench press.
This technique can be used with any exercise, really. You’ll find some exercises work better for it than others but basically, you’re taking a weight that is a bit lighter than your normal working weights and you’re just focusing on cranking out the reps.
Like the previous technique, I find this is best done at the beginning of a workout when you’re still fresh. You’ll be able to get more reps out of the exercise that way. Some trainers like to use it as a back-off set (powerlifters generally use it this way), doing the high-reps with moderate weight after finishing with the heavier stuff.
So next time you’re about to do squats, put a moderate weight on the bar and just see how many reps you can crank out! Forget about what you’re going to do on the rest of your sets – just get as many as you can. Your legs will be hit with a whole new muscle-building stimulus!
3. High-Rep Partial Training
This final tip brings us into an interesting area. High-rep partial training actually allows you to do high-rep training with HEAVY weight! In fact, you will be amazed at how much weight you can use with this style of training.
We’re going to be getting the benefits not only of the increased circulation that I mentioned with light-weight, high-rep training, but we’re also going to get the substantial muscle-building benefits of using heavy weights at the same time.
Another benefit…because you’re using heavier-than-normal weights, you’re going to be working your connective tissue very effectively as well. And, because you’re using high-reps, you’re going to be forcing a LOT of blood into that connective tissue, which is notorious for its normally poor blood supply. This helps immensely with strengthening and healing.
High-rep partial training is fairly straightforward to perform. It’s best done in a power rack, where it’s easy to adjust the range of motion. For example, using bench press, you can set the safety rails to a few inches below the lockout position.
Working in only that top range of motion (which is the strongest segment of the range of motion) means you can use a LOT more weight than you normally could for the full-range exercise.
So you set up the bench, set up the rails and add some weight. Now you just perform as many partial reps as you can! To give you an idea of weight and reps, I’ve done sets of 50+ reps with 315 lbs on high-rep lockout partial bench press.
High-rep partial training can be done at any point in your workout, as an addition to your “normal” training (1 or 2 sets) or as the complete bodypart workout on its own.
The Final Word
Overall, I’m a big fan of high-rep training for building muscle, when PROPERLY used. These three techniques are very effective for not only setting the stage for muscle growth but actually building the muscle itself!
End Anxiety And Panic Attacks
When I say “muscle building,” I’m sure the first thing that jumps into your head is NOT high-rep training!
In fact, when trying to build muscle, most trainers will actively stay FAR away from anything resembling high reps (and when I say high reps, I mean anything more than 13 to 15 reps per set).
Here’s the thing…that can actually be a huge mistake!
Just like heavy weights and low reps, the higher rep ranges can be a very valuable and even essential tool in your muscle-building arsenal.
I’ve got three high-rep training techniques I want to share with you right now. And I’m going to explain exactly why each one is critical to your muscle-building success.
1. Very Light Weight, Very High Reps
Yep, I know this sounds absolutely CRAZY. How can light weight and very high reps do anything for building muscle? Here’s a hint…it’s not about resistance…it’s about physiology.
In order for a muscle to grow, first you’ve got to stimulate growth by overloading it with resistance – no argument there. But after you’ve stimulated the growth, you’ve got to supply nutrients to the muscle cells to help them rebuild.
What if your blood supply is poor to the trained muscle? Got a muscle group that doesn’t pump up very easily? It’s probably one of your hardest muscle groups to develop. Poor circulation means fewer nutrients get to that muscle for recovery and rebuilding, leading to reduced growth.
THAT is where light weight and very high reps come into play. You see, very high reps have the effect of increasing capillarization in muscle tissue (simply defined, capillaries are the tiny blood vessels where blood cells release their nutrients to the rest of the cells in the body).
Bottom line, you do a set of 100 reps and your body responds by increasing capillary density in the targeted muscle, which sets the stage for future muscle growth.
The high reps sets don’t directly cause muscle growth (the resistance isn’t high enough), they just improve blood circulation to the target muscle so when you DO train heavy and for lower reps, your target muscle gets more nutrients and can grow and recover more easily.
Want to put this tip to work?
Pick a “hard to pump” muscle and at the start of EVERY workout you do for that bodypart (e.g. every time you train biceps), do a single set of 100 reps with a very light weight. Basically, pick an exercise and just crank out the reps. Do this every time you train that bodypart and you soon will start to notice a difference in how easily that muscle pumps up and how well it grows.
2. Moderate-Weight, High-Rep Training
This sure sounds like an oxymoron. After all, how can you use moderate weights when you’re performing high reps!
As a matter of fact, you CAN. In fact, it’s one of the best training techniques you can use for building muscle fast. It’s a technique even elite powerlifters (who normally train with very low reps) use to increase muscle mass.
There are definitely certain exercises that lend themselves more to heavy-weight, high-rep training. Squats, for example, are the best example for this technique (you may be familiar with the popular “20-Rep Squat” program),
This moderate-weight, high-rep training has many of the same circulation benefits of the very high rep training but with the advantage of increased resistance, which will help directly stimulate muscle growth in addition to helping improve circulation.
Using myself as an example, I used squats with this technique and worked up to performing a set of 40 reps with 315 lbs (believe me, THAT was fun…). I’ve also managed a set of 25 reps with 225 lbs and a set of 70 reps with 135 lbs on the bench press.
This technique can be used with any exercise, really. You’ll find some exercises work better for it than others but basically, you’re taking a weight that is a bit lighter than your normal working weights and you’re just focusing on cranking out the reps.
Like the previous technique, I find this is best done at the beginning of a workout when you’re still fresh. You’ll be able to get more reps out of the exercise that way. Some trainers like to use it as a back-off set (powerlifters generally use it this way), doing the high-reps with moderate weight after finishing with the heavier stuff.
So next time you’re about to do squats, put a moderate weight on the bar and just see how many reps you can crank out! Forget about what you’re going to do on the rest of your sets – just get as many as you can. Your legs will be hit with a whole new muscle-building stimulus!
3. High-Rep Partial Training
This final tip brings us into an interesting area. High-rep partial training actually allows you to do high-rep training with HEAVY weight! In fact, you will be amazed at how much weight you can use with this style of training.
We’re going to be getting the benefits not only of the increased circulation that I mentioned with light-weight, high-rep training, but we’re also going to get the substantial muscle-building benefits of using heavy weights at the same time.
Another benefit…because you’re using heavier-than-normal weights, you’re going to be working your connective tissue very effectively as well. And, because you’re using high-reps, you’re going to be forcing a LOT of blood into that connective tissue, which is notorious for its normally poor blood supply. This helps immensely with strengthening and healing.
High-rep partial training is fairly straightforward to perform. It’s best done in a power rack, where it’s easy to adjust the range of motion. For example, using bench press, you can set the safety rails to a few inches below the lockout position.
Working in only that top range of motion (which is the strongest segment of the range of motion) means you can use a LOT more weight than you normally could for the full-range exercise.
So you set up the bench, set up the rails and add some weight. Now you just perform as many partial reps as you can! To give you an idea of weight and reps, I’ve done sets of 50+ reps with 315 lbs on high-rep lockout partial bench press.
High-rep partial training can be done at any point in your workout, as an addition to your “normal” training (1 or 2 sets) or as the complete bodypart workout on its own.
The Final Word
Overall, I’m a big fan of high-rep training for building muscle, when PROPERLY used. These three techniques are very effective for not only setting the stage for muscle growth but actually building the muscle itself!
End Anxiety And Panic Attacks
Building Muscle the Organic Way
Bernice Eker asked:
Organically or naturally building muscle means that you develop your musculature the old-fashioned way.
Although there are supposedly a lot of other options to creating the perfectly sculpted physique using “easier” methods (like drugs, supplements and surgeries,) these options are not particularly encouraged by health care providers, and certainly not favored among the lot of hard core body building enthusiasts. In fact, professional body builders who use these methods are eventually banned from the sport; and have to suffer the dire medical consequences of choosing the easy way out.
The old-fashioned and gradual way is always the best means to building muscle mass. However, this does not simply mean that you pump iron 24/7, and always pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion.
Here are some tricks of the trade when it comes to organic muscle building.
1. Get enough nutrition. Despite its popularity, the misconception of living on protein shakes and eating nothing but protein based food can have devastating effects on your body when you are trying to build up your physique – and none of these effects can be rightfully called as positive. Yes, protein helps with building muscles, but you would need other nutrients to keep the rest of your internal organs in tiptop shape as well. Glucose in carbohydrates is essential in keeping the brain functioning and whole. Without glucose, all the normal functions of the body slow down, and that will eventually hamper daily activities and your more strenuous workouts.
Minerals and vitamins from vegetables and fruits are necessary in keeping up one’s resistances and strength. Lightly prepared or raw vegetables and fruits are also great in satisfying normal hunger pangs without putting on unwanted pounds. Small amounts of oil from food (e.g. olive oil, essential oils rich with Omega 3 compounds) are imperative in retaining the luster of hair and nails. Furthermore, too much protein in the system can negatively affect heart functions as well. It would be best to get a balanced meal that contains almost all food groups, during every meal. Know the exact portions you could take to keep the calories down.
2. Take it easy. Pumping iron is beneficial to any body building workout, but so is rest and sleep. The body can be trained to work longer hours and to accommodate the most demanding workouts; but internal organs, and muscles need their own time out as well. For starters, most workouts need to elevate the heart rate to make the blood pump fasters, which eventually supplies oxygen to all the muscles in the body. However, the heart needs a breather every once in a while, or it will start to strain causing palpitations or even painful heart attacks. This is the reason why you need to warm up and cool down before and after strenuous workout sessions. This gives the heart the time to speed up and slow down respectively.
At the same time, muscles that are worked continuously can be inadvertently strained causing minor or serious injuries. Minute tears in the musculature can lead to internal hemorrhaging, while major tears can take months and months of healing period and physical therapy.
Take the time to really rest your muscles. If you have a workout regimen, make sure that you have ample time to rest in between exercises, and that you get as much as eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep per day.
End Anxiety And Panic Attacks
Organically or naturally building muscle means that you develop your musculature the old-fashioned way.
Although there are supposedly a lot of other options to creating the perfectly sculpted physique using “easier” methods (like drugs, supplements and surgeries,) these options are not particularly encouraged by health care providers, and certainly not favored among the lot of hard core body building enthusiasts. In fact, professional body builders who use these methods are eventually banned from the sport; and have to suffer the dire medical consequences of choosing the easy way out.
The old-fashioned and gradual way is always the best means to building muscle mass. However, this does not simply mean that you pump iron 24/7, and always pushing yourself to the brink of exhaustion.
Here are some tricks of the trade when it comes to organic muscle building.
1. Get enough nutrition. Despite its popularity, the misconception of living on protein shakes and eating nothing but protein based food can have devastating effects on your body when you are trying to build up your physique – and none of these effects can be rightfully called as positive. Yes, protein helps with building muscles, but you would need other nutrients to keep the rest of your internal organs in tiptop shape as well. Glucose in carbohydrates is essential in keeping the brain functioning and whole. Without glucose, all the normal functions of the body slow down, and that will eventually hamper daily activities and your more strenuous workouts.
Minerals and vitamins from vegetables and fruits are necessary in keeping up one’s resistances and strength. Lightly prepared or raw vegetables and fruits are also great in satisfying normal hunger pangs without putting on unwanted pounds. Small amounts of oil from food (e.g. olive oil, essential oils rich with Omega 3 compounds) are imperative in retaining the luster of hair and nails. Furthermore, too much protein in the system can negatively affect heart functions as well. It would be best to get a balanced meal that contains almost all food groups, during every meal. Know the exact portions you could take to keep the calories down.
2. Take it easy. Pumping iron is beneficial to any body building workout, but so is rest and sleep. The body can be trained to work longer hours and to accommodate the most demanding workouts; but internal organs, and muscles need their own time out as well. For starters, most workouts need to elevate the heart rate to make the blood pump fasters, which eventually supplies oxygen to all the muscles in the body. However, the heart needs a breather every once in a while, or it will start to strain causing palpitations or even painful heart attacks. This is the reason why you need to warm up and cool down before and after strenuous workout sessions. This gives the heart the time to speed up and slow down respectively.
At the same time, muscles that are worked continuously can be inadvertently strained causing minor or serious injuries. Minute tears in the musculature can lead to internal hemorrhaging, while major tears can take months and months of healing period and physical therapy.
Take the time to really rest your muscles. If you have a workout regimen, make sure that you have ample time to rest in between exercises, and that you get as much as eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep per day.
End Anxiety And Panic Attacks
What Everyone Ought to Know About Building Muscle Mass
Bernice Eker asked:
Building muscle mass the natural way entails work, work and more work. There are really no acceptable shortcuts to creating the perfect or near perfect physique, no matter what the exercise “gurus” declare.
Although physical exertion is always needed, there are other ways on how the person can help the process go along on a faster pace – and these do not even have to involve using dangerous drugs, or questionable supplements or risky surgeries. Shifting key areas to your lifestyle can be great support systems in building muscle mass, the organic way. One of them includes: creating a multiple meal plan.
A multiple meal plan means spacing your food intake between 5 or 6 small meals per day. This helps the body consume fewer calories but increase the calorie burning process as well. As long as you maintain within the recommended portions (according to your current weight and the calories you tend to expend during workouts); your food intake should be able to provide your body the nutrients it needs to keep those muscles growing. Avoid the all protein diet altogether. Protein alone will not make your musculature bulk up, nor can it maintain the functions of your other internal organs. Go for the well-balanced meals instead, preferably meals with good amounts of carbohydrates.
You should also try to plan for slow burning carbohydrate-rich foods just prior to your daily exercise regimen. These foods are slowly digested by the body, and that is tantamount to the slow release of glucose in the blood stream. This makes the blood sugar level stable all throughout the workout period. This sustains the muscles on a longer period of time, enabling you to train harder and longer without suffering from muscle fatigue. Examples of slow burning carbohydrate rich foods are: bananas (raw or made into sugar free smoothies), boiled beans (no or less salt,) cereals (sugar free), pasta, red rice and whole grains (whole grain wheat bread, cornmeal bread, etc.)
After exercising, you can plan meals with fast burning carbohydrate rich foods to quickly sustain your blood sugar level. Examples of these foods are: buckwheat breads, fruit juices, pastries, any drinks with low to medium sugar content, white rice, and white bread – or any baked food made of white flour (e.g. pancakes with syrup, saltines, etc.) However, it is important to keep to the recommended portions to avoid possible unwanted weight gain.
Another example of a great support system in building muscle mass is to gain enough rest and sleep. Body building experts cannot say this loud or often enough. Get some sleep! Sleep is essential in the cell regeneration process. This is the time when the cells repair torn muscles, soothe strained joints, and incorporate the nutrients from the last meal into the rest of the internal components of the body. 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night is essential, and experts are even recommending naps in the middle of the day, or just before the workout session to help invigorate the muscles.
The Fat Loss Secret
Building muscle mass the natural way entails work, work and more work. There are really no acceptable shortcuts to creating the perfect or near perfect physique, no matter what the exercise “gurus” declare.
Although physical exertion is always needed, there are other ways on how the person can help the process go along on a faster pace – and these do not even have to involve using dangerous drugs, or questionable supplements or risky surgeries. Shifting key areas to your lifestyle can be great support systems in building muscle mass, the organic way. One of them includes: creating a multiple meal plan.
A multiple meal plan means spacing your food intake between 5 or 6 small meals per day. This helps the body consume fewer calories but increase the calorie burning process as well. As long as you maintain within the recommended portions (according to your current weight and the calories you tend to expend during workouts); your food intake should be able to provide your body the nutrients it needs to keep those muscles growing. Avoid the all protein diet altogether. Protein alone will not make your musculature bulk up, nor can it maintain the functions of your other internal organs. Go for the well-balanced meals instead, preferably meals with good amounts of carbohydrates.
You should also try to plan for slow burning carbohydrate-rich foods just prior to your daily exercise regimen. These foods are slowly digested by the body, and that is tantamount to the slow release of glucose in the blood stream. This makes the blood sugar level stable all throughout the workout period. This sustains the muscles on a longer period of time, enabling you to train harder and longer without suffering from muscle fatigue. Examples of slow burning carbohydrate rich foods are: bananas (raw or made into sugar free smoothies), boiled beans (no or less salt,) cereals (sugar free), pasta, red rice and whole grains (whole grain wheat bread, cornmeal bread, etc.)
After exercising, you can plan meals with fast burning carbohydrate rich foods to quickly sustain your blood sugar level. Examples of these foods are: buckwheat breads, fruit juices, pastries, any drinks with low to medium sugar content, white rice, and white bread – or any baked food made of white flour (e.g. pancakes with syrup, saltines, etc.) However, it is important to keep to the recommended portions to avoid possible unwanted weight gain.
Another example of a great support system in building muscle mass is to gain enough rest and sleep. Body building experts cannot say this loud or often enough. Get some sleep! Sleep is essential in the cell regeneration process. This is the time when the cells repair torn muscles, soothe strained joints, and incorporate the nutrients from the last meal into the rest of the internal components of the body. 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night is essential, and experts are even recommending naps in the middle of the day, or just before the workout session to help invigorate the muscles.
The Fat Loss Secret
How to Build Muscle Effectively
Jerold Smith asked:
It is not surprising that there is a lot of confusion in these modern times on how to exactly build muscle. Besides that, there are just too much information and misunderstanding on how to build muscle such as what type of equipment to use, how long one should spend in the gym, whether or not to use steroids.
Therefore, you must be aware and do your own research on the principles of muscle building.
Despite the information overload out there, principles do not change. For example, you must begin to understand how muscles are formed. Muscles are formed when they are recovering, not when you are in the gym.
When you are in the gym pumping away, you are actually creating micro-tears in your muscles. Therefore, when your muscles recover, they will naturally form better muscle tissues.
Combined with proper nutrition, it will escalate the recovery process of your muscles, resulting in bigger, leaner muscles. This is a principle you must remember.
Therefore, there are a few things other principles and points you must keep in mind in order to build muscles effectively.
1) Do not attempt a low calorie diet.
Increase in the intake of calories in you wish to gain weight and build muscle effectively. Protein and fats are a great source to start with to boost your body with the calories it needs. However, be careful with consuming too much calories as you will gain too much fat instead.
When you try to lose weight or fat by starving yourself, your body will lower its metabolism rate to preserve energy. Muscle building requires you to burn as much energy as possible. This is exactly why people lift weights. They want to burn as much energy as possible, to create as much micro-tears as possible for the muscle to recover and become bigger.
2) You must have a proper nutrition intake.
Just by lifting weights alone is not enough. You need to know the right nutrition intake to consume. This is important because without the proper nutrition, your body will lose muscle instead of gaining muscles. With proper nutrition, using free weights and heavy weights will quickly give you the muscles that you desire.
Having proper nutrition to build muscles also does not mean it is all protein based products. Although many perceive protein to be extremely important and the only nutrition needed, this is not true. Protein is definitely important but effective muscle builders know exactly what and the right amount of nutrition to consume.
3) Muscle building is a long term endeavor
When you start building muscle, you must realize that it must become your lifestyle. Although results can be achieved in a few months using proper methods and routines, you must continue to work and endeavor on this lifestyle. If not, your muscle will slack and eventually it’ll be back to square one again. But don’t worry, if you can hang on for a few months to achieve the body you want, you won’t find this lifestyle difficult.
Therefore, muscle building can be fun and extremely rewarding to boost your confidence and to increase the quality of your life, However you must remember to be practical at all times.
The Fat Burning Furnace
It is not surprising that there is a lot of confusion in these modern times on how to exactly build muscle. Besides that, there are just too much information and misunderstanding on how to build muscle such as what type of equipment to use, how long one should spend in the gym, whether or not to use steroids.
Therefore, you must be aware and do your own research on the principles of muscle building.
Despite the information overload out there, principles do not change. For example, you must begin to understand how muscles are formed. Muscles are formed when they are recovering, not when you are in the gym.
When you are in the gym pumping away, you are actually creating micro-tears in your muscles. Therefore, when your muscles recover, they will naturally form better muscle tissues.
Combined with proper nutrition, it will escalate the recovery process of your muscles, resulting in bigger, leaner muscles. This is a principle you must remember.
Therefore, there are a few things other principles and points you must keep in mind in order to build muscles effectively.
1) Do not attempt a low calorie diet.
Increase in the intake of calories in you wish to gain weight and build muscle effectively. Protein and fats are a great source to start with to boost your body with the calories it needs. However, be careful with consuming too much calories as you will gain too much fat instead.
When you try to lose weight or fat by starving yourself, your body will lower its metabolism rate to preserve energy. Muscle building requires you to burn as much energy as possible. This is exactly why people lift weights. They want to burn as much energy as possible, to create as much micro-tears as possible for the muscle to recover and become bigger.
2) You must have a proper nutrition intake.
Just by lifting weights alone is not enough. You need to know the right nutrition intake to consume. This is important because without the proper nutrition, your body will lose muscle instead of gaining muscles. With proper nutrition, using free weights and heavy weights will quickly give you the muscles that you desire.
Having proper nutrition to build muscles also does not mean it is all protein based products. Although many perceive protein to be extremely important and the only nutrition needed, this is not true. Protein is definitely important but effective muscle builders know exactly what and the right amount of nutrition to consume.
3) Muscle building is a long term endeavor
When you start building muscle, you must realize that it must become your lifestyle. Although results can be achieved in a few months using proper methods and routines, you must continue to work and endeavor on this lifestyle. If not, your muscle will slack and eventually it’ll be back to square one again. But don’t worry, if you can hang on for a few months to achieve the body you want, you won’t find this lifestyle difficult.
Therefore, muscle building can be fun and extremely rewarding to boost your confidence and to increase the quality of your life, However you must remember to be practical at all times.
The Fat Burning Furnace
Favorite Diet Solution
