Posts Tagged ‘how to build muscle’

When trying to build muscle up it is very easy to get carried away and sabotage your own progress and also to put yourself at risk of injury or illness without even realising it. Sure it is fantastic that you wish to train and build muscle up but at the same time just one single injury, one moment of carelessness can put you out of action for weeks or months and with consequences related to both health and financial matters. Such traumatic incidents can easily be avoided by adhering to the following guidelines. Here we go with our build muscle up safely guidelines:

1) Always check and double check you have put the barbell collars on before you start lifting. Just a slight looseness of a collar can cause one side to be heavier. The heavier side will drop down and the weight disc can slip further and drop off. When this occurs that side of the bar will be extremely light and leveraged upwards by the heavy side. The barbell will then swing through the air and could do some real damage to people or equipment!

2) Use a spotter if you sre doing one rep maximums. This is someone who can aid you should you not be able to push or lift the bar back up. The last thing you want to occur is to have yourself stuck weighted down by a heavy barbell, you may laugh but I’ve seen it happen.

3) If you are ill stay away from the gym. sounds really obvious yet I often see people spluttering and coughing there way through a workout whilst running a fever also. More often than not the trainer beats none of their best scores and only lands themselves in bed for a few days. Exercise lowers the immune system for a while and if you are already feeling sick this is when the virus will capitalize on your weakness and take a hold of you more.

4) Maintain correct technique. Performing squats with a bent over back, swinging barbell curls and so on will not only produce little muscle growth, because they do not target the muscle properly but they will also put you at risk of serious injury. Use strict form all the time.

5) Don’t do too much. It is very common when motivation is high especially for newbie’s that you want to lift weights as often as possible. This motivation is good but training everyday or even every other day will probably be too much for most people unless it is a split routine. You will actually weaken your muscles if you workout again when they are not yet fully recovered.

6) Failure to follow a decent diet. Emphasis will have to be placed on muscle building nutrition if you want your muscles to grow. You will be wasting your time in the gym if you are not taking on board enough calories to support muscle growth. Throughout the day consume high quality meals.

7) Boasting to you gym partner. Attempting to more than your mates can end with disastrous results. It is much more productive to try to beat your own personal best scores. Keep track of your progress every session with a training diary so you know what score to beat. This is much more beneficial and safer for you.

Warm up adequately. If you don’t your muscles are much more likely to strain and snap. This could possibly restrict your participation for months. It is very simple to do, 5-10 minutes cardio, stretching exercises followed by a few warm up reps will do fine.

With those above guidelines in mind and with correct muscle building nutrition there is no reason why you should not build muscle up happily and safely where ever you train.

 It is a well known fact nowadays that to build muscle diet is a key component that will determine whether you are successful or not. If you don’t have good muscle building nutrition then no matter how much you lift you won’t progress. So we will briefly outline some basic guidelines for a ‘build muscle diet’ and then we will take a look at some awesome bodybuilding foods.

Ok, quick guidelines for a diet to build muscle:

1) Eat 5-7 meals per day. This will allow you to comfortably take on board enough calories to grow. {It will ensure your body has high energy levels throughout the entire day}. 

2) Divide your meals up in to approximate portions of 50% carbohydrate, 30% protein and the remainder can come from fats.

3) Eat about an hour half to two hours before your workout and eat immediately or at least within an hour after your workout. The post workout meal should be high in protein and may be a meal replacement powder drink. taking a energy drink or eating a snack before retiring to bed is a good idea also as this means your body will have enough calories to support growth throughout the night. Also eat as soon as you can upon waking as your muscle will be short on energy at this time.

4) Take supplements if you can afford it. You may wish to try: essential fatty acids, whey protein, multi-vitamin pills and creatine. Supplements can be added to your diet if you wish to build muscle even more easily.

5) Take on board water in small amounts regularly. water is critical to many reactions in the body. They take place much better in the presence of ample supplies of water. Muscle growth requires water so drink it. Drinking too much water at once will however leave you feeling bloated and full.

Well, we have gone through the basic points then. Now what food precisely is good for building muscle. Here are some great foods for your to try:

Protein is needed for growth and repair of muscles. Naturally this will be an important factor for those wishing to stack on mass.Excellent sources of protein are: Chicken Breast, Egg Whites, Turkey Breast, Salmon, Tuna Cottage Cheese, Lean Beef, Whey Protein.

carbohydrate provide the calories to support muscle growth and also the energy for workouts and other day to day activities.In your diet to aid muscle growth and provide energy try to include the following foods: Brown Rice, Baked Potatoes, Whole Wheat Pasta, Sweet Potatoes, Bagels, Oatmeal, Fat Free Yogurt and Beans.

Build muscle diets often neglect to mention that fats are important too. Fats are required by the body to sustain it’s metabolic functions. For fats that build muscle try to include in your diet: Avocado, Olive Oil, Nuts, Flax Seed Oil, Natural Peanut Butter and Fish Oil

Vitamins and minerals play a wide variety of roles in all of the important reactions in the body including muscle growth. Great source of vitamins and minerals are: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Green Beans, Peas, Carrots and Spinach.

With those few points in mind there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to pack on muscle mass relatively quickly. Just remember that you need to eat a lot of calories to both give you energy for training but also so that you have excess calories that can be used for muscle growth. If you do not eat enough calories then you aren’t going to grow. Follow these above rules and a sensible ‘build muscle diet‘ containing these types of foods and you should have no problems building muscle.

Just before I tackle the main purpose of this article which is to show how to build muscle vegetarian style I will briefly outline the different types of vegetarians. Vegans won’t eat dairy products or any other products of animals, pesco-vegetarians will cosume fish and other dairy products whereas lacto-ovo vegetarians will both consume milk and eat eggs but won’t eat meat. There are a few more sub categories but that is enough detail for the purposes of this article.

Why be vegetarian?

Well because of the nature of the food vegetarians do not eat, things like red meat and so on they have a lower risk of certain diseases including but not limited to hypertension, coronary artery diseaese, a variety of cancers and diabetes mellitus. As you may agree the reasons for changing to be vegetarian are compelling indeed and that is before we even discuss the idealistic side of things such as being less cruel to animals, saving food for others, preserving the rainforest, becoming more enviromentally friendly and such like.

Ok, so if I am vegetarian how on earth am I going to get adequate supplies of protein?

The answer to this question very simply is Soy. Soy contains all eight essential amino acids and in fact has higher levels of protein than beef. Particularly good sources of soy include: seitan, miso, soy milk, tempeh, textured soy protein and of course tofu. A variety of delicous tasting dishes can be made from these ingredients. Beans, rice, seeds, legumes, nuts and even vegetables are another great supply of amino acids which together should ensure you never get short on protein.

Ok so straight away that is protein deficiency taken off the myth list now what about vitamins and minerals like: calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D, and vitamin B12?

Well vegans would be wise to take a supplement for this. vitamin B12 is found in dairy products so is not an area of concern for other types of vegetarians. A good meal replacement powder will see that you get adequate amounts of the other. Of course however many minerals and vitamins are easily available in the form of leafy green vegetables and fruit that you should not overlook if you wish to build muscle vegetarian style. 

So, overall there are many health benefits to being a vegetarian and being a vegetarian need not prevent you from achieving your bodybuilding goals. As ever planning is the key and this is just as important for meat eating bodybuilders too. With the above guidelines in mind go ahead and build muscle vegetarian style!! 

Muscle building is a phrase that conjures a thousand pictures in people minds, but what exactly is it? This activity is defined as body building. Both professional bodybuilders and amateurs who are just starting out will soon develop those solid, toned muscles that everyone longs for. What are the main criteria to be observed in order to ensure you do meet all vital body building standards? You need to ensure that the right amount of exercise and the intake of highly nutritious food is observed in order to achieve all of the desired results.

No Nonsense Muscle Building Review

Every successful body building program needs a systematic and effective weight lifting program. The weight lifting routines can be rather demanding, therefore a high level of strength and endurance is usually necessary. While weight lifting is often linked to athletic purposes, it is good to note that they do include those that are using it for other purposes as well. It is amazing to see how weight lifting can enhance the overall appearance and structure of the body, and they are beneficial when recovering from injury. Due to its miraculous health benefits, it is a good idea to incorporate it into a health and recuperation program.

Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle Review

Following a good diet and nutrition program is important for a successful body building program. To ensure that an aspiring bodybuilding champion gets proper nutrition it is good to follow this rule of thumb: maintain a diet that consists of 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 20% fat. Complex carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. Brown rice, oatmeal and sweet potato are foods that are high in carbohydrates. Remember to include foods that are rich in carbohydrates such as brown rice, sweet potato and oatmeal. Fiber is very important in your diet as it helps facilitate the easy digestion of consumed food and helps expel toxins from the body.

Muscle Gaining Secrets Review

You need to drink plenty of fresh water during your body building program to help hydrate the cells and prevent your body from using your muscle mass. The habit of consuming plenty of fresh water is a good way to maintain your health and bodily systems. Make it a habit to drink between exercises. Often, the presence of a good instructor would be necessary to teach you the way to lift weights and how to perform proper stimulation for the body parts without creating any damage to the ligaments and tendons.

Ok, awesome, you have made the decision that it is about time you bulked up and put on some muscle mass. Whether it is because you want to look good at the beach or you have just watched another ‘Rocky’ movie or you just want to improve your sporting performance. So obviously you know that you are going to need to pump some iron. However you may not be aware of what you are supposed to be eating for muscle building nutrition. This short guide will show you exactly what to eat but first we’ll go through a few of the basic guidelines for a sensible muscle building diet.

Firstly to build muscle eat more often. Try to consume 5-7 mini meals each day. This is due to the fact that your body needs excess calories to support muscle growth and build muscle. If you don’t get enough calories then you cannot build muscle. 5-6 small meals every day will mean that you can take on enough calories without stuffing yourself too much at any single meal.

Secondly, you will need to cut out a lot of the junk food that you are probably eating at the moment. Go hands up, we are all guilty of having the odd meal of junk food and it is these which need to be replaced with quailty muscle building nutrition.

Thirdly, you will be needing to drink much more water than previously. Ensure that you have a bottle of water near you throughout the day to sip from. nearly all of the bodies reactions require water to some degree or other and that includes muscle growing reactions too.

Fourthyl, each meal should contain roughly the following proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Try to make them equal to 50% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 20% fat.

Fifthly, you need to learn what foods you should be eating for muscle growth. Here is a start to illustrate what some of the best muscle building foods are:

For protein: turkey, chicken, fish and shellfish, eggs, red meats, dairy products. These are great sources of protein so try and include them in your diet. However caution is advised as these foods are high in saturated fat so it would be sensible to mix them with the following foods that supply protein but with a great deal less fat: egg whites, lean meats like poultry and fish, non-fat or low-fat milk and dairy products, lean cuts of red meat, turkey breast,and skinless chicken breast.

For carbohydrates and long term release energy: bread, brown rice, oatmeal, bagel, pasta cereals and potatoes. For instant bursts of energy try to eat: fruits such as apple, raisins, orange, bananas, grapes and sports drinks.

Don’t worry about the fat portion of your meal that will take care of itself from the other foods naturally. Also ensure that you are eating lots of healthy fresh green vegetables that are rammed full of minerals and vitamins. If you want to buy supplements then you should go for a decent whey protein, essential fatty acids, creatine and a good multi-vitamin to start with.

Finally a few words regarding the timing of your meals. To build muscle eat within one hour of finishing your workout, before bed and immediately on rising. If you desire muscle growth then these are very important times. You will be in a great place to start making good muscle gains if you follow the above guidelines.

There are many advice columns, hyped up products, infomercials, e-books and so on all giving advice about the newest latest and easiest ways to build muscle. so, if there are all these different ways to grow muscle then how come it is so difficult for some people to do so? Well, the answer is partly supplied by the question itself. With so much conflicting and individualistic advice about, both on the net and in bookstores and magazines, how on earth is someone new to bodybuilding supposed to know what to do?

Whilst some of this advice is good, much of it is irrelevant to the novice bodybuilder who just needs to get the basics down properly to start making progress. So with that in mind here are three sure fire steps to help anyone build muscle easily.

1) Train intensely. Ensure that in your program you use the multi-joint mass building exercises that follow: deadlifts, rows, squats, benchpresses and pull ups. These are tried and tested exercises that will help you build muscle easily. Steer away from exercises that isolate individual muscle groups, these are usually not designed for packing on mass but more for carving definition and toning up. Also do not hang around in the gym, be focused push yourself hard for 45 minutes then get out.

2) Pay attention to muscle building nutrition. For many years experienced trainers have been quoted as saying that 80% of bodybuilding success is down to correct muscle building nutrition. This is still true today! As a general guide half of your food should come in the form of carbohydrates, protein should make up 30% and the remainder should come from fats.

The following foods are recommended, for carbohydrates: potatoes, rice, pasta, brown breads. For protein: chicken, turkey, beef and fish, especially mackerel and tuna. all the fats that you need will be supplied by these foods. If you really wish to boost your progress and have the money available then try taking the following: whey protein, essential fatty, acids, creatine and a good multi-vitamin product.

3) Rest. Muscle recovers and grows whilst you are at rest so naturally you should spend sufficient time allowing your body to grow. This sounds very simple and it is, yet the amount of people that train too much and do not give their bodies adequate time to eat is enormous. Most people will find that two workouts per week are sufficient.

Ok, I said it was simpie and it is. If you just stick to those basics you too can build muscle easy. Whilst you may delve as deep as you like into all of these topics, essentially that is all you need to know if you wish to grow. Now with those things in mind, ensure correct muscle building nutrition, train hadr and intensely and give yourself time to recover!