Sunday, January 11, 2009

Muscle Building Tips

Starting any kind of fitness program can be difficult because of the sheer amount of advice out there. It is often hard to know where to start your burn fat gain muscle efforts.

There is more than one way to build muscle, more than one exercise that works, but there are also many things that can hurt your efforts to build muscle and obtain those elusive washboard abs, if that is your goal. Let’s take a look at some things to avoid.

1. Overspending on gym memberships

You may think that they only way to get a good workout is to go to a gym: they have stack-pulley, computerized, and hydraulic machines that you could never afford. And they’re safer, right? Not necessarily. Often, the low-cost exercises that you do at home are much more effective and safe. If you are considering a gym membership, you may want to save yourself the expense.

In the privacy of your own home, you can workout with moves like squats and lunges, which require absolutely no equipment, or with free weights, which are relatively cheap. The best equipment is your body, some free weights, and hard work.

2. Doing the Same Workout All the Time

When it comes to exercising and building muscle, what worked for you in the beginning may not work for you now.

Doing the same exercises all the time doesn’t challenge your body. In fact, your body becomes so efficient at performing the moves that it works less hard. Your muscles will not be challenged enough.

Therefore, doing the same workout routine causes your body to burn much fewer calories. Add some variation. Up the intensity. Never let your body get used to anything – it needs constant challenges. The upside is that you won’t get bored with your exercise routine.

3. Ignoring Cardio

Some people who are trying to build muscle focus exclusively on weight training. While this is obviously important, they are ignoring an integral part of success: cardio.

Cardio has multiple advantages, including preventing your body from gaining fat and helping your body recover from rigorous weight training. To get the maximum benefit from your cardio, do it immediately after your weight training session when your body is primed for fat burning. Also, limit it to high intensity intervals totaling no more than twenty minutes.

4. Not resting enough.

Your body builds muscle while it is resting, so it is important to take breaks for your training regimen. Take two or three days off per week and allow your muscles to rest.

Muscle fatigue and injury are other problems that will cause you to build muscle much more slowly. To avoid this, work different muscle groups during each workout. Try working on your arms and back one day and your legs and abs the next. This will allow muscle to grow.

5. Snubbing diet.

Food is fuel, and many people who fail when building muscle do so because they are not adequately fueling their body. To put your body into muscle building mode, eat properly.

Especially important is protein, which is essential to muscle building. Make sure you get plenty of lean meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy in your diet, and eat a protein snack within thirty minutes of your workouts.

6. Giving Up

Everyone’s body is different, and it takes some people longer to build muscle than others. Quitting because you are not seeing results fast enough is a huge mistake.

There are several things you can do if you notice your efforts are stagnating: look at your fitness routine to see if there is anything you can change. Look at your diet to see if you are eating properly. If your body just takes more time to build muscle, giving up will be a great loss.

Either way, quitting won’t give you the body you want. Keep up with your efforts; if it is not working, then by all means change something. Just don’t give up.

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