FAQs - How To Build Muscle Mass

There are a lot of questions out there about how to build muscle mass. These questions prevail because there is a lot of hearsay out there and no really direct answers to the questions that muscle builders ask. Here we address a few crucial muscle building questions.

Question: can I get big muscles without using steroids?

Answer: absolutely! Getting to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be the exact result you achieve; the results of a weight training regime are affected by genetics. But you can always grow bigger and greater muscle mass and become more defined. The trick is to have a scientifically correct workout routine; your exercise should be complimented by a healthy body building diet. Your body should also get plenty of rest. If you're above 35 years of age, check with your physician whether your body has the right hormonal levels to give you the full benefit of your exercise routine.

Question: can women build muscle mass without looking like wrestlers?

Answer: not only can women build muscle mass, they also SHOULD. Women don't and can't look like the wrestlers seen on TV as a result of natural weight training and muscle building. The bulky muscles men are able to build are the result of testosterone present in them in naturally high levels. Women have about 1/5th of the level of testosterone that men have. Unless women take steroids, and even those in highly nutty quantities, there's no way the muscle building women can look like the men. The not-so-attractive women you see on TV or in some magazines or even online who claim to be muscle builders are also steroid abusers. These drugs are illegal and dangerous for your health, with side-effects as horrible as death. So any sane human being has good reasons to stay away from them. Natural muscle gain, on the other hand helps women deal with a lot of age-related problems such as osteoporosis. Muscle building also straightens the immune system and as far as what you'll look like in the end, all the celebrities from Keira Knightly to Jenifer Garner weight train. So do all the supermodels. It's the best way to get a healthy and well toned body that shouts lean muscle.

Question: does spending more time at the gym mean greater muscle gains?

Answer: not really. It's a common belief that the more time you spend at the gym, the grate muscle you will amass. But the facts are in total opposition to this. The workout you perform at the gym only gives your muscles the stimulus to grow. This workout should be intense, causing maximum muscle contraction without damaging form, but it should also be short in duration. Training a muscle intensely for more 15 minutes will actually put you in danger of permanent muscle damage. Your sets shouldn't be long, just intense and there should be a 3 minutes rest period between them. The ideal workout shouldn't last for longer than 30 minutes, excluding the time it takes to warm up. Performing such a workout for 3 non-consecutive days in a week should show 1 kg increase in muscle mass within eight weeks.

• Matt Thompson
• 19/02/2009, 10:59 AM
• 0 Comments