Muscle Gain - Muscle Building Guide

Muscle gain is that revered mark of health and fitness every muscle builder aspires for. A lot of sweat and blood is spent on gaining muscle, but often many people put in the work but don't really see the results they were hoping to. This happens when incorrect advice is passed around and accepted as myth. Here we look at the basics behind building muscle mass.

Muscle building exercises are significantly different from weight loss exercises. While weight loss exercise aim for optimizing the oxygenated blood circulation within the body and strengthening heart muscle, anaerobic exercises put the body well beyond the normal capacity of generating oxygenated blood for energy. Anaerobic work outs, as the name suggests, put the body in a state of ‘oxygen deficit'. Our bodies have an emergency backup for when we may not have sufficient oxygen supply. Anaerobic workouts create this simulation and use it for muscle growth. These workouts are short in duration and intense; they cause the maximum muscle contraction and cause the muscles to go in a state of ‘oxygen deficit', by creating such a high demand for oxygen in the muscle tissue, which the body can't meet at the time. Thus there is burning of glycogen which is then converted through anabolism to lactic acid; lactic acid is what causes the sensation of burning in the muscles which you aim to feel towards the end of workouts. This burning actually damages the muscles a little bit. But this is a good thing, because now there will be greater growth of muscle tissue which will also be stronger than before. This muscle damage is what is referred to as the body's external stimulus for muscle growth.

The anaerobic exercises are commonly referred to as weight training. These build both the muscle mass as well as the muscle strength of the body. But for any change in your body to be permanent and sustainable, it has to come naturally and find root in all aspects of your life. These are what are known as ‘lifestyle changes'. Until your lifestyle doesn't compliment your muscle gain goals, you won't see any significant or healthy changes. The very basic yet crucial aspects of ensuring healthy muscle growth are;

1. Eat more Calories: muscle gain will not happen for you if you're on a weight loss diet. While weight training, you need to significantly increase the number of calories you eat in a day. The food you eat will serve 2 purposes now; 1. To give you energy while you exercise, 2. To help you build muscle while your body rests. This means you must have more calories than you're likely to burn during exercise.

2. More Protein: Protein provides the amino acids needed to build muscle. Of course high-quality protein is always best. Naturally great sources of protein are meat, soy, beans, whole eggs, etc. Some experts say eating 1 gram of protein for every pond of your body weight is the ideal daily consumption. A protein shake after a workout is great for muscle development.

3. Increase Weight Training: the aim to build body muscle means intense weight training, but for shorter periods of time.

4. Lift Free-Weights: free weights like dumbbells and barbells are better than machines. They cause contraction in maximum body muscles and also the affect on your muscles is natural.

5. Increase Rest and Sleep: just like you need to eat more and work out more, you also need to rest more and sleep more. The work-out you do in the gym provides your body with the stimulus it needs to grow more and stronger muscle. But the actual growth takes place when you rest and sleep. Be sure to give a day's break between intense work-outs and sleep for at least 8 to 10 hours a day.

• Janny Raines
• 24/01/2009, 4:59 AM
• 0 Comments