Follow these fitness tips for a bigger, stronger physique.
Consuming a large amount of calories is a must if you want
to pack on muscle mass for a larger, stronger, more powerful frame. However,
food alone won't get you to the promised land. To achieve this sought-after
balance of muscular harmony, you need to build quality muscle mass through a
combination of diet and exercise.
Combined with the right nutritional approach, the following
exercise tips will better serve you towards achieving the goal of developing
greater lean muscle mass.
Use Free Weights :
Use dumbbells instead of the smith machine or cables.
Resistance machines are great to add definition, but for real size, use the
free weights section. Dumbbells will make your ancillary muscles work as well
and they will build compound mass. The greater range of motion (possible with
the dumbbells) increases the number of muscles used in the training, therefore
yielding better results.
Use Compound Exercises :
Utilize the following compound exercises to increase the
size of every muscle fiber in your body:
Flat bench : Muscles Worked: Pectoralis, Major Pectoralis, Minor Anterior
Deltoid, Triceps Brachii Serratus, Anterior Coracobrachialis
Squat : Muscles Worked: Quadriceps, Glutes, Adductors, Hamstrings,
Erector Spinae, Rectus Abdominis
Deadlift : Muscles Worked: Erector Spinae, Trapezius, Glutes,
Quadriceps, Rectus Abdominis
Clean and Press : Muscles Worked: Deltoids, Triceps Brachii, Biceps Brachii,
Erector Spinae, Hamstrings Glutes, Calves, Rectus Abdominis
1 Rep Max :
Every few weeks, add as much weight on to a certain exercise
and see what your 1 rep max is, this will give you a rough guide to see how far
you have come along in your off-season in regard to overall strength (as well
as slightly boosting the ego).
Get Your Protein :
You need protein for your muscles to grow; the more, the
better. Include lean red meats in your daily diet, as they contain the right
nutrients to make muscles grow. It is actually quite simple: the combination of
a high protein diet and the right kind of workout will make your muscles grow
like you never thought possible.
The general rule of thumb in bodybuilding is that you need a
minimum of 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight to build quality
muscle. (eg: 180-lb. person needs to eat between 180-270 grams of protein per
day).
Supplementation :
In addition to training and eating properly, remember your
BCAA’s (Brain Chain Amino Acids)
The benefits of BCAAs are:
- support protein synthesis
- better testosterone to cortisol ratio for muscle building
- leucine can help increase strength
- glutamine can help aid recovery and assist in curing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)
Get Your Sleep :
Your muscles grow while you are resting, so by not giving
yourself enough quality Zzz, your body isn't able to recover and repair your
muscles as well as it could if you were getting adequate sleep. In addition to
being tired, another drawback of sleep deprivation is that important
muscle-building hormones are negatively affected. These hormones include
testosterone, growth hormone, cortisol and insulin.
Cortisol : This is a catabolic stress hormone which increases fat
storage in the body and also aids in breaking down your hard-earned muscle
tissue to use for energy. It has been proven that your body produces excess
cortisol when you don't sleep enough.
Testosterone : The more testosterone you produce, the more muscle you can
gain. Lack of sleep decreases testosterone production.
Growth Hormone : This important hormone regenerates your body and helps build
and maintain muscle mass. Once again, skimping on quality sleep will decrease
this hormone's production.
Insulin : Without enough insulin in your body, you're not able to
maximize your intake of nutrients into your cells. Not getting enough sleep
will cause your body to increase insulin production, and if your body produces
too much insulin it can cause diabetes, excess fat storage, or even heart
disease.
Your muscles grow while you are resting and sleeping, so by
not giving yourself enough quality Zzz, your body isn't able to recover and
repair your muscles as well as it could if you were getting adequate sleep.
