Four essential steps to build muscle

When you first start trying to put on weight and build muscle you might become a a bit overwhelmed with all the information available.  Gaining weight is like anything else there seems to be plenty of experts and sometimes their advice seems to contradict each other.  Most people get information overload and end up doing nothing.

In the beginning keep it simple.  You do not have to know every single thing about every protein powder and what serving size you should use for this or that.  If you have been struggling to build muscle or put on mass there is a possibility that you neglecting one of these four steps.

STEP 1:  YOU HAVE TO COMMIT. lifting weights is going to be you fastest and most efficient way of building muscle.  You are going to be lifting weight three to four times per week!  I know that sounds like a lot now, but if you actually schedule the time to do it, and not just squeeze it when you can, it will become like second nature.  You want to stimulate your muscles, in other put them under stress, which will result muscles growing bigger to avoid the stress from reoccurring.  The second part of the equation is you then have let the muscle heal and repair itself through rest and nutrition.  Your muscles will grow bigger and you will repeat this process, but you have to commit.

STEP 2: You gotta eat.  You have to eat five to seven times a day.  I know that is a lot, but hardgainers have to eat more than other people if they are going to gain and build muscle.  Sometimes the universe is unfair, but it does not change the fact that you have got to eat more.  You should try to make half of those meals actually solid whole foods.  In a perfect world all of your meals would be solid whole foods, but let’s be honest that is extremely hard to do.  I absolutely love my smoothie that I drink and it has every proportionally balanced out, and that will serve as one of meals.  You could also use the liquid meal replacement powders,  I just like smoothies, their quick and easy and taste much better to me.

STEP 3: STRETCH!! I see a lot of people so focus on the weight training it is unbelievable.  I honestly think this one of the biggest mistakes people make.  When you constantly training, your muscle tissue will shorten.  They will get bg, but begin to perform slower and have higher chance of getting injured.  If you are working out four hours a week you are going to have stretch at least an additional two hours.  This is one of the biggest reasons that people quit.  You hear it all the time “I use to work out put I injured my arm, my neck, my back, my leg.”  Or whatever other body part.  If you are not stretching at least half of the time you are working out, you are an accident just waiting to happen.  So stretch!

STEP 4: BE SUSPICIOUS OF SUPPLEMENTS.  There is no magic pill, powder or pixie dust that is going to cure all you ills.  They are just what the name says supplements.  Personally I do not use anything that has not been around for three years.  Why do ask?  Because if you get to focused on chasing down the latest ‘dream in a bottle’ you will find yourself wrapped up in the hoopla that surrounds them.  What is touted as a miracle in a pill one month maybe proven grossly ineffective six months down the road.  I keep with the basics, powdered creatine, protein powder, the stuff that everyone has heard of before.  I promise it will alleviate some heartache and disappoint for you, and your bank account will thank you too.

Just remember, you can do this.  You can gain the weight and build the muscle that you want.  Don’t to hard on yourself, Rome was not built in a day.  Follow these above steps and get yourself on a workout program that is going to work.  By now you all know my personal favorite, but you have to do it.  Any fitness program you choose is going to be a change in your lifestyle.  They are going to require you to change you eating habits and workout and consistently.  You can do it!

Tags: four steps to build muscle

This entry was posted on November 6, 2009 at November 6, 2009 and is filed under Excercise and Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.