Building Muscle – Workout Tips

Building Muscle Tips & Tricks

Building a lean, athletic looking body is nowhere near as hard as some people make it out to be, but you do have to work out and you do have to push yourself. Muscles grow in size when you push them to do more than they are used to doing and then new muscle is built to cope with the additional strain that you are putting on them. You also need to feed that muscle growth too, so diet plays an important role in building lean muscle mass as well. If you’ve been working out hard, but the results are discouragingly slow, read these ten great workout hacks that will help you build muscle fast.

1. Eat to build muscles

One of the most important tips on how to build muscle is to eat the right kind of food. There really is no point in trying to build up your muscles while you are on a crash diet, because it will just not work. You will need the energy to work out and you will need plenty of protein to feed the growth of new muscle tissue. Eat a healthy, protein rich, diet and that will provide your body with all it needs to build muscle.

2. Stay hydrated

Another important tip for optimal health, as well as on how to build muscle is to stay hydrated. Drink water before your workout, during your workout, and straight after it too. If you become dehydrated, you will not have the energy to work out as hard as you need to and you will increase the chances of you getting muscle cramps too.

3. Eat a high protein snack right after workouts

When you push your muscles the limited, tiny tears can occur in the tissues which do you no harm, but you will need protein to repair them. Eat a high protein snack within fifteen minutes of finishing a workout and it will help the muscle repair and feed their growth. It will also stop you getting hungry later on when you might be tempted to eat something less healthy.

4. Always warm up before you exercise

This is another good tip on how to build muscle. You should always do a few warm up stretching exercises before you start any heavy training. It will prevent you straining your muscles and it will get the blood pumping around your body ready for the real workout. When you’ve finished your workout, do a few stretching exercises again and that will realign your muscles and help stop muscle soreness later on.

5. Do your weight training before cardio

It is better if you do your muscle building training before you do any cardio, because then your muscles won’t be too tired. You should also limit your cardio, because too much and your body might start to use up some the muscles you have built to fuel the cardio exercise. Training for a marathon at the same time you are trying to build muscles, for example, would not be a good idea when you are trying to build up your muscles.

6. Avoid working out first thing in the morning

Next tip on how to build muscle is to avoid working out first thing in the morning. Working out first thing in the morning, before you go to work, might fit well into your schedule, but it won’t help you build up your muscles. If you do weight training too early in the day, you increase the risk of injuring your back. Later on in the day, your body will be more flexible and less susceptible to injury.

7. Don’t train for too long in one session

Experts agree that the optimum length of time for a muscle building workout is about one hour. Much more than that and you will get overly tired and you will get so sore that you might not want to work out for several days afterward. Anything less than an hour and you won’t have pushed your muscles far enough to make them grow.

8. Make sure that you get enough rest between workouts

Next good tip on how to build muscle is to make sure that you get plenty of rest between your workouts and that means going to bed at a decent time. A proper period of rest and recuperation will allow you to train for longer and train harder the next time, so aim to get a good 7-8 hours of sleep every night. It’s also a good idea to reduce the intensity of your workouts about every six weeks or so to give your body a chance to recover.

9. Gradually increase your weights

Don’t get stuck in a rut of lifting the same weights all the time, because the way to build muscles is to push your muscles a little bit harder every time. Aim to increase the weights you are using by 5%-10% each week and that will help increase your muscle mass without you risking a strain or a muscle pull.

10. Train hard and train often

You don’t need to work out every single day, but when you do, you need to push yourself hard. It’s recommended that you give yourself a day off after every one or two workouts, so that your body has a chance to recover. What is important, however, is that you get into a routine and you stick with it. That way, you will gradually build up your muscles without tiring yourself out.

Source: beautyandtips.com