If you are interested in muscle development, you need some good advice to get you started. The article below contains some tried and true methods that can help you. Carefully read this advice and retain it, as best as you can.
Recognize that the requirements of serious weight training and intense cardiovascular exercise (such as marathon training) are not compatible. While a good cardio workout is key to staying fit, trying to build muscle while doing a lot of cardio is counterproductive. An intensive cardio workout essentially cancels out your attempts to build muscle. To increase muscle mass, focus on strength-training and reduce the amount of cardio you perform.
Stretch for a few minutes after working out in order to facilitate muscle repair. An individual who is less than 40 years old should hold their stretch for 30 seconds or more. People who are over the age of 40 should hold stretches for a minimum of 60 seconds. This way you’ll be less likely to become injured as you complete your exercises.
Create the illusion that your body is larger than it is. Focus on targeting the muscles on your upper chest and back, as well as your shoulders. Building these muscle groups will also make your waist appear smaller.
To supplement your muscle development in the gym, make sure your diet includes high protein foods. Protein is a major building block of muscle, so not eating enough of it may actually lead to your losing muscle, which defeats the whole purpose behind bulking up. Daily you should eat up to 1 gram of protein for each pound you weigh.
Training muscle groups which oppose each other, such as your chest and back, is a great idea. Doing so will allow one muscle to rest while you are working a different one. Therefore, you will have a better workout because you are reducing how long you are in the gym.
Caloric Intake
Ensure that your overall caloric intake is high enough. There are a number of online calculators to help you calculate what your caloric need is, for how much muscle you hope to build. When you know this number, increase the protein and carbs in your diet to reach your daily caloric intake goal.
Try out some plyometric exercises. This type of exercise develops the fast-twitch muscle fibers that stimulate muscle growth. Plyometric exercises are a different kind of exercise that rely more on acceleration than strength. For example, while doing plyometric push-ups, your hands should jump up off the floor, exploding as high as possible.
Some people have problems increasing all of their muscle groups at similar rates. To target these areas, try using a fill set. This is a set that has about 25 reps a few days after the last workout.
Preceding and following up your workouts with foods that contain plenty of protein is a good practice when you want to maximize muscle growth. It’s a good suggestion to consume approximately fifteen grams thirty minutes prior to training, and then do the same thing after you finish. This amount of protein can be found in a glass or two of milk.
Use all the advice you learned today and apply it accordingly. Keep it up and you will soon have the body of your dreams! Muscles will not appear in just a few days, so you will need to be consistent over time to get the body you’re looking for.