Build Muscle Technique

Introduction

Perhaps you want to add another 50 yards to your golf drive. Or maybe you’re tired of being called scarecrow. Whatever the reason, building muscle takes a lot more than just showing up at the gym. Read on and learn a weight training program that will pump you up.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Steps

1

Step One

Check with your doctor before starting your program to see if weight training is advisable.

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Step Two

Devise your weight training goals. How much muscle weight do you wish to gain? Are you training primarily to increase strength or endurance? What areas of the body need the most work? Knowing the answers will enable you to better cater your workout regimen.

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Step Three

Brush up on nutrition. Every strength trainer will tell you that good nutrition and solid eating habits are essential for gaining muscle. Unless you want to add fat, you need to eat the right kinds of calories in their proper ratios. Generally speaking this means 40 to 50 percent protein, 30 percent carbohydrates and 20 to 30 percent fats. Seek out a nutritionist to determine your nutritional goals.

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Step Four

Gain weight gradually by tracking your daily caloric intake for several weeks and calculating the average. Next add 300 to 500 calories per day to your diet. If you do not see results after a few weeks, add another 300 to 500 calories until you see weight gains.

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Step Five

Review proper weight lifting techniques before beginning your program. Lifting heavy weights puts tremendous stress on your joints. Mastering the correct form will help you avoid injury and make faster gains. Whenever possible, seek the advice of a certified athletic trainer in your area.

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Step Six

Plan a safe resistance program. Your workout should hit all of the main body areas (stomach, chest, back, legs, arms and shoulders) twice a week. Health clubs usually have personalized trainers ready to assist you. Ask them to suggest a workout that targets your goals. If you plan to lift on your own, see the links below for sample routines.

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Step Seven

Convince the body that it needs to build muscle. To make muscle gains, the body must be progressively pushed to work harder. This means each routine should be slightly more challenging than the last. Adding weight or increasing repetitions will accomplish this. In addition, varying routines and exercises will "shock" your muscles and promote faster gains.

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Step Eight

Rest. Most trainers recommend 48 hours of rest between workouts. Weight training causes micro tears in the muscle fibers. Sufficient rest and quality nutrition enable the muscles to repair and become stronger while preventing overtraining.

Tips & Warnings

• Stretch your muscles. Stretching will decrease soreness while enabling you to maintain your flexibility once those bulging biceps appear.
• For quick muscle gains you must train for strength not endurance. This means focusing on low repetitions with heavy weights, rather than high repetitions with low weights.
  
• Track your progress. Keeping a log of exercises may seem tedious at first. However the best way to say motivated is to see how far you have come.