Muscle Fitness
Several Important Things You Need to Know About Muscle Fitness
muscle and fitness
These days we hear an awful lot about cardio fitness and it seems muscle fitness has taken a bit of a back seat. Now there’s no question that cardio is very important but muscle is as important as cardio for a variety of reasons.
Muscle fitness is much more than just lifting weights to get bigger muscles. It involves developing muscles that are strong and healthy. Muscle fitness involves educating yourself on the proper methods for strengthening your muscles as well as developing strong muscles. This will help prevent injuries to your muscles and help your lose weight. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn while exercising and while resting. You will also appear to be more toned. Muscle fitness is important for both men and women.
First, consult your physician before adopting any exercise schedule or taking any of the muscle fitness supplements. Do check out with your personal physician whether you can go for that exercise regimen. Your doctor will, in all probability, do an overall checkup of your physique. Take to the exercises or the medications only if you get the nod from your physician. Sincerely follow the guidelines set by your instructor.
Once you get the nod from the expert, contact a muscle fitness instructor in your neighborhood. You must always do the exercises under the watchful eyes of the instructor. This is a precaution against any pitfalls.
Next, choose a state-of-the art gymnasium. Doubly ensure that the gym has up-to-date first aid facilities. The very knowledge that there is an expert doctor nearby whom you can turn to in times of exigencies is quite a comforting assurance. Mind you, accidents can happen anytime.
Then, you will also have to take care of your diet so that you keep on supplementing your body with the required vitamins and other minerals. But, it is always better to opt for the natural means rather than going for the artificial ones. Beware! Overeating may give you only the opposite results. Once you start having the bulge, it would be rather problematic for you to trim that fat on your waist.
Muscle groups becomes stronger the more they are worked. There is a bit of a misconception out there because people believe that if they concentrate on muscle fitness and working those muscles then suddenly they will become buff almost overnight. Many do not realize it takes time and dedication to become buff.
You should consume large amounts of protein for proper muscle fitness. Your body will need it to replace the vitamins and minerals you are using up while lifting weights. You should also consume a great deal of water throughout the day to remain hydrated. Some people choose to consume protein shakes and other supplements for muscle fitness. Some of these products may be beneficial but you should consult with a trainer or a doctor before taking any of them. Just because they claim to have all natural ingredients doesn’t necessarily mean they are safe. You should never use them as a replacement for proper nutrition.
Along with the diet, another important point to keep in mind is that your body dehydrates while exercising. So, take to fluids in a big way. If you deprive your already taxed body of water or other nourishing fluid you will get tired easily. Getting fagged out after any muscle fitness roster will be a hopeless program. After all, you are exercising to not just get the dream body but to also gain strength.
Muscle fitness requires you to take care of your muscles. It is not good to lift weights daily. You should have a day of rest in between where you do other types of exercise for at least 30 minutes. It is a myth that you will get bigger muscles if you work them every day. Your muscles need a day to rest. It is during this resting period that your muscles will gain strength and grow in size. The amount of weight isn’t what is important, rather it is the number of repetitions you do. Instead of focusing on lifting more, focus on adding more reps to your workout each week.
Muscle fitness is very important and a great way to get into shape. Make sure you lift weights properly. You can hurt your back and your muscles if you don’t. Never lift more than you can handle. It is a good idea to have a spotter available in case you need one during your weight lifting activities. If possible, consider working with a personal trainer. Muscle fitness involves taking care of your muscles before, during, and after your workout sessions. You will need to do warm up exercises prior to lifting and then cool down exercises at the end of your workout. Skipping either one of them can result in muscle tears and injuries.
Muscle fitness is about more than just being tough and looking strong. It is about your overall level of fitness and feeling good about yourself. Muscle fitness is only effective if you take care of other aspects including your diet and cardio activities. Common mistakes of muscle fitness include working out too often so your muscles don’t have time to rest or grow. Lifting more than you can will do more damage than good. Don’t expect immediate results from muscle fitness. It takes changes to your lifestyle, eating habits, and regular workouts to reap the benefits of muscle fitness.
Muscle fitness doesn’t have to be costly either. A simple set of dumbbells and a bench and you’ll be asking those bigger guys to sit down and shut up. It doesn’t require you to invest in one of those expensive machines advertised on television although they sure would like you to believe that you do.
If you want to develop body builder like muscles your muscle fitness program is going to have to get a whole lot more serious. It’s going to include not only some heavy duty workouts but it’s also going to include some heavy duty menu changes. After all bulky muscles don’t just appear without some serious hard work.
What good muscle fitness can do for you is give you additional strength and tone you so that you look younger and firmer. The ability to move or lift heavier objects without struggling can be a really great feature but many become involved in muscle fitness because middle age is sneaking up on them and they want to take care of the flab. Read more
Muscle
How to Build Muscle: The Definitive Guide to Building Muscle
muscle building
Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. There are three types of muscle in the body. Muscle which is responsible for moving extremities and external areas of the body is called “skeletal muscle.” Heart muscle is called “cardiac muscle.” Muscle that is in the walls of arteries and bowel is called “smooth muscle.”
The biggest mistake when building muscle is imitating Pro Bodybuilders. Most of them don’t train naturally, are genetically gifted and never started training that way. Doing their routines won’t make you build muscle fast.
The average person needs a different approach. One that builds muscle fast and prevents physical & mental over training from doing too much, too soon. Here’s how to build muscle: the definitive guide to building muscle.
1. Get Stronger. More strength is more muscle. Get into strength training. I recommend weight lifting because it allows you to start light and add weight endlessly. Body-weight exercises work too.
- Weight Lifting. Start with an empty bar. Learn proper technique. Add weight each workout to keep pushing your body out of comfort zone.
- Calisthenics . Push-ups, Pull-ups, Dips, Pistols, Reverse Crunches, etc. Switch to harder versions or add weight when they get easy.
2. Use Free Weights. You can lift the heaviest weights using barbells. More weight is more stress, thus more muscle. Dumbbells are great for assistance exercises, but not for your main lifts. Stay away from machines.
- Safe. Machines force you into fixed, unnatural movement patterns which can cause injuries. Free weights replicate natural motions.
- Efficient. Free weights force you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines, which balance the weight for you.
- Functional. Strength built on machines doesn’t transfer to free weights or real life. No machine balances the weight for you in real life.
- Versatile. You can do hundreds of exercises with just 1 barbell. Saves a lot of money and space, especially if you want to build a home gym.
3. Do Compound Exercises. Don’t imitate Pro Bodybuilders. Isolation exercises are ok once you’ve built base strength & muscle mass. But if you’re starting to build muscle, exercises that hit several muscles at the same time are better.
- No endless Biceps Curls -> Pull-ups, Chin-ups & Barbell Rows
- Also no Triceps Kickbacks -> Bench Press, Overhead Press, Dips
- And definitely no Leg Extensions -> Squats & Deadlifts
4. Train Your Legs. Squats work your whole body, they’re the most important exercise. You’ll look totally different once you can Squat 1.5x your body-weight. That’s a free weight Squat with hips coming lower than knees.
All your muscles tense when doing Squats & Deadlifts. They work your body as 1 piece and let you lift heavy weights. Don’t lose time with Biceps Curls. When you can Squat & Deadlift heavy weights, you’ll have bigger arms.
5. Do Full Body Workouts. Don’t compare to Pro Bodybuilders. 3rd time so this gets into you. Body part splits with isolation exercises is fine once you’ve built a foundation. That’s once you can Squat 1.5x your body-weight.
You can’t Squat that much or never did Squats? Check StrongLifts 5×5. It takes 3×45mins/week and includes compound exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Barbell Rows, Overhead Press, Pull-ups, Dips, etc.
6 Get Recovery. Pro athletes workout 5-6 times per week. But they didn’t start that way. They added workouts as they got stronger & bigger. You’ll over train if you jump into their routines. As a beginner you need more recovery.
- Rest. Muscles grow when you rest, not when you workout. Start with 3 full body workouts per week and focus on intensity, not gym time.
- Sleep. Growth hormone releases when you sleep, building muscle. Aim for 8 hours sleep. Nap post workout if your lifestyle allows.
- Drink Water. Avoids dehydration and helps muscle recovery. Drink 2 cups water with each meal, and sip water during your workout.
- Eat. “Eat like a horse. Sleep like a baby. Grow like a weed”. Your training is useless if you don’t eat plenty of whole foods. More below.
7. Eat Whole Foods. You’ll achieve a lower body fat, so the muscles you’ve built show better. And the vitamin & mineral content helps recovery. Stop eating food coming from a box. Eat whole foods 90% of the time.
- Proteins. Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, milk, …
- Carbs. Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, quinoa, …
- Veggies. Spinach, broccoli, tomato, salad, carrot, …
- Fruits. Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, peers, …
- Fats. Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds, …
8. Eat More. You need food for energy and for muscle growth & recovery. More frequent meals also boosts your metabolism, helping fat loss.
- Eat Breakfast. Get calories from the first hour.
- Eat Post Workout. Get proteins & carbs post workout to help muscle recovery & replenish energy stores.
- Eat Every 3 Hours. 6 meals/day. Gives your muscles a steady intake of protein, speeds up muscle repair & recovery, boosts your metabolism.
- Eat BW in lbs x 18kcal. Track your daily calorie intake using FitDay. You need at least your body-weight in lbs x 18kcal to maintain weight.
9. Gain Weight. You’ll never look muscular weighing 140lbs at 6″. No matter how much training you do. Here’s the most important part.
- Eat Calorie Dense Foods. 100g raw spinach is 25kcals. But 100g raw rice is 380kcals. Eat pasta, oats, olive oil, mixed nuts, etc.
- Get Stronger. Increase your Squat to 1.5x your body-weight for at least 1 rep. Deadlift 2x BW for at least 1 rep. More strength is more muscle.
- Drink Whole Milk. If you don’t bother gaining some fat, drink 1 gallon whole milk daily on top of your current food intake. You can gain 25lbs in 1 month if you combine this with 3 weekly Squat sessions.
10. Get Protein. Proteins have the highest thermic effect. You need 1g protein per pound of body-weight daily to build & maintain muscle. That’s 160g of daily protein if you weigh 160lbs/72kg. Eat whole proteins with each meal.
- Red Meat. Ground round, steaks, deer, buffalo, …
- Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey, duck, …
- Fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, …
- Eggs. Eat the yolk, it’s full of vitamins.
- Dairy. Milk, cottage cheese, quark cheese, yogurt, whey, …
If you weigh 160lbs: 1 can of tuna at lunch, 300g quark as snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 160g protein. Read also how to get your daily protein when you’re a vegetarian/vegan.
