How to build muscle

Building muscle is as much about a good diet and proper timing and rest as it is about lifting heavy things. Often people make the mistake of over training in the hope that their muscles will grow more quickly. The opposite effect can result. When the body does not get enough nutritional value from the food you eat, especially when attempting to build muscle, it takes the energy from elsewhere in the body, often from the muscles themselves. Your body will go into a catabolic state and break down the muscle tissue to release protein. It does this either when the body has over trained or has had an extended period of activity, or when you go without food for longer periods of time.

So to avoid this happening you need to do two things when building muscle.

  1. You need to train intensely for short periods of time. Usually you should not lift weights for more than 45 minutes at a time or if you do you should be taking a supplement or energy drink of some kind.
  2. You need to eat frequently when weight training, especially just after your training session.

It is especially important to eat breakfast since effectively you have been fasting while you sleep. You body has not been given any food during this time and you are especially vulnerable to falling into  a state of catabolism if you skip breakfast.

It is also important when training to build muscle that you do not train on an empty stomach. Your muscles will again break down muscle tissue to use the protein if you are not consuming enough of it through your diet or if it cannot get it from anywhere else.

Food should be taken directly after a training session also. An easily digestible food source is best to feed your muscles so the body does not have to work very much to break it down.

Rest is also a very important factor of building muscle. When you lift weights you cause the muscle tissues to break, assuming you are lifting heavy enough weights. You need to allow them to repair and for the body to go to work before you head back to the gym. If you over train a muscle group without leaving time for repair it does not have the time to regenerate. Most of the repairing process happens during sleep when growth hormone levels are at their highest.

Not having enough sleep, poor diet or over training will lead to loss of performance and fatigue.

July 13th, 2010 | Posted in Bodybuilding | No Comments

Three Reasons to Buy a Weight Bench

Everyone who’s tried to exercise consistently and failed knows just how difficult it is to stay motivated. The task is made even harder for those who go to public gyms. The only time you have to go in might be the busiest time of the day there. If you want to keep exercising, you have to keep paying. You have to drive to get there. Thankfully, there is a great way to get all the advantages of a gym without any hassle. The solution is to buy your own weight bench. Here are all the ways you will be better off for it.

Accelerated Progress

A fitness bench can really help you jump start your fitness success. You can do lots of different lifts with just this one tool. You can to flat, inclined and upward lifts. And the fact that its your own means you can use it whenever you want and fully customize your workout.

Resource Efficiency

One great advantage of using your own fitness bench is that it saves you money. How, you might ask? The answer is simple. While over the short term it may be more expensive, gyms cost you continuously. If you are committed to improving your fitness for years to come, the cost of the gym membership will eventually outweigh the price of the bench. They also save you money on gas because you won’t have to commute to and from the gym.

Get Stronger

Don’t be deceived, if you want to get buff, you do not need to use machines. In fact, you benefit from using free weights instead. Studies have shown that free weight lifts generate more testosterone (good for muscle gain) than machine exercises targeting the same muscle groups.

Its easy to see that having your own gym at home is much more convenient, cheaper, and more effective for long term fitness. Even those on very tight budgets can still find cheap weight benches to serve the desired purpose. Get yours now, and stop wasting gas on the gym!

For more great advice on exercise equipment and tips, start learning now at Ellipticals and Exercise.

July 9th, 2010 | Posted in Gym Equipment | No Comments

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How Much Protein Do I Require?

Many who think about or embrace a vegan daily lifestyle question themselves, “How much protein do I require?” Plenty of plant-based meals comprise protein and contrary to what many individuals consider, the regular vegan meal plan comprises a lot of protein.

Protein Myths

Having this day’s advanced research and technology, researchers, doctors, and nutritionists have discovered that the human body doesn’t need nearly as much protein as was once believed. Within the past twenty years, the suggested daily consumption of protein has been decreased by almost 50%, across all age groups.

Almost all Americans ingest far too much protein daily. That could cause kidney illness and osteoporosis. Overindulgence in proteins could also be a trigger for food allergies, since the sufferer is reacting to the protein content in the offending foods.

How Much Protein Protein Do I Require as an Adult?

The amount of protein that a person requires differs by gender, age, and activity level. Athletes or people who exercise regularly will require a little extra to build and maintain tissue mass. In addition, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers will need more protein in order to nurture their fetus and provide nourishment for their infants.

How Do Vegans Get Sufficient Amount of Protein?

Numerous individuals still consider that animals are the only good sources of protein, however this has been proven to be false. At the same time as eggs and meat are complete proteins in and of themselves, vegans might still feed their bodies with a lot of the important proteins and various nutritional support they require with a varied diet.

The most common and complete source of protein that does not originate from an animal source is soy and soy production. For vegans who consume eggs and dairy, they are also excellent ways to boost protein intake.

Different meals, for instance legumes, nuts, seeds, entire grains, and even certain veggies all comprise proteins. These proteins aren’t believed to be “complete,” as they only consist of part of the nutritional support that makes up a whole protein. Combining these elements, however, results in complete proteins.

Want to learn more about Foods With Protein? Visit Protein Supplements

July 8th, 2010 | Posted in Protein Supplements | No Comments