How to Build Muscle

Losing some weight is relatively easy for some people while of course, for many, it is a bit of a challenge as it entails having the right mindset, the determination, and the much needed discipline. Building muscle, on the other hand, is a notch higher than losing weight. It is challenging and definitely not a walk in the park. There are a lot of things to consider and all of them should be put together for effective muscle building. Training, proper diet, and the right type of lifestyle should be designed in order for you to be able to achieve that strong, thick, beautifully sculpted body.

There are three important areas one should consider when it comes to muscle building and these are, the right food to take, the training that should be gone through, and of course, the proper lifestyle.

Best foods for Muscle Building

1. Lean Beef

This is probably the most popular food that are advised to people who would like to build muscles. Lean beef contains lots of proteins, thiamin, rivloflavin, and other vitamins that are essential for the health, selenium that is a good antioxidant, zinc that is good for the immune system, cholesterol, and B vitamins that are very ideal for muscle building. It also contains saturated fat, which is a good support for the body’s testosterone levels, and monounsaturated fat, which is good for the heart.

Note: Round cuts and loin cuts are the best because they have better protein to fat ratio.

2. Eggs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are two main types of proteins. First one is called high-quality proteins which is the type of protein you can get from eggs. These type of proteins are the most ideal proteins for bodybuilding because they contain all the essential amino acids for the body. The building blocks of protein are amino acids which is why it makes sense that eggs are ideal for muscle building. The other type of protein is called incomplete proteins. These proteins are those that do not contain the 20 essential amino acids. Examples of this type of proteins are rice and beans.

3. Beets

Beets have been suggested by numerous studies that helps enhance exercise performance and endurance. It also helps have greater power output and it also lessens fatigue. This means that when you consume beets, there is a tendency that you will be able to do more reps in exercising or lifting because of the enhanced power and endurance. Of course, doing more reps means better muscle strength, increase in endurance and more enhanced muscle growth.
If you are not much of a beets fan but you still want to get the benefits it can provide you, you can take supplements by taking 500 mg beets extract. If not, consider supplements that contain beets extracts as well. It is recommended that these supplements be taken 30 minutes to 60 minutes before workout.

There are also a lot more benefits that can be gotten by consuming beets. As clinical studies have also suggested that betaine which is what you can get a lot from beets, can reduce the risk of heart disease because it helps in lowering the levels of amino acid homocysteine, which is a damaging amino acid. It also is believed to help in decreasing cholesterol levels and it may also help suppress the possibility of getting atherosclerosis.

4. Wheat germs

Wheat germs is one of the foods that is a good source of great nutrients that are very good for the body. Aside from it being a good source of protein, which is one of the most essential nutrients in muscle building, it is aso rich in iron, selenium, potassium, B vitamins, Vitamin E, zinc, phosphorous, very high in proteins and fiber and is also a good source of branched-chain amino acids, glutamin and arginine. It has anti-aging properties and it helps reduce the risk of having different types of cancer. The best benefit that you can get from wheat germs is that it contains thrice as much betaine as you can get from beets which means that it is a more effective source of strength and endurance. With that, it can be more helpful in increasing muscle strength, endurance and muscle growth.

Studies have also proved that wheat germs contain high levels of octacosanol, which is naturally occurring and has certain ergogenic qualities. This means that when wheat germs is a part of your regular diet, your stamina will increase and your performance will also be enhanced because the biochemical pathways that produce energy is regulated and that, in effect, streamlines the more efficient and effective use of energy reserves in the body.

5. Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is one of the most affordable sources of protein that is available in the market but despite that, it being a great source of high quality protein is undeniable. It contains whey protein and casein which are good for training recovery which is why it is a popular addition to breakfast and is also a popular snack for muscle builders and athletes. You can always use cottage cheese as a dip or as a topping on your favorite pizza. But if you are the very conscious type of person or you want to add some food that can help in your diet and muscle building, you can also mix your favorite fruits, vegetables or nuts in.

6. Fish

Fishes like salmon, trout, tuna, and herring are probably the most popular ones that are being suggested as great for muscle building. Fishes are also great for muscle building because they are rich in Omega 3 fats. Omega 3 helps in faster muscle recovery, which is needed especially when you are working out so hard and in effect, you get sore. Omega 3 also helps increase muscle growth by helping your body absorb the proteins you consume for muscle building.

It is said a water-packed tuna gets 80 per cent of its protein from tuna which is why it is no surprise that athletes and bodybuilders love their tuna especially as their snack.

7. Protein Shakes

Protein shakes are popular supplement for people who want to build muscle. When you go to the gym, most of the gym goers talk about what protein shake is good, where they are buying their protein powders, etc. Protein shakes plays a big role in muscle building! For a list of good protein shakes you can easily do at home, click here (http://ift.tt/1SGTw4d)

Best Routines for Muscle Building

There are those who we envy because they have great genes that give them the type of body that is easy to mold beautifully sculpted, athletic physique while we have to work much harder than them for us to achieve that kind of body. It takes a lot of determination, heaps of self-control and humungous patience before that happens. But, the great thing is, it is not impossible to get that beautifully sculpted, athletic physique. Now you know the foods that are ideal for muscle building, let us push our knowledge a little further by knowing the different exercises that can be done or followed.

 

 

1. Do different variations per routine

If you are after building muscles, you should drop isolation exercises and instead, focus on doing compound exercises. Compound exercises are exercises that involve multiple muscles at once like squats, deadlifts and flies. When you do compound exercises, you will have much more balanced physique because you are working on all parts of your body and these types of exercises release more fat burning hormones in the body. Because of that, you also tend to burn much more calories. In short, this means, you build more muscles and burn more fat all at once.

When we say compound exercises, you should do squat instead of leg extensions, do overhead press instead of fraises, do bench press instead of dumbbell flies, do barbell rows instead of doing curls.

Tip: Compound exercises should be done at the beginning of every routine. When you are already tired after doing multiple reps of compound exercises, then you can switch to isolation exercises.

2. Do loads of lifting!

It is important that you should do lifting using barbells, not dumbbells. As you go on with your workout and your routine every week, add 5 pounds to the weight. You can do it with barbells but definitely not with dumbbells which is why, it should be barbells, not dumbbells. Your goal here is to be stronger so that you can be able to lift heavier weights after some time and that, in effect, your muscles would be building over time.

3. Be very well guided. Do not force your body.

In the first two weeks, do liftings and exercises that are doable for the body. Do not force your body into intense workouts instantly as it can be dangerous. Move on to much heavier, much extreme routine and more reps, more likely on your third week of lifting when your body has already adjusted well.

4. Be consistent.

Do not skip workouts because you have suddenly gotten lazy. You have to remember to follow the routine if you want your muscle building activities to be more effective. You have to stick to the program you are following no matter what. It the program you are following gets more extreme after another week and you decide to shift to another routine, then there is no guarantee to the effectiveness of what you are doing. Programs are well designed in accordance to how it works to achieve it after you finish the program which is why, even if you think you cannot do the level of difficulty for the next week of the program, it is definitely not impossible. If, however, you are truly uncertain as to whether you can do it or not, you have to consult the person who created the program.

5. Follow your routine religiously. Do not procrastinate.

Muscle building does not only mean that you should do weight and do them whenever you feel like doing so! You must have a routine that you should follow. That way, you can be guided and that way, you can track down your body’s progress. Many people who do not follow the routine do not succeed because when they get lazy, they simply do not lift a muscle until they already get the muscle building goal out of their system. When you have a routine, even if you are lazy, if you see that you have to do lifting for a certain day, then there is a bigger possibility that you will follow it. Remember, it is always nice when you are well guided and when you are reminded on what you have to do to reach your goal.

The Proper Lifestyle

Muscle building does not end in having the information you need to do so and in lifting weights and doing compound and isolated exercises alone. It is important that you put this as part of your lifestyle, as part of your overall being.

It is true how many people say that the weights you lift are as important as the food you eat when it comes to muscle building. So, it is no use that you only take the proper foods for muscle building alone or the proper routines for muscle building alone. You should have them hand in hand throughout the process.

• Have the proper amount of nutrients your body will need for the workout. Do not starve yourself. Eat food that are great provider of energy like foods that are rich in carbohydrates and protein. Of course, it will be very helpful in your workout if you take heaps of those that are listed above but do not limit yourself to those foods only. Those foods are some of the best foods for muscle building but that does not mean that those are the only foods you shoud eat. Besides, your diet determines the mass you build which is why proper foods should be really taken into serious consideration.
• Have proper post-workout meals. Post-workout meals that are rich in carbohydrates increase the body’s insulin levels and in the process, slows the rate of protein breakdown. Also proper post-workout meals help the body recuperate from the strenuous workouts faster.
• Be determined. Nothing is impossible if you have the determination that is fueled and supported by a great self-discipline.
• It will be difficult especially at the beginning and you are a sedentary person. But as time goes by, the routine you will be doing for you to achieve your dream physique will be very natural for you and will definitely become much easier. There might even come a point when you will miss the routine if you skip it for just a week.
• Give your body some rest for it to properly recover from extreme workouts. It is dangerous for your body if you keep on exercising without resting. Once every two days of workout is good although it is also ideal if you do your workouts thrice or four times a week.
• Do not stress! This is not a contest as to who can do muscle building faster than the others. Take it at your own pace. We all have different body types and that is why it can be easy for some while it is difficult for the others so if you think you are not bulking up fast enough as compared to others, it is not because you are not working hard enough.

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