The Basics Of Working Out And Building Muscle

There are certain steps you must take in your workouts if you’re
looking to build muscle, lose fat, and increase your strength.

Before engaging in any form of weight training, do some kind of
warm-up for 5 minutes prior to hitting the weights. You do not
want to start cold. You will not be as strong or as energetic.
Start your first exercise with a very light, easy set of ten
repetitions. Never warm-up to the point of failure or
exhaustion. You will be expending much needed energy if you do,
energy that will be needed for the last heavy sets.

Make sure your workouts are under 45 minutes. This is important
for several reasons. First, it is easier to focus intensely for
45 minutes than it is an hour or more.

Harness the power of focus. Also, hormones that assist the
muscle building process peak around 30-45 minutes, so take
advantage of this “muscle-building” (anabolic) window. If you go
too long, the hormones begin to drastically drop off and the
release of muscle destroying (catabolic) hormones increases.
Rest at least 1 minute in between your lighter sets and at least
2 minutes between your heavy sets.

Many people mistakenly believe that if they speed up their
weight training workout by not stopping in between sets, they
will increase the likelihood of fat-burning. What you are really
doing is increasing the likelihood of never getting stronger or
more muscular.

When you do not rest between sets, your cellular energy levels
have not been replenished enough to handle the weight that is
about to come. If you are not as strong or stronger on your next
set, you have in fact, negated any potential overload and have
wasted your set. You must feel strong enough after one set
before you try doing another.

Think of a set as a certain high point. If you do not hit that
same point, or better yet, go above that point on your next set,
you have not gained anything for doing it.

Train only one or two muscle groups per workout. It is extremely
hard to focus when you are training more than two muscle groups.
It is extremely hard to train intensely when doing more than two
muscle groups.

When you train more than two, the muscles towards the end of
your workout are getting cheated because the most energy is
being spent on the first muscles. Your energy tank will be close
to “E” when it is time for the third muscle group.

Now, once in a while, if you are time strapped, adding three
muscle groups to a workout, like chest, shoulders, triceps, will
not create much of a problem, but do not make it a habit. Once
again, harnessing the power of focus and intensity is easier
accomplished when training just one or two muscle groups. Train
each muscle group only once in a five to seven day period. Never
think that training a certain muscle more than once a week will
lead to better results. The opposite is true, the more you train
a muscle group, the more tired and fatigued it becomes.

Take a full seven days in between training a specific muscle
group. If you train your chest and back on Monday, you do not
want to train them again until the following Monday. The muscles
need time to recover and recuperate before they are able to
handle any additional overload.

What most people do not realize is that you actually build
muscle when you are resting out of the gym, not when you are
weight training.

Weight training just stimulates the muscle and creates a
situation where your muscle needs to adapt and get stronger.
Your muscles do not actually grow or get bigger until you are
resting out of the gym and feeding them proper nutrition. The
biggest problem people have is this next tip, but after I tried
it, I will always do it. After 2 full months of solid training
(weights and cardio), take a FULL WEEK OFF!! That’s right, an
entire week off from any cardio or weight training.

This week will be essential in resting and recuperating from
eight full weeks of training. This is your “recharge” period,
time to let your muscles heal and completely recover. I
guarantee, after a week off, you will come back stronger and
more muscular.

Have you ever been real tired of work and just couldn’t wait for
a vacation. Then, when you take one, each day you are off you
start feeling more rested. When your vacation is finished, you
feel much more refreshed and energetic (even though you still
don’t want to go back to work).

People under estimate the power of rest.

Weight training, especially heavy, intense weight training, is a
stress to the body, and if not given the proper time to rest or
recover, injury and sickness will result. So do your body a big
favor and take a week off after eight full weeks of training.

These are some of the most basic, proven steps you need to take
when working out and building muscle.

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