If you walk into any gym and ask somebody how to build muscle the chances are you will hear a different answer for every person you ask. There is such confusion surrounding the muscle building process. As any trainer will know, there are three fundamental rules to building a more powerful physique.
Make no mistakes about it, though, you will not be able to get results if you don't have any kind of structure to you workout routine. The three principles laid out below will teach you this.
* Build your workout around the big, multiple joint movements.
* Neglecting to rest your body is like flushing results down the toilet.
* You won't get far without a solid nutrition plan backing up your effort in the gym.
By following these three principles you will be able to experience a new realm in strength and size. If you have been training for a while and have perhaps hit a plateau, these principles will help you to overcome it. Starting with the first rule, which talks about multi-joint exercises, we are going to run through what each point means in a little bit more depth for you.
If you are unsure what a compound movement is just think about how many joints are involved in a movement. If it's more than one then it is a compound exercise. A good example of this is a barbell squat. Any exercise which only involves one joint is called an isolation exercise and while it is designed to specifically make that muscle stronger it will not give you the double benefits associated with compounds. A good example of an isolation movement is a wrist curl.
Of course, the smaller movements are also good for building you up and they will round out each session quite nicely but make no mistake about it, the main focus of your entire session needs to be on the exercises which are going to get you to where you want to be. You're not going to hit a new max on the bench press if you have already exhausted your chest on a series of isolation exercises.
Most people who find it difficult to get bigger are able to experience gains they have never had before thanks to that one simple trick. To get the most from it, however, you need to also pay special attention to the second point. As you begin to notice results you will want to train every day. That's actually a bad thing.
Your efforts in the gym deserve physical results and those results happen during periods of rest. If you go to the gym every day you'll notice it becomes more difficult to see any results because your body isn't being given the recuperation time that it needs. This is easily the most overlooked aspect of training for those looking to get bigger.
Last but not least we want to talk about your eating habits. Have you ever heard people say that abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym? Well, it is true. If you are eating junk food you will be adding the wrong type of size to your frame.
You can work out how many calories per day you should eat by simply taking your current body weight in kilo's and multiplying it by twenty five. That's your basal metabolic rate and you should add a further 50% to that target to allow you to get a good building plan established.
However, it's one thing eating the right number of calories in a day. You also have to ensure you are getting a good balance of the 3 main macro nutrients. That's protein, carbohydrates and fat to you and I. A split of 30%, 50% and 20% is enough to make the most of those calories.
If you have been struggling to get results for a while not don't worry, confusion is everywhere in the gym. In fact, if you ask people for tips on how to lose weight you will notice the same confusion reigns over that area as well. You now have the three proven rules behind a good routine which will teach you how to build muscle and retain it.
Make no mistakes about it, though, you will not be able to get results if you don't have any kind of structure to you workout routine. The three principles laid out below will teach you this.
* Build your workout around the big, multiple joint movements.
* Neglecting to rest your body is like flushing results down the toilet.
* You won't get far without a solid nutrition plan backing up your effort in the gym.
By following these three principles you will be able to experience a new realm in strength and size. If you have been training for a while and have perhaps hit a plateau, these principles will help you to overcome it. Starting with the first rule, which talks about multi-joint exercises, we are going to run through what each point means in a little bit more depth for you.
If you are unsure what a compound movement is just think about how many joints are involved in a movement. If it's more than one then it is a compound exercise. A good example of this is a barbell squat. Any exercise which only involves one joint is called an isolation exercise and while it is designed to specifically make that muscle stronger it will not give you the double benefits associated with compounds. A good example of an isolation movement is a wrist curl.
Of course, the smaller movements are also good for building you up and they will round out each session quite nicely but make no mistake about it, the main focus of your entire session needs to be on the exercises which are going to get you to where you want to be. You're not going to hit a new max on the bench press if you have already exhausted your chest on a series of isolation exercises.
Most people who find it difficult to get bigger are able to experience gains they have never had before thanks to that one simple trick. To get the most from it, however, you need to also pay special attention to the second point. As you begin to notice results you will want to train every day. That's actually a bad thing.
Your efforts in the gym deserve physical results and those results happen during periods of rest. If you go to the gym every day you'll notice it becomes more difficult to see any results because your body isn't being given the recuperation time that it needs. This is easily the most overlooked aspect of training for those looking to get bigger.
Last but not least we want to talk about your eating habits. Have you ever heard people say that abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym? Well, it is true. If you are eating junk food you will be adding the wrong type of size to your frame.
You can work out how many calories per day you should eat by simply taking your current body weight in kilo's and multiplying it by twenty five. That's your basal metabolic rate and you should add a further 50% to that target to allow you to get a good building plan established.
However, it's one thing eating the right number of calories in a day. You also have to ensure you are getting a good balance of the 3 main macro nutrients. That's protein, carbohydrates and fat to you and I. A split of 30%, 50% and 20% is enough to make the most of those calories.
If you have been struggling to get results for a while not don't worry, confusion is everywhere in the gym. In fact, if you ask people for tips on how to lose weight you will notice the same confusion reigns over that area as well. You now have the three proven rules behind a good routine which will teach you how to build muscle and retain it.
About the Author:
About today's writer: Russ Howe PTI is the UK's premier fitness instructor. If you need to learn how to build muscle or how to lose weight our free proven guides will help you achieve more from your training.
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