6 Ways To Build Your Muscles

Many people dream of filling out their body with lean muscle mass. Unfortunately, many of them will mistakenly believe a significant improvement in muscle mass is something that is beyond their reach. The truth is, a little discipline combined with a sensible approach to resistance training will have you on your way to building the body of your dreams in a relatively short time.

Increase Volume

Multiplying the number of reps you perform by how many sets you complete while resistance training will provide you with a basis for figuring the muscle-building potential of your workout. This means that you will sometimes have to decrease the amount of weight you lift to provide yourself with the greatest potential muscle gain. A good guide is to use no more than 75 percent of the maximum weight you can lift one time for your workouts. You should then perform four to six sets of up to 20 reps.

Get Eccentric

Weightlifting consists of eccentric and concentric motions. Concentric motions take place in the difficult phase of the exercise when you use strength to move the weight. Eccentric motion happens when you return the weight to the starting position. Research has shown that muscle-building is triggered faster by eccentric motion.

There are two methods you can use to increase the number and duration of eccentric motions you perform while exercising. The most common way is to move slower when performing the eccentric motion of the exercise . Secondly, you can alter the exercise so that you only perform the eccentric motion. One example of this is starting at the "top position" with a squat and slowly lowering to the "bottom" position. Of course, you will need a little more weight to make this exercise effective than you normally would.

Shorter Rest Periods

Making sure that you spend no more than 90 seconds of rest between sets will ensure your body produces both the Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone necessary to facilitate muscle growth. You will also guarantee you fatigue your muscles to the necessary extent.

Research indicates that regardless of the other factors involved, muscle fatigue is necessary to gain muscle.

Pre-Workout Supplementation

It will be necessary to push your body to limit at times to reach your muscle-building goals. A good pre-workout supplement can help you along this path.

To choose the right pre-workout supplement, you will need to know how these products work, as well as, what works best for you as an individual. Most supplements are a blend of ingredients that might include caffeine, creatine, nitric oxide agents, amino acids, and beta-alanine. Each of these ingredients has a different function in the body and you find a blend that works for you. It is also best you purchase quality supplements like those produced by EHP labs.

A Good Night Sleep

The proper amount of sleep is essential to reach your muscle-building goals. This is because the hormones the body uses to fuel muscle growth are produced while you are asleep. This is also the time tissue repair takes place and the flow of blood to the muscles increases.

It is quite possible to develop a symbiotic relationship regarding your workouts and sleep habits . A good workout during the day will cause you to fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply at night. In return, tissue repair and muscle gains will make for better workouts.

Relax

Mental and emotional stress will adversely affect how your body recovers following a workout that involves resistance training. You will also experience more soreness for longer after workouts and find it more difficult for your muscles to return to full-strength. This happens because from a physiological standpoint all stress is the same as your body. When your life is filled with stress, the hormones that would normally be used to fuel muscle recovery will be used to deal with the other sources of stress you are experiencing.

Final Thoughts

The quest to build lean body mass is challenging but can be extremely rewarding. A good workout program along with healthy habits outside the gym will greatly improve your chances of success. The six tips above are a great place to start for anyone who desires to build muscle.