Gym Workouts

Posts Tagged ‘build muscle up’

Ok, so you want to build up muscles, you want to look like a Brad Pitt in the movie ‘Troy’ so you can get heaps of attention from the ladies on the beach or too impress your mates. You are ware of the basics of muscle building but you are after something extra to give you that edge to gain even more muscle. Well, these suggestions are provided to ensure that you do just that!

1) Pump iron for no more than 45 minutes. This is because when you are working out your body releases a hormone called cortisone that helps the body to recover and build up muscle. However after about 45-60 minutes the body then releases another hormone that counteracts this and in fact it has the opposite effect. So, you are not likely to make a great deal of muscle gain if you pump iron for any longer than 60 minutes. The bottom line is work out intensely for 45-60 minutes then get out of the gym.

2) Double the size of your meal portions. The single biggest mistake people make when trying to build up muscle is not getting enough calories. You must consume more calories than you work off during each day to add muscle. If you do not have these extra calories you cannot build up muscle regardless how hard you train! A good muscle building idea is to purchase dishes and plates that are twice the size of your old ones. Ok, this sounds strange but I’m sure you will never fail to remember that you should be eating more calories in order to build up your muscles.

3) Eat more protein. Ingest protein just before you sleep and straight after your workout. After your workouts you may experiences muscle soreness which is when you have torn your muscle fibres so this is when protein is needed.Just prior to sleeping is crucial for muscle building as your body is just about to go eight hours with no food so you must get some protein at this time. You really should be taking on board at the least a gram of protein for every single kilogram of nbody weight that you have.

These are only three tips and there are a great deal more but these deal with a few of of the most common errors made. Now go ahead put them into practice and build muscle up with this no nonsense muscle building approach!

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Depending on where you look there is a lot of great information out there on how to build muscle up. However provided here are a few seldom mentioned tips that can certainly aid you in your quest for muscle mass. Here they are:

Try drinking green tea. This can inhibit the enzyme that inhibits nor-epinephrine which mean that you should experience raised levels of this muscle building metabolic hormone which can also aid in weight loss. It is also rammed full of anti-oxidants that can greatly aid in post workout recovery and also for your general health.

Take on board healthy fats. These are crucial for correct working of many parts of the human body for example the heart, brain, production of energy and the regulation of hormones too. Oily fish, natural peanut butter, avocado and oily dressings are all excellent sources of this.

Ingest casein protein. This particular protein is released more slowly in to the body as it takes time to ingest it properly. This is great news if you consume it just before sleeping because your body can then make use of it in order to build muscle up whilst you sleep.

Ingest 20 to 30 grams of whey protein first thing. Upon rising take a protein shake. This will put a stop to the catabolic state of your body that you may have been experiencing whilst you were asleep and also give you a solid start on achieving your protein intake target for the day.

Try drop sets for difficult to grow body parts. This technique is very intense and can be used to stimulate growth effectively in any weaker areas that you struggle to grow. Firstly, complete your set as you would normally and when you have pushed out your final rep lower the weight by around 20 percent and perform more reps, then decrease the weight once again and do more reps. Continue this as long as you can it will provide you with an extreme burn and probably leave you extremely sore the next day.

Ingest lots of water. It is important not to under estimate the positive benefits of reminaing well hydrated during the day. water is critical for many reactions in the body especially muscle building ones.

Continue learning as much as you can. there are a wide variety of ways to make your muscles grow. experiment and find out what helps you build muscle up the best and stick with those.

So, by applying some of the above weight gain tips you should be able to build up muscle even faster than before. If you wanto to look lean and ripped we highly recommend the following burn the fat build the muscle ebook. Good luck.

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Spending hours in the gym to build muscle up and not making progress? Great news! There is a real cahce that just this one oversight is stopping you from building muscle up fast. this knowledge alone will help you enormously in your attempts to build muscle up. For a lot of people this little known truth can easily help them build muscle up fast.

So what exactly is this well kept secret? A new drug or something?

No not at all. It is something known as Cortisol and has actyually been known about for a long time but its affects are still ignored by some.

What precisely is cortisol?

Produced in response to stress placed on the body cortisol is a hormone released by the body throughout the day. Levels of cortisol drop slightly from their peak in the morning.

What does it do?

Well it enhances your short term memory, aids in regulation of blood sugar levels and helps detox the liver. However it can raise blood pressure and decrease bone density if your cortisol levels get too high, however this would be unusual. However critically it does diminish muscle because it aids in the body using muscle for energy rather than fat. It is for this reason that bodybuilders should keep their workouts down to an hour at most. After this they will be doing more harm than good!

Here are a few guidelines to ensure that you are not wasting your time trying to build muscle up:

1) limit your cardio workouts, too much cardio causes the body to release cortisol which as explained is not what we need.

2) Try to not drink too much caffeine as this can also cause corisol levels to rise.

3) Make sure your training sessions are less than an hour. wear headphones if this helps you to stay focussed.

4) Chill out an take it easy as cortisol is produced in response to stres.

5) Consume small frequent meals as infrequent meals make the body assume it is starving and will thus try and use muscle mass as a form of energy before it makes use of fat reserves by releasing more cortisol.

6) Sleep. This is the time when your muscle mass building hormones are highest and your level of cortisol is lowest therefore attempt to get 8 hours sleep.

With those building muscle tips in mind you should be able to give your workouts a great boost and help you to build up muscle more efficiently.

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Many bodybuilders especially amateur bodybuilders like to enjoy the occassional drink of alcohol whther it be in the form of beer, wine or spirits. Here we ask just what affect this has on our body and is it ok to drink if we want to build up muscles.

Unfortunately alcohol interferes with many chemical reactions in the body that are productive in order to build muscle up. The effects of alcohol are felt by the body for at least a couple of days as it is processed very gradually and can affect performance negatively for up to 48 hours after you drank your last glass. 

Just two normal drinks of alcohol can reduce reaction time, lower strength levels, interfere with balance and hand eye co-ordination and increase fatigue. As a weightlifter or anyone looking to perform physical activity effectively then all of these will only serve to limit your body’s ability to build muscle up.

The liver will metabolise alcohol at the expense of glycogen (carbohydrate) which is the fuel for the body therefore this is why fatigue is caused. It is this that causes increased fatigue. If the body is not using glycogen efficiently then the cellular functions of the body will not run as efficiently and muscle growth will inevitably suffer.

Alcohol causes dehydration as it interferes with the electrolytes and fluid inside the kidneys. The kidneys function is to regulate the body’s cells with nutrients they can use for muscle growth and repair and also to take out of the body cellular waste.Attempts to build muscle and other types of athletic performance may be ruined as in order to process alcohol effectively, water from other areas of the body is required which has a dehydrating effect thus harming performance.

Tachycardia an abnormally fast heartbeat may be caused by alcohol consumption which also causes high blood pressure in some people. Furthermore alcohol reduces the quality of your sleep which is when the body should be growing. It also reduces the ease at which the body can absorb vitamins and minerals, these of course play crucial roles in metabolic functions for muscle growth.

Affected greatly will also be the brains thought processes. If the amount of glycogen that makes it to the brain is not adequate then slow dioriented thinking will of then be the result. Unfortunately alcohol may cause a reduction in your motivation and drive which of course is essential for success in any field!

So bearing all this in mind, clearly if you are seriously want to build up muscle then you are going to have to lay of the alcohol aswell as do workouts to build muscle. Even the recommended daily amount effects the body adversely! Beyond the scope of this article are the many and varied effects on the body of alcohol consumption.

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Exactly what is a superset?

A superset is when two exercises are performed back to back with no break in between. The chosen exercises need to be hitting opposite muscle groups. For example a set of benchpressing followed by bent over rows.

Why perform Supersets?

firstly they are likely going to be a nice change from the more traditional sets and reps you may have gotten used to. They place a new and different stress on the muscles which gives them additional stimulus to grow. When you do away with the rest intervals there is very little chance for you to be put off from your training goals. Also after completing a superset you will probably experience a powerful muscle pump as the muscles are literally being flooded full of oxygenated blood to help keep up with the muscles demands which is a great feeling. Overall they are a great way to build muscle up fast. 

Doing supersets prevents you from cooling down to quickly and keeps your heart rate higher creating an almost aerobic workout too. Another fantastic thing about supersets is that they provide your training session with great variety, excitment and challenge.

What supersets should I try?

The following combinations are some of my favourite and provide a tough but satisfying workout: Bent bar curl/lying tricep extension, Dumbbell incline press/dumbbell pullover/seated lat row, Leg extension/leg curl/calf raise, Dumbbell alternate curl/overhead tricep extension, Bench press/wide grip pulldown, Chins/dips/rope tuck, Steep dumbbell shoulder press/sidearm lateral raise,

What tips can you give me when doing them?

Well, when you do them be sure to keep good technique. It is very easy to get carried away and start losing your form. This even more the case now as you are likely to be a lot more out of breathe then usual and you will be changing from one exercise to a different one very quickly. Keeping to correct lifting technique will ensure that you keep hitting the correct mucsle group and also reduce the chances of injury.

Anything else I should know in order to build muscle now with supersets?

With the increased intensity of supersets it may be wise to cut the volume slightly and shoot for just a couple of supersets however if your fitness and energy levels are good by all means do more. use a different superset every workout between your normal sets to prevent yourself from becoming worn out.

It should also go without saying that you will have to continue to eat a lot of quality build muscle food, we all know muscle comes from excess calories so keep eating quality foods and also make sure you keep your water intake high. Finally, the number one reason for lack of muscle growth is overtraining so be aware of this. Pumping iron twice a week is probably ample for most people and will probably be too musch for hardgainers. Ok, whilst bearing those point in mind why not hit the gym and give supersets a try and let them help you build muscle up fast. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

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When building muscle up without even knowing it you can put your self at serious risk of injury, illness and dramatically restrict your progress. Sure it is great that you want to workout and build muscle up but at the same time one bad injury, one forgetful moment can put you out of action for months and with possible health and financial consequences. Such traumatic incidents can easily be avoided by adhering to the following guidelines. Here we go with our build muscle up safely guidelines:

1) Always check and double check you have put the barbell collars on before you start lifting. Just a slight looseness of a collar can cause one side to be heavier. The heavier side will force it’s way down and the weight disc may slide even further until it drops off. When this happens that end will be very light and thrown upwards by the opposing disc. real damage could be caused to people or equipment as the barbell is flipped mercilessly through the air!

2) If you are attempting one rep maximums then do so with a spotter. This is person who watches you and is ready to help you out if you start struggling. The last thing you want to occur is to have yourself stuck weighted down by a heavy barbell, you may laugh but I’ve seen it happen.

3) If you are sick don’t train. Seems too obvious but I frequently see bodybuilders who are obviously suffering from a high fever and cough, splutter there way through a workout. More often than not the workout yields no personal bests and the next few days are spent in bed recovering. By training when you are sick you are allowing the sickness to take a firmer grip of you because working out will lower your immune system for a while.

4) Use proper technique. If you perform exercises incorrectly like swinging barbells using your body’s momentum then you not only risk serious injury but you will also make little progress as you aren’t targeting the muscle group well enough. Always use strict form.

5) Don’t do too much. It is very common when motivation is high especially for newbie’s that you want to lift weights as often as possible. This motivation is good but training everyday or even every other day will probably be too much for most people unless it is a split routine. You will actually weaken your muscles if you workout again when they are not yet fully recovered.

6) Not maintaining a good diet. If you wish to grow more muscle then you are going to have place a high priority on muscle building nutrition. You will be wasting your time in the gym if you are not taking on board enough calories to support muscle growth. Eat high quality foods frequently throughout the day.

7) Showing off to your friends. Trying to lift more and more weight to beat your mates can be fun yet can also end in disaster. It is much wiser to compete against your scores from past sessions. Record your workouts in a training log so that you know what your personal best to beat is. This will be more motivating for you and reduce your risk of injury.

Warm up enough. If you don’t your muscles are much more likely to strain and snap. This can keep you out of action for weeks or possibly even months. It is very simple to do, 5-10 minutes cardio, stretching exercises followed by a few warm up reps will do fine.

With those above guidelines in mind and with correct muscle building nutrition there is no reason why you should not build muscle up happily and safely where ever you train.

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As you have already gotten past the headline you probably know what a hardgainer is. However for those of you that do not then basically it is someone who finds it really difficult to put on weight: fat or muscle! Often this is said to be caused by that person having a fast metabolism.

Metabolism or metabolic rate refers to the rate at which your body burns up the calories it has taken on whilst performing the natural reactions of the body. If your metabolism is particularly slow then it will be easier to put on fat tissue as you are not burning up as many calories at rest as someone with a faster metabolism.

For supporting muscle gains we should be trying to creat a surplus amount of calories, this is difficult for hardgainers as they rapaidly use up their calories even at rest. So, what actions can hardgainers take to overcome this? Here is our how to build muscle up guide for hardgainers:

1) Keep the cardio workouts to a minimum. Aerobic workouts will clearly consume calories during the exercise but will also increase your metabolic rate so that you continue to burn off calories at a faster speed even when resting. You must avoid this if you are trying to create an excess number of calories.

2) Eat for two people! You need to take on board heaps of calories. To do this, simply try to double the amount of food that you would normally eat at every meal. Buy some large sized bowls and plates so that you will not forget about this.

3) Eat 5-7 meals every single day. This is critical to build muscle mass. Your body is only capable of extracting out of the food a certain amount of nutrients at any given time so small frequently meals are necessary to make the most of its capacity. Eating 2-3 meals per day is claimed to slow down the bodies metabolism which is true but this doesn’t mean it is something that hardgainers sould do. Why? Because your body can flip into a starvation state where it releases particular chemicals that actually inhibit the muscle building process.

4) Make use of supplemements. Take full advantage of the numerous excellent supplements that are available such as protein shakes and meal replacement powders. These include huge amounts of exactly the ingredients you should be getting. Excellent moments to consume them are immediately post training and immediately prior to training a this is when your body needs them the most.

Stop doing exercises that isolate muscles singularly like concentration curls, stick with compound multi-joint exercises. Your sessions need to involve: dead lifts, pull ups, squats and bench presses. These are the easiest and fastest exercises that will build muscles mass fast in the correct places.

6) Stop performing so many exercises and sets. Growth can be stimulated in only 40 minute sessions consisting of only 3 sets for each body part and as few as 10 sets a session. More is often worse for hardgainers! Stimulate growth then leave the gym as soon as possible and asve your calories for supporting muscle growth.

7) Drink ample amounts of water. It is necessary for nearly all reactions in the body so this is a real must. Drink lots and often.

There we have it, try those tips out. Wait for the results and see what they are after a couple of months before you judge them. Just go for it? I hope you found our how to build muscle up tips useful.

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