Bulking up your Muscle
Gaining muscle mass (together with muscle definition) is a common goal amongst men when embarking on a fitness regime. To achieve significant muscle gains and to maintain a steady gain over a prolonged period of time, is however an intricate business. It is not simply a matter of lifting huge quantities of weight. What is equally important, is what you do outside the gym. The amount of sleep that you get, the amount and type of food that you eat and the amount of stress that you expose yourself to. These things all play an important part in both the quality and the quantity of muscle that you gain. I will now outline the three key factors that will allow you to gain muscle at a swift and healthy rate.
Working out.
To gain muscle mass requires the incorporation of short, heavy sets into your workouts. Between six and ten repetitions per set per exercise is ideal. Also only two or three sets should be performed per muscle group, per workout. With workouts repeated no more than three times per week. For OVERTRAINING RESULTS IN MUSCLE LOSS, not in muscle gain. So remember to keep your workouts short, heavy and above all intensive.
What to eat.
Diet is very important when bulking up. Muscle is made up of protein. Which means if you want to gain muscle, then you must get enough protein in your diet. But pick your protein sources carefully. Chicken (skinless) and tuna are both very protein rich products, with the added advantage of being low in calories. Beef however is rich in fat and cholesterol. Remember you don't just want to gain muscle, you want the muscle to be visible, not hidden beneath a layer of blubber! Remember though not to make the mistake that many fitness enthusiasts make, namely that of replacing the majority of their carbohydrate and fat intake with protein. For yes we do need large amounts of protein to grow muscle, but our bodies can only process protein at a relatively slow rate. To much protein will only be thrown out of the body via the kidneys as urine. Also if you take in significantly less calories whilst exercising more, then where is all the energy needed to perform heavy strenuous workouts going to come from?
Finally remember to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. For it is primarily when you are asleep that growth hormones are manufactured by the pituatury glad and are released into your body. The importance of these hormones cannot be understated when it comes to health, vitality and muscularity!