"BIG Muscle Growth"
There is so much information on television and the Internet
on dieting and muscle growth. The problem is information overload. In most cases there is usually some
sort of hidden agenda i.e. an e-book to be pushed or a supplement to push. Not many sites provide a summary or "get to the point" of what really works. There
are are exceptions and good information can be found. My favorite being http://www.exrx.net
The goal of Big Muscle Growth is to provide a "No Bull" guide to big muscle growth.
I will be personally applying each technique I research and will document my progress in my blog. I will be taking muscle size and weight measurements each week. Based on what I learn I will update the information here. If you are completely new to body building then I cannot stress strongly enough that you need to join a gym and learn from the instructor on how to perform the exercises correctly. Start right. You should get at least 2 free personal lessons for free with any gym membership. Also if you can afford it a personal coach is worth it. When I hit the gym in September of 2005 (as a middle aged overweight, beer bellied blob) for the first time I got myself a personal trainer. Best life decision I ever made. My trainer put it too me this way "What is more important to you ? A 42 inch flat screen TV for your lounge or health for the rest of your life" . If you don't have time to join a gym then no weight such as push ups etc. will give you good initial results. I will devote a section to that later. To begin I will summarize quickly the most results producing tips out there since that is probably why you are here in the first place. Goals & Focus
You need to define your Why to get anything in life and even more so if you want to gain
big muscle growth. I know you have heard it all before but this is the "biggie". There is a famous saying "If the Why is strong enough, the How is easy". For example My Why is I want to look good, achieve better self esteem, to see my abdominal muscles for the first time in my life, and of course big muscle growth. Benefits of Big muscle growth See if you can pick out your why from the following benefits of big muscle growth:
Write out each fitness goal along with the benefits you
will achieve as a result on paper. It is important to refer to your goals every morning and night and imagine
how you will feel when you reach these targets. This will trick your subconscious into achieving your big
muscle growth goals.
Increase weight each week
Progressively increasing weight lifted each week is key to
big muscle growth. If you train your muscles with the same weight each week you will get nowhere. You need to
stress the muscle into "growing". You need to increase the weight each week. But how ? If you are
like me this is the big point of stagnation. There is just no way I could force myself to lift more. Low
reps with maximum weight is the key. Low reps allow you to push larger weights (and increase the overload). By low reps I mean 4-6 not the 10-12 advocated in most books.4-6 reps will build strength. Lighter weights and higher reps will increase your endurance but prevent you from gaining big muscle growth. It is much easier to maintain maximum intensity with heavier weights. The first set should be a warm up set with higher reps (10-12) and lower weight to get form down right. Use the next set after your warm up set to give you a feel of how much weight you need for the next 1 or 2 overload sets. This is important for really demanding exercises such as squats and bench press (perform no more than 6-8 reps for this "get the feel" special set). Finally for the overload set/sets, If you can't push out at least 4 reps the weight is too heavy. If you can push out more than 6 the weight is too light. With such heavy weights warm up is essential. So get on stationary bike for 5 minutes (max) before your training session. Always do 10-12 reps of a light weight before your over load sets. You don't want to warm up to the point of using all the energy in your muscles. Important: Only perform 1-2 sets for your intense sets of 4 to 6 reps. Measure/Record progress
It' important to keep charts of what weights you use each
weak. Also measure your weight once a week and the size of your resting muscles with a tape measure. I
use a palm pilot (running Microsoft pocket excel) and fill in the details straight after my training session.
When to increase weight ? When you can push out 6 reps with ease depending on the type of exercise. Measurement
is important with this technique.
Rest (Less is more)
Each workout should be performed with maximum intensity so
rest is extremely important with this level of intensity. You need a 5-7 day rest period between trainings of each muscle group. If you train a muscle more frequently you run the risk of overstraining. Never train if you muscle is still sore. Real muscle growth occurs when you are resting. Some trainers even suggest you take a full week off after every 2 months of training. Weight training puts a lot of stress on the body with this level of intensity. If you don't rest your immune system will be shot and you will inevitably get injuries or colds and flu. Top class athletes despite their fitness are always getting flus and colds. Having a break will also increase you motivation to get back into it 10 fold. To give maximum benefit to each muscle you should only work two muscle groups each session over 3 sessions each week e.g.
Never try to work more than 2 muscle groups each session. If you are doing more than 2 groups you are cheating the 3rd muscle group out of intense overload training. The energy just won't be there. On your off days you should only do cardio work e.g. ride bike for 40-60 min. Important for developing abs. and burning fat. How long should training sessions be ? Each session should last no more than 45 minutes max. It's not a marathon. After 30 minutes the body releases testosterone that helps with muscle growth. After that the levels will decrease. So there is a 30-45 minute window to get the best benefit for a weight session. Any more time over this and there is a risk of releasing the muscle destroying hormones (over training) Get a full nights sleep/reduce stress. Your muscles grow when you sleep. More Protein (Less Fat & Less Carbohydrate)
Studies have shown that your body needs a constant supply
of protein and this need is increased with demanding exercise.Research for body building indicates that to to build muscle you need
1-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. Your body needs protein in a 24-48 hr period after
strenuous exercise. With intense workouts you need
to supply your body with protein every 3-4 hours even during your rest days. This can be difficult. Protein
powders are the best solution to this problem. The best protein supplement for the body is whey powder. Of all
the supplements it is absorbed best by the body and is the most complete. A great advantage of protein is that
it takes a lot of work from your metabolism to convert protein (it burns energy to convert) also it fills you
up (so you don't feel the desire to snack out as much).
Evening Meal Growth hormone is produced naturally in the body mainly when we sleep. Diet can actually help increase growth hormone. Avoid meals high in fat and carbohydrates in the evening (they inhibit growth hormone release). Your last meal of the evening should be high protein. An ideal meal at this time would be a protein replacement drink since chicken and red meat are high in fats. Other studies suggest you should fast at least 2 hours before sleep for greater production. Alcohol will also inhibit growth hormone production. Cutting out alcohol will also help you get those rippling abs. Before/After Training Try to eat every 3 hours. Protein powders are a great way to achieve this. Pre and post workout snacks 1 hour before and 1 hour after exercise (no fat with a carbohydrate-protein ration of 2-1) It is good to eat fruit after an intense workout, the simple sugar will be ingested quickly and help prevent your body using the muscle for energy. A banana in a protein powder drink after a work out is one of the great pleasures of body building. NB Eating fat after a workout will inhibit your natural growth hormone release. Only 300 to 500 calories are burned in a 1-hr workout (75 grams to 100 grams of carbohydrate e.g. two cups of muesli) so the need for masses of carbohydrate for an intense workout are somewhat overstated by some nutritionists. Carbohydrate should be eaten 1 hour before exercise. Without a lot of carbohydrates in your diet with intense workouts you run the risk that your body will use the protein in your muscle. A classic sign of low blood sugar level is feeling feint or dizzy after a workout. | |||||||||
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