Gaining Muscle 101
One of my New Year's resolutions was to not only get into a regular exercise routine, but to become stronger. I consider myself pretty active - I've always been a runner and a cyclist - but I never thought about any other type of exercise, especially not weight training. I love getting my heart rate up and challenging myself, but never believed lifting weights would do either of those. Then I learned that weight training and building muscle is an important part of an exercise routine.

Building muscle has a number of health benefits; it helps to strengthen the connective tissues, it increases bone mass, reduces your risk of injury, lowers your chance of getting osteoporosis later in life and improves your resting metabolic rate, which allows you to burn more calories while doing nothing. Here's a closer look at some things you can do to gain muscle.

In the kitchen: Remember: a healthy body starts in the kitchen. Eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of protein will help you in gaining muscle. Some foods you'll want to stock up on include lean meats, whole grains, low fat cheese, plant-based proteins such as legumes, nuts and seeds, complex carbohydrates, unsaturated fats like nuts and olive oil, and a good amount of vegetables to aid in digestion while providing ample vitamins and minerals. It's also important to eat regularly if you're trying to gain muscle. Going too long without food will slow down your metabolism. To gain muscle, it's important to provide your body with enough fuel to aid in recover and muscle repair for growth after tough workouts. Also, get an idea of how many calories you're eating every day and add about 500 to that. A general rule to follow is to take in about 1 gram of protein per pound of body fat each day.

In the gym: Focus on increasing resistance and decreasing reps. Pushing the muscles to work harder for shorter bursts will force them to use more energy to get stronger and build muscle mass. An important thing to remember is to always have a partner with you when doing new or heavier exercises. Also, limit your cardio session to 2-3 times per week while gaining muscle. Try light jogging for around 30 minutes each session, and throw in a few fast intervals every few minutes during your cardio to lose fat as well.

At home: Rest is one of the most important aspects of gaining muscle mass. Make sure to give your muscles enough rest in between workouts, at least 24 hours after you've worked a certain muscle group. Alternate days, for example, between arms, chest and legs. High resistance work leads to more wear and stress on muscles, which requires a longer recovery and rebuilding period. Working the same muscles on back-to-back days could lead to injury. Quality sleep is also just as important as resting your muscles which is vital for rebuilding and recovering after lifting. Also don't forget about stretching as well. Keeping your muscles loose prevents injury and improves recovery.

Whether you are just getting back into the gym or looking to bump up your weight lifting routine, it's important to go at your own pace and take in the nutrients your body needs to rebuild and recover so you'll feel and look your best. Building muscle and increasing fitness will be a slow process, so don't try to overdo it or you can risk injuring yourself or burning out.
This site was made on Tilda — a website builder that helps to create a website without any code
Create a website