Muscle Building
Muscle Building
Whether you are trying to build muscles for general fitness or planning to take up body building as a sport, some considerations must be made before beginning a muscle building regimen.
The first consideration is your present health. How good is your health now? You, along with your healthcare provider need to assess your overall health to make sure your body can withstand the physical workouts that are required to build muscle. You must also consider lifestyle changes that will have to be made.
What kind of diet does muscle building require?
Diet is a vital part to attaining your muscle building goals. Correct nutrition is the very foundation of strength training. You need to have the correct balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats that your body needs to produce the muscle and tone you desire.
Proteins are the builders. Without the right amount of protein you cannot build muscle. This should make up no more than 30% of your diet and should be made up of quality protein. Quality vegetarian protein comes from foods such as; soy, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, low fat cheese, and eggs.
Carbohydrates are the energizers or the fuel. Carbohydrates should make up about 60% of your muscle building diet. Because muscle building involves a considerable amount of heavy weight lifting, it is imperative to keep your body fueled properly. Without the fuel, you will become fatigued and unable to maintain your weight lifting goals. You will lose the stamina and endurance that is needed to get into shape. Healthy carbohydrates ensure that your body will have the best and most sufficient amount of energy. Complex carbohydrates come from whole grains such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and granola. You can also get complex carbohydrates from root vegetables like potatoes or sweet potatoes. Dark green vegetables like spinach or cucumbers are also an excellent source of carbohydrates. Remember to stay away from sugars and refined flour. These carbohydrates will only give you a sudden rush of energy and then a crash.
Fats should also be considered when muscle building. Yes, fats! Most people believe that in order to become sleek and lean you must avoid all fats. That is NOT true. Your body needs a certain amount of fat in order to maintain normal body function. Just remember when thinking about fat intake, take in naturally occurring fats. There is no place in muscle building for unhealthy trans fat.
How do I set up my weight lifting routine?
A professional weight trainer will be able to assist you in where to begin your weight lifting routine. If you are a beginner, start at a beginner level. Muscle building takes time and if you jump right in with the 'big dogs', you are likely to do more harm to your body than good. Once you get a good base going, then you can step up the weight training. When you can easily do the beginning routine, you and your trainer will decide how much to add, usually 5% to 10%. The longer you train the more challenging you will want your routine to become. Take it slow, use common sense and caution, as you work toward your muscle building goals.
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