When you are giving yourself a time frame to gain muscle, a realistic goal must be set. Gaining muscle mass can take time, but ways exist to rapidly increase the rate of gaining this mass. Proper supplementation and diet are the keys to maximizing the amount of muscle you can grow from weight lifting. You will realistically only have a certain amount workouts per muscle group within a month so what you feed your body during that time is crucial.
Step 1
Train to overload your muscles. Overloading your muscles by training with heavy weights will start a cycle of breaking down muscle tissue and then rebuilding the tissue stronger and larger. Every time you lift a heavy weight your muscle fibers forcefully contract, as they do microscopic tears occur the pressure. Your body will then repair the tears and rebuild them stronger and larger in an attempt to cope with the demands placed on them. Lower the amount of reps you do for every muscle group by lifting a weight that you can only do for four to six reps at a time.
Step 2
Take whey protein. Your body uses protein to facilitate the rebuilding of muscle damaged during exercise. According to The Whey Protein Institute, whey protein has the highest known level of branch chain amino acids of any natural food. BCAA's are metabolized and used by the muscles to rebuild and recover after physical activity. When lifting heavy weights proper protein intake is essential to maximize muscle growth. Always take protein as soon as you can following a workout session, this hour or so window is when your muscles need a fast infusion of protein that can be provided by whey protein. Take 1 to 2 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
Step 3
Feed your body protein throughout the day. Your muscles can take several days to fully recover and rebuild so it is important that you constantly keep them fed with protein. Eat six meals a day to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Have protein with every meal from sources such as lean meats, poultry, eggs and fish. According to bodybuilding.com, a weight lifting and fitness website that sponsors and host body building contests, your goal should be to have at least 1 gram of protein per pound body weight every day.
Member Comments