Building muscle and improving your fitness will not only give you more self confidence, it will also enable you to do daily chores with more efficiency. A program to help you achieve this goal takes diligence and sacrifice. Although weight training is a major part of this program, there is more to it than that.
Stretching Routine
When you exercise, you are activating numerous muscles and joints throughout the body. If you to attempt to workout without loosening up, you risk injuring yourself. Before your sessions, do six to 10 dynamic stretches which are performed in motion, Sports Fitness Advisor recommends. The stretches will help your body adapt to exercising movement. Reverse lunges, leg swings, arm circles, side bends, spinal rotations, shoulder shrugs and heel raises are examples.
Types
Strength training is a must when you want to build muscle. Although machines are effective, your best bet is to use free weights like dumbbells and barbells. Unlike machines, free weights incorporate the stabilizing muscles that allow you to perform the movements you choose to make and may be more effective in producing overall muscular strength and power gains, according to the American Council on Exercise. Perform exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, lunges and deadlifts. These are compound exercises, which means they work more than one muscle at a time and will lead to faster muscle gains.
Cardiovascular training is another important part of overall fitness. This differs from strength training because you use little resistance and you move your body repetitively for an extended amount time. Choose a type of cardio that you enjoy, such as brisk walking, running, biking, swimming, elliptical training or stair climbing.
Features
Proper form is important to getting good muscle-building results. Use a full range of motion and do not rely on momentum with your exercises. Take the bench press, for example. ExRx.net recommends this form: Lay face-up on a bench while holding a barbell straight above your chest with your arms fully extended and your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your abs tight, slowly lower the bar down until it lightly touches your chest. Steadily push it back up to the starting position and repeat. Don't overlook the importance of breathing: Whether you are pushing or pulling a weight, always exhale when you exert force.
Size
When you are doing strength training exercises, max out your muscles. Use a resistance that is heavy enough to only allow you eight to 12 reps with good form. Aim for four or five sets with each exercise and have a spotter on hand for assistance.
Time Frame
To achieve the best results with your program, you need to work out on a regular basis and continue to work out every week. Do weight training and cardio three days each on alternating days. The length of your cardio workouts depends on your current situation. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes for disease risk reduction and 60 to 90 minutes for weight loss. If you are trying to shed some pounds, shoot for the longer time.
Benefits
Aside from the fact that you make your body look better by building muscle and getting fit, you also experience other benefits. Muscle for example, burns more calories when you are at rest. This in turn contributes to weight loss. Exercise and physical activity also reduce the risk of premature death, improve psychological well-being and reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease, according to a summary of a Surgeon General's report by the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Georgia State University.
Member Comments