Building muscle is among the major goals of exercise. Along with reducing fat and improving cardiovascular health, muscle growth can be a primary or secondary goal of a workout regimen. You can also focus on building specific muscles for better performance in an athletic event or to give your body a more even, symmetrical appearance.
Function
The purpose of weight during a muscle-building workout is to provide resistance. When you exercise without weights, your body's natural mass provides its own resistance. Weights, along with springs and elastic bands, create additional resistance for a more intense workout. As you work, satellite cells in your muscles experience trauma and fuse together to repair the damage, creating new muscle tissue. Longer and more intense lifting sessions create more muscle growth by activating more satellite cells.
Types
There are many different types of weight lifting that help build muscle. Working with free weights by performing curls and adding resistance to basic exercises such as crunches and squats can target one or more of your body's major muscle groups. Gym equipment serves some of the same purpose, with leg presses that build muscles in your lower body and chest presses that add mass to your pecs. Other forms of exercise, such as running, also build muscle without the resistance of weights, but do so more slowly.
Time Frame
There's no set time frame for adding muscle mass. Different muscles grow at different rates, and men's and women's bodies add muscle differently. In general, more frequent and intense workouts add muscle more quickly. Trainers and coaches disagree on the best schedule for a workout, but varying the number of repetitions for each type of lift and focusing on different muscle groups for each session can help build muscles evenly and ensure that every part of your muscles receives attention.
Considerations
Lifting weights can be the center of a muscle-building training program, but you should augment weight lifting with other healthful practices. Diet is another important consideration. A balanced diet provides the vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein your body needs to have enough energy to complete a muscle-building workout. Protein is especially important to anyone who lifts weights regularly, since muscles require it to build new tissue.
Warning
Muscle growth occurs when a weight lifting session becomes uncomfortable and just before fatigue sets in. This opens up the possibility of dangerous overtraining. While adults may experience fatigue and soreness, young people are at greater risk. A young athlete whose muscle growth outpaces bone growth can experience uneven development that may have long-lasting heath implications. Anyone who sets out on a muscle-building weight lifting program should consult an expert, and young people should confer with a doctor or experienced trainer before beginning any intense lifting.
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