The Truth About Building Muscle

Building and maintaining muscle mass is an important component of physical fitness and all-around good health. However, there exist many misconceptions about building muscle mass. Many people are uninformed as to how to best achieve muscle growth and are unaware of the health significance of building strong muscles, not just for athletes and bodybuilders, but for everyone.

Importance

Building strong muscles provides numerous health benefits, especially as we age. During our mid- to late-20s, we begin to lose muscle tissue as part of the aging process, and without making efforts to regain muscle, we become weaker and oftentimes heavier as muscle mass is replaced with fat. Participating in regular muscle-building activities helps control weight as we age and also helps maintain bone density, which also tends to decline with age. By promoting lean body mass and strong bones, muscle-building combats obesity-related diseases and prevents injuries from falls as we get older.

Strength Training

The way to effectively build muscle is through regular strength training activities like weight lifting or body-weight exercises such as push-ups. The CDC recommends that adults engage in resistance training at least two days a week, in sets of eight to 12 repetitions per activity. It is a myth that people need to spend long hours in the gym or do numerous repetitions to build muscles -- in fact, when it comes to strength training, less is actually more. In order to build muscles, reps need to be heavy enough so that you are unable to do much more than 12 reps. If you can do more than 12 to 15 reps of an activity, the weight needs to be increased to bring about muscle-building effects. About an hour of strength training per week, spread out over two or three days, is all it takes for most people to build muscle.

The Protein Myth

Another weight-training myth is that eating a very high-protein diet will result in huge muscles. The truth is: only exercise, not nutrition, causes changes in muscle. While good nutrition is important for maintaining strength, even serious athletes and bodybuilders need only slightly more protein than the average person. The American diet is already high in protein, so very active people can meet protein needs by simply consuming more total calories. Protein supplements are not necessary or beneficial for muscle growth, and excessively high protein intakes can negatively impact internal organs.

Carbs: Fuel for Muscles

While nutrition doesn't directly impact muscle size, adequate carbohydrate intake is necessary to provide strength and energy for muscle-building resistance exercise. Carbohydrates, found in foods like cereals, pasta, fruit and vegetables, are converted by the body into glucose, which muscles use for fuel. For peak strength training performance, over half of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates.

Steroids: Just Say No

Some individuals looking for a shortcut to muscle growth may consider using anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are man-made substances that mimic the effects of male sex hormones. However, use of steroids for athletic purposes is neither legal nor safe. Steroid abuse causes many negative health consequences, ranging from extreme mood swings to life-threatening heart and liver problems.