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Category Archives: Build Muscle
Six Steps to Build Muscle in the Abdomen
Your ab muscles are a long band of muscles that are called the rectus abdominus and the obliques that are two strips of muscle that go along the side of your rib cage. When you want to build muscle in this area you are going to need to make sure that you focus on the upper portion, the obliques and the lower portion at the same time. If you work just one section it could lead to muscle imbalance and even postural distortions.
Step 1
Get under a pull up bar and grab onto to it and do the hanging knee raises. Grasp the bar with an overhand grip with your grip being shoulder width and then let your legs hang sown straight toward the floor. Lift up your legs and then draw your knees to your chest. Hold this for a second and then lower your legs back down and repeat.
Step 2
You should also do a set of flutter kicks. You can do this by lying flat on your back with your legs straight and your hands placed under your buttocks. Next lift your legs at least six inches off of the floor. This will be your starting point. Next, raise your left leg up as high as you can from that position and then lower it back down to your starting point and then do the same thing with your right leg. Keep going up and down in a scissor like manner.
Step 3
Another thing you can do is perform some weighted side bends to help build muscle in your oblique muscle group. Take a dumbbell in your right hand and put it at your side and stand with your feet at shoulder width apart. Put you left hand on the side of your head and then bend laterally to your right side. You will let the dumbbell go all the way down toward the floor. Next, bend back up using your left oblique muscle and then repeat the process. Do one set and then switch to your other side.
Step 4
You can also get a hold of a medicine ball with both of your hands to do what are called diagonal chops. Stand with your feet at shoulder width apart and then hold the ball above your right shoulder first. Swing it down at an angle so it is at the outside of your left shin. You then will rotate your body when you do this as you also pivot your feet. Make sure to reverse this movement and then repeat. Do one set of reps and then do the same on the other side.
Step 5
Roll outs are also a good exercise using an exercise ball. Kneel on the floor with the exercise ball in front of you. Put your hands or your fists at shoulder width apart on the ball and then lift your upper body up to form a straight line that goes from your shoulders to your knees. Then you will lower your hips toward the floor as you roll the exercise ball forward. Make sure to let your forearms glide over the ball as you do this. Come back to an upright position and repeat.
Step 6
Double crunches are also another good one. Lie face up on the floor to do this one. Put your hands on the sides of your head and then extend your legs out straight. Lift your legs and bring your knees in toward your chest and curl your body forward. Hold for a second and then reverse you motion and repeat. Don’t let your legs or shoulders touch the floor when you lower yourself back down to the starting point.
The Ideal Diet to Build Muscle Quickly
If you want to build muscle, then you need to understand that the basic building lock for building muscle is protein, this means this is a vital part of the diet you need to combine with your workouts. But, it is not the only thing that needs to be part of an ideal diet to build muscles. So that the protein in your diet plan is properly absorbed into your system you need to make sure that your diet is well balanced with good and healthy fats as well as carbohydrates. And example of an ideal diet plan for a 180 pound man is given below.
A diet plan to help build muscles quickly is going to call for the individual eating around 3500 calories per day. This is for someone that weighs 180 pounds remember. If you are heavier or lighter you need to make slight adjustments to go with your weight.
A quick muscle building diet is going to need to include eating at least 270 grams of protein each day. This will average out to about 38 to 39 grams of protein for each meal when you are on a seven meal a day diet plan. It is a good idea to space out your protein equally when you consume your meals because your body isn’t able to process large amounts of protein at one time. By eating this amount of protein spread out and lifting weights, you will see a much quicker muscle gain than if you did it differently.
When you are setting up the ideal diet plan to build muscle quickly you need to set up a meal schedule. This meal schedule should include consuming seven different meals each day. This is going to be tough to do but it is going to help you speed up your muscle gain. The more often you eat the easier it is to help your metabolism worker at a higher speed. This then in turn is going to help you burn off fat and promote more muscle growth when combine this meal schedule with your weightlifting. You should try to eat smaller meals that are 400 to 500 calories and have a schedule set up something like 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, workout, 6 pm, 7 pm and 10 pm.
When you plan your diet and meal schedule you need to make sure that all of your main meals especially are well balanced, this means your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Your other meals should be protein rich meals. An example of a 550 calorie breakfast might be 30 grams of whey protein, like a shake, a two egg omelet with four egg whites, two pieces of wheat toast and a glass of orange juice. Your post workout meal and the bedtime meal should include a 30 to 40 gram protein shake. Make sure to include fruit, whole grain foods and vegetables with all of your meals and the staple should be protein like chicken, fish or lean beef with each meal.
Protein Shakes Can Cause Muscle and Stomach Cramps
When you want to build muscle, it’s important to realize that it is more complex than just doing your workout by lifting weights and drinking protein shakes Even though protein shakes are a very important part because they hold nutrients like protein, carbs and some fat, they also have creatine as well. However, if you gain an excess of creatine, or any substance in your body these substances can often cause some undesirable results. When you drink a lot of protein shakes, there is going to be a lot of creatine in your system and this can cause your muscles to cramp. The amount you drink and what is in it, can also cause stomach cramps.
You really need to make sure that you check the nutritional information that is found on all protein shakes and look for creatine. Remember this is an amino acid that is naturally found in meat and it does help your muscles convert energy during intense workouts. Probably the best time to drink one of these shakes is right after you have finished your heavy workout. This is because this is when your muscles are going to be doing their fastest work to build muscle. But if you use this supplement incorrectly you could see negative side effects. Some side effects can be as serious as kidney malfunction. Make sure to talk with a doctor before you consider protein shakes high in creatine.
When you consume protein right after working out, the benefits are immediately seen as long as the amount that you consume does not have more than 20 milligrams of creatine. The way that creatine effects your body is going to depend upon how much creatine is naturally stored in your body, that is why it’s wise to keep track of how much creatine you consume. So, if your creatine levels are low in your body you are going to benefit more from additional creatine than say a person who has normal or above normal levels.
If you drink a protein shake with creatine in it before you do your workout of lifting weights is going to immediately increase the level of the creatine in your muscles, however, it can also lead to dehydration and cramping. In order for your body to synthesize the creatine, the cells of your muscles need to absorb additional water. In order for your body to build muscle and use the creatine it will take fluid from your internal organs and if you don’t drink something to replace those lost fluids you will become dehydrated. Then the dehydration will cause stomach cramps.
If you want to balance the effects of the creatine you will need to drink at least 12 ounces of water for each 10 milligrams of creatine that is found in your protein shake. This water should be drank before, during and even after your weightlifting workout. By having this additional water in your system it should prevent any stomach cramps.
There Are Foods That Help Build Muscle Fast
Often you hear about how a lot of athletes put a lot of emphasis on finding just the right workout plan or that perfect supplement to help build muscle. But, it is not just workouts and supplements that help to build muscle, it is also food that plays a big role. Having a proper nutritional plan in place is going to make the difference between gaining pounds of fat and pounds of lean muscle.
There are some really good foods out there that some say will have a huge impact on how fast your will build your muscles and that they have a different quality to them that will help your body to generate more lean muscle. One of those such foods would be peanuts. One of the secrets of building quality muscle mass is to eat a lot of calorie dense types of foods, and peanuts are one such food. Not only that they are easy to take around with you, they taste really good and just 32 nuts have about 163 calories. They also contain a good amount of protein needed to build muscle and unsaturated fats.
Another highly recommended food for building muscle fast is tuna. Tuna has been recommended by bodybuilders for a couple of reasons. One reason is that again, this is a food that is high in protein and it is also reasonably inexpensive. There is very little fat in tuna and it contains a variety of omega 3 oil, which is considered an excellent agent to prevent heart disease and it lowers the blood pressure.
Believe it or not, eggs are on this list. They are yet another relatively inexpensive item to add to yoru diet. When boiled they are very easy to take places with you for a quick snack. They are also very versatile so there are a variety of ways in which you can eat them. Most importantly though is that they are dense calories, about 70 for each egg. Whatever you do, don’t believe the movies, never eat raw egg yolks.
To some trainers, milk is considered one of the greatest supplements ever in the world of food. Milk is a mixture of carbohydrates, protein and with a minimal amount of fat in it. Not only is milk considered a food but it’s a liquid food that makes it easy to consume and it won’t fill you up as much as a solid food. However, it gives you the protein source you need to help build muscle as well as bones. It’s also easily mixed with other things like cereal and protein shakes and especially great mixed with the super food, oatmeal.
Let’s not forget pasta. We know that protein is important in building muscle, carbs are also vitally important. The best carbs you can consume would be pasta, preferably whole grain pasta. Potatoes also are a great source for your carbs and they can be cooked in so many different ways, it is probably one of the most versatile foods to help build muscle that’s out there.
Cutting Fat and Building Muscle
If you want to try to lose fat and build muscle all at the same time, it may not be as easy for some as it is for others. As hard as it might seem, it’s not impossible and can be done if done in the right way. You need to of course include good eating habits with healthy meals while you workout on a regular basis. This is the only way in which you can get your body to fun efficiently and get the kind of results that you are looking for. Your body is going to need energy also to be able to perform and it will need the right exercises in order to build muscle. So, you will need to give it the right kind of fuel in order to obtain yoru goal. So it’s a balance between exercise and diet that is going to help you cut the fat and build the muscle.
It’s important that you include fat burning foods in your diet. This means you need to eat foods that re low in fat and also will increase your heart rate and help you build muscle. Foods like lean meats, chicken, oranges, apples, eggs, fish, garlic, spicy foods like chili peppers and yogurt are all healthy foods and low in calories and burn fat. They also provide you with vitamins and proteins need in the building of muscles.
Next you need to include lifting weights in your routine. Probably the easiest way to build muscle is to start lifting weights. It’s also another way in which you can burn off the fat. When lifting weights however, your body is going to need more calories in order to maintain the muscle and get rid of the fat. If you add more muscle to your body you are going to cause your body to be forced to burn off more calories. Your body is going to burn off fat before it will burn off the muscle.
Make sure to include some cardio exercises with yoru routine. Things like running, hiking, aerobics and biking are good examples and they will help to increase your heart rate and burn off any excess calories and tone your muscles. You should do these types of exercises for about 30 minutes a day on the days that you don’t lift weights.
You need to eat more often. You should never skip meals or cut back on the food. This will slow down your metabolism and can also lead to binging. You should try to eat smaller meals more often during the day or eat more healthy snacks in between your regular meals in order to keep full. This is going to help your body to stop from trying to store calories when it thinks it’s being starved.
It is important to come up with a set workout schedule and make sure that you stick to it. Try to schedule yoru cardio exercises one day and then your weightlifting the next day with one or two days off each week so your body can rest. Alternate the days because this will help you find a balance between your muscle building and your fat burning exercises and it gives your muscles the needed time to rest and rebuild the muscle tissue that was damaged during your weightlifting workouts.
Diet Tips for the Beginning Bodybuilder
It is important for the beginner who wants to build muscle needs to understand that food has a lot of influence on the affects of the results that you get from your workouts. This means that your diet is simply crucial and you really need to make sure that you do careful planning when it comes to your diet to ensure that you will be adding muscle and reducing the body fat at the same time. So, for a beginner, you will need to focus on your diet program in order to get the ultimate best results.
Understand that when you build muscle, diet does not ever mean deprivation or starvation. In fact, it is often required that you eat large amounts of the right types of foods to increase your caloric intake so that you give the body what it needs during and after these workouts.
You will need to include the right amount of carbs since they are a very essential macro nutrient that your body requires for muscle growth. Most of all the processed that go on in your body start with the carbohydrate. So you should consume complex or unprocessed carbs rather than the processed and refined products. Potatoes, whole grain bread, oatmeal and brown rice are really good options.
To truly build muscle you are going to nee the building block of muscle tissue and that would of course be protein. In order to increase muscle you will need to increase the amount of protein that you consume. This will also give you the nutrients that your muscles need to repair your muscles, resulting in muscle growth.
Fats are also important when you build muscle. Fat is important because it’s a source of energy for your body and will help in aiding in thermoregulation and the cushioning of yoru internal organs. Each one of us need fat in our body. If you don’t eat enough fat it will make your body hold on to what it already has and start breaking down the protein instead. Good examples of good fats would be avocados, nuts and nut oils.
If you need to lose body fat before you build muscle, it has been said that often this will take awhile, as much as 16 weeks before you can see a big notices, so, it’s important that when you are working out and eating the right diet, don’t get discouraged. You need to have patience in order to be successful at bodybuilding, in fact with most things do take patience.
So plan out a good diet to go along with your workout plan and you should be able to reach the goals that you may have set for yourself by being determined and patient and willing to work very hard in order to build muscle that you want.
How to Build Muscle Back Up After Being Hospitalized
There might come an unfortunate time in your life when you may be hospitalized for a lengthy period of time and during that time, of course you are not going to be able to maintain your normal workout routine. During this time, you will more than likely experience a little bit of muscle loss. It is a known fact that those who are in the hospital generally lose anywhere between two and three pounds of muscle mass each day. This means you are going to want to do your best when you are released, to build muscle again.
Once you are able to go home however, don’t think that you can jump right back into it. The first thing you should do is to talk to your doctor about how you should go about incorporating your exercise routine back into your life. This is especially important to do if your stay was a lengthy one. There may be special exercises that your doctor may want you to do first before you even begin considering going back to your workouts to build muscle.
You should consider exercising each of your muscle groups, not rigorously, but gently at least twice a week right after your hospital stay. You need to focus on exercises that are going to use the full range of your muscles in each of the muscle groups. Try doing wall push ups, abdominal crunches and squats as well as shoulder presses. Depending on why you were in the hospital, your movements might be restricted in the beginning, but any small movement is going to be beneficial. As your body’s range of motion begins to improve then increase the exercises.
Make sure to sue some resistance bands to help increase the pull you put on your muscles when you are exercising. These bands will work against your muscles but they won’t add any extra weight that could strain your muscles when you are first starting to rehab.
Once you begin to feel stronger, you can gradually begin to start adding some weight to your workouts. You should do this very slowly and then gradually increase the amount of weight that you use in your workouts. This will gradually prepare your body for workouts that will eventually be what you were use to. Start off small by using ankle and wrist weights before moving onto the bigger ones.
It’s important that, like with your normal workouts, that you do some sort of short warm up before you begin any exercising. You also need to include a cool down period after you are done. This is going to help your body get back to the regular routine a lot easier.
Rehabilitation, is not going to happen overnight, understand that so you don’t push yourself way too hard. Have patience and no matter how good you feel, make sure that you follow your doctors instructions at all times.
Avoiding an Electrolyte Imbalance After a Workout
Sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium are all elements or electrolytes that you body needs to be able to function properly. These electrolytes will help to regulate your fluids and are essential if you want to build muscle, have good muscle function as well as nerve function. When you work out, you of course sweat and you lose these electrolytes, especially if you have a longer workout of 40 minutes or more. But, you can avoid the major symptoms of an electrolyte imbalance, which are headaches, dry mouth, fatigue and nausea, by making sure that your body is hydrated and slowly putting the electrolytes back into your body.
Before any workout you should weight yourself. Make note of your weight so that you can compare it to your weight after you are finished working out. This way, you can actually figure out just how much fluid you actually sweated away.
When you do drink, make sure that you drink 4 to 6 ounces of fluid for each 15 minutes you plan to work out. You really should try to avoid any of those sports drinks or the water that is infused with vitamins, unless you are working out for more than an hour. The reason for this is that it could make it hard for your body to absorb the nutrients it needs after you are done with your workout.
After you are done with your workout make sure to weigh yourself again. Also, make sure that you don’t use the restroom before you weigh yourself. Now you can calculate the difference between your first weight number and your ending weight number. Use this figure to restore your electrolyte balance. You should drink 20 ounces of fluids for each pound you may have lost.
You should also include eating a banana after you are finished with your workout. Bananas are important because they are very high in potassium and that is one of the electrolytes you will most often lose during a heavy amount of exercising. Eat the banana slowly and then wash it down with an 8 ounce glass of water.
It’s OK to drink a sports drink after you have done your workout. Make sure that it has a combination of electrolytes. The best levels of potassium in a sports drink should be 200 to 250 mg per 16 ounces. Also make sure that you choose an isotonic sport drink because they are quicker to absorb.
You also should consider eating a small meal no later than 2 hours after you have finished your workout. Try to replenish the imbalance of magnesium by eating some leafy green vegetables. Spinach would be a great example. You should also add a glass of milk or a baked potato topped with some yogurt to help replace the potassium as well as the calcium.
Final Note: If you are planning on working out when it’s hot, you should make sure that you plan ahead. Heat exhaustion can make it extremely hard to make even the simplest of decisions like remembering to eat or drink to try and replace the lost electrolytes. Remember, everything you do will directly affect how your body will build muscle.
How to Add Muscle After the Age of 50
Often the way you have lived your life gets the blame for the muscle loss you experience after the age of 50. Things like smoking, alcohol and a bad diet are all scapegoats as well as genetics and the aging process itself is blamed often. These things do have their own share in contributing to it, but probably the biggest bad guy of them all is an inactive lifestyle. So, believe it or not, you can still gain and build muscle after you turn 50 with some physical activity and a diet high in protein.
Your diet is very important so make sure to eat several smaller meals during the day instead of three bigger ones. Your breakfast should be the biggest one of the day, then lunch and then dinner needs to be your smallest one. Include a couple of snacks as well, one mid-morning and one in the early afternoon. This is going to be what will help to boost your metabolism.
Make sure that the foods you eat are high in protein, because it is the protein in the food that is going to help you build muscle. This should include things like fish, eggs, lean meats, poultry like chicken and turkey, low fat or skim milk, yogurt, beans and different types of nuts.
You also will need to make sure that you eat about three grams of carbs for each pound of weight that you carry, per day. The foods you should consider are oats, whole grains, pasta, rice, potatoes as well as fruit.
One third of each of your meals should also be made up of good fats. So, the types of fats that should be included should be olive oil, canola, coconut, fish oil, eggs, salmon and nuts.
Next, you want o multiply 19 by your actual body weight to figure out the amount of calories that you will need to eat every day. Then in about two weeks reevaluate this and lower the number just a tad if you are putting on flab and not building muscle.
Before you do any kind of exercise or workout, you should drink a protein shake about 15 minutes prior to beginning, but make sure this is included in your daily caloric intake.
Exercise is vital and you should find a program that best suits you and your abilities. You always need to make sure that you warm up prior to any workout. Then means you should do gentle stretches and then move up to walking and jogging in place later, if you can.
Begin your workouts with some light weights and if you can gradually move up to some heavier ones. The heavier your weights, the more muscle you are going to build. If you are not able to lift weights comfortably for at least eight times then this means your weights are too heavy and you need to go to the lighter ones. Make sure you lift them in sets of 8 to 12, rest for two to three minutes between each set.
Make sure that you create a couple of different routines of exercises. You can include some curl downs, heel raises as well as dips. Try including some step ups, sit ups and push ups. You need to try to work all your muscles and do not focus on just one area.
If you can’t afford to join a gym then consider buying some videos that will help you with a variety of exercises that you can do at home. The videos will ensure that you do the exercises correctly and avoid damaging any part of your body when you are trying to build muscle.
Note: It’s important that you talk with your doctor before you start any kind of exercise program.
Starting Kids Young in Building Muscle
Some may think that you shouldn’t worry about building muscle in children and just let them do what they naturally do when growing up. However, some believe this is the wrong attitude to have. Building muscle in children is not saying that you get them into a weight lifting program, that is not what is being meant here. You don’t have to take a child to a gym in order for them to get into good physical shape, there are things you can have them do to keep them in shape and more than likely teach them how to keep up a healthy lifestyle at an early age.
The obesity in children has grown at an alarming rate, especially in the United States and it seems to be continuing to climb because kids stay indoors more playing with their computers and other electronic devices than going outside and being active. But this can be changed because there are some very simple games kids can play that will make a big difference in their fitness. When muscles develop in children, it is very important to understand just how much activity they need and what kind of activity is appropriate for them, because even a child’s muscles can be overworked.
Before you decide to sit down and figure out what your child should do on a daily basis, it is very important that you know just how much activity is ideal for the child. Kids that are two years and older should do some sort of exercise each day for around 60 minutes. It should be moderate to vigorous each day. This encourages motor development but it also keeps them from gaining unwanted weight that will follow them into their adult years. No child should be allowed to be inactive for any longer than two hours at a time unless they are napping.
One of the best pieces of equipment you can let a child play on to help build muscle and stay healthy are the money bars on the playground. These are one of the best muscle development tools available to a child. Not only will it help them to be physically fit but it is something they simply enjoy. The monkey bars help to develop the back, bicep and the should muscles of children with the pulling motions it requires. With the lateral swinging it will also help them to develop their chest muscles and will give them better posture. They also help with the abdominal muscles as well giving them a stronger core.
Consider letting your child do some indoor rock climbing by going somewhere they have rock climbing walls for children. This is a wonderful activity for kids to help build muscle and to keep them in good physical shape. This is a great activity that will naturally build their muscles and keep them challenged and excited about exercising. This type of exercise will engage all of the muscles and keep their entire body in good shape.
Playing a good old game of tag is a great and silly game that kids like to play sometimes and it’s a great way to exercise. This is a game that will help them improve their heart and increase their overall endurance and helps to tone the muscles in their legs.
On top of making sure that your child gets plenty of healthy exercise, it is also vitally important that you start them off right in life with a good diet plan. Don’t fill their diets with lots of sugars and processed foods. Make sure to give them plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables along with good proteins and healthy lean meats. A well balanced diet is going to also be key in strong muscles and a healthy child.