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Table of Contents
Increasing Muscle Mass ................................................................................................................ 7 Food That Help In Building Muscle Mass ........................................................................... 12 Protein ........................................................................................................................................... 12 Protein Sources ....................................................................................................................... 12 Fats .................................................................................................................................................. 12 Fat Sources ............................................................................................................................... 12 Carbohydrates ............................................................................................................................ 14 Carbohydrate Sources .......................................................................................................... 14 Foods Best for Gaining Muscle Mass .................................................................................... 15 Chicken .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Brown Rice ................................................................................................................................... 15 Legumes ........................................................................................................................................ 16 Nuts ................................................................................................................................................. 16 Muscle Mass Gaining Daily Meal Plans ................................................................................ 17 The Fundamentals........................................................................................................................ 17 The Variables .................................................................................................................................. 18 The Considerations ...................................................................................................................... 18 Common Misconceptions .......................................................................................................... 18 A Nutrition Guide for Bodybuilding...................................................................................... 19 Features ........................................................................................................................................ 19 Ratios and Timing ..................................................................................................................... 20
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Misconceptions .......................................................................................................................... 20 Benefits ......................................................................................................................................... 20 Sleep & Muscle Recovery........................................................................................................... 21 Identification of Sleep Changes ........................................................................................... 21 Benefits of Sleep ........................................................................................................................ 21 Muscular Recovery Types ..................................................................................................... 22 Time Frame for Adequate Sleep ......................................................................................... 22 Warnings about Age-Related Sleep Problems .............................................................. 22 Water Timing for Muscle Growth .......................................................................................... 23 The Significance of Water...................................................................................................... 23 Function of Water ..................................................................................................................... 23 Effects of Water ......................................................................................................................... 24 Benefits of Water ...................................................................................................................... 24 Types of Exercises That Make You Gain Muscle Mass .................................................. 25 Anaerobic Exercise ................................................................................................................... 25 Variations ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Your Compound Exercises .................................................................................................... 26 The Best Workouts to Gain Muscle Mass ........................................................................... 27 Positions of Flexion and X-Reps ......................................................................................... 27 The Multi-Repetition Rest/Pause Training.................................................................... 28 Your Power-Density Training.............................................................................................. 29 Weight-Lifting Workout Plans for the Upper and Lower Body ................................ 30
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The Beginner's Workout ........................................................................................................ 30 The NSCA Novice Workout ................................................................................................... 30 Volume Training ........................................................................................................................ 31 Split Routines .............................................................................................................................. 31 Push Ups for Muscle Mass......................................................................................................... 33 Adding Static Resistance ........................................................................................................ 33 Adding Dynamic Resistance ................................................................................................. 33 Changing Hand and Feet Positions .................................................................................... 33 Explosive Push-Ups.................................................................................................................. 34 Kettlebell Routines for Muscle Mass .................................................................................... 35 Kettlebell Squat and Press .................................................................................................... 35 Push-Up, Squat and Row ........................................................................................................ 35 Snatch and Clean ....................................................................................................................... 36 Gain Muscle Mass Using Dumbbells ..................................................................................... 37 Biceps Curl ................................................................................................................................... 37 Shoulder Press ........................................................................................................................... 37 Squats............................................................................................................................................. 38 Triceps Kickback ....................................................................................................................... 38 Resistance Band for Muscle Mass .......................................................................................... 40
A pound of body fat has approximately 3,500 calories and the very nature of progressive resistance training, the utilization of the fat stores during exercises is relatively minimal. Exercises or moderate intensity like aerobics can help burn body fat for use as fuel for the body; the body is also capable of utilizing carbohydrates as energy.
natural motion.
b. Free weights are efficient. Machines balance the weight for you. Free weights force you into controlling and balancing the weights that you lift. This helps build more muscle. c. Free weights are more functional. The strength that has been built on machines does not transfer to free weights. d. Free weights are versatile. With just one barbell, you can do an innumerable number of exercises. This saves you a lot of space and money especially if you are trying to build your own home gym. 3. Compound Exercises Those isolation exercises are fine for building your base muscle mass and strength, but if you are starting to build muscle, you need those exercises that can impact several muscles at the same time. 4. Your Legs Also Need Training The most important exercises are the squats. This is because they work your whole body. All the muscles tense when you do deadlifts and squats because they work all the areas of the body as one and allow you to lift heavy weights. Forget about those bicep curls. Your arms will automatically get bigger when you can deadlift and squat heavy weights. 5. Full Body Workouts Are Good You may need 3 workouts per week that is about one hour duration each, including compound exercises like deadlifts, squats, overhead presses, barbell rows, bench presses, dips, pull-ups and the like. 6. Recovery. Those huge muscled professional athletes workout about 5 to 6 times per week but they obviously did not start that way. They started simple and added more and more workouts as they got bigger and stronger. You will definitely suffer from overtraining if you jump a step and start doing their routines. A beginner needs more recovery. a. You need rest. Muscles grow when you are resting and not when you work-out. You can start with about three full body
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workouts in a week and focus more on the intensity and not the time in the gym.
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b. You need sleep. Your body releases growth hormones when you sleep and that helps in building muscle. You need eight hours of sleep. Take a nap after your workout if your lifestyle allows it. c. You need water. Dehydration is bad for muscle recovery. You need to drink about 2 glasses of water with every meal and keep sipping water during your workout. d. You need to eat. All the training in the world is useless if you do not eat enough amounts of calories as required for recovery. 7. Whole Foods are Important. If you allow some changes in your diet and include more whole foods, you will be better able to achieve lower body fat. This will make those growing muscles show better. a. Carbohydrates oats, whole grain pastas, brown rice b. Fats flax seed oil, olive oil, real butter, fish oil c. Fruits pineapples, bananas, apples, oranges, pears d. Vegetables carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach 8. Eat proper meals. Although when it comes to muscle building, the exercise is much more important than the diet, you do need to give your body the sustenance it needs for optimum performance. a. Breakfast is important. Eating a full breakfast gives you enough energy to make it through the day. b. You need to eat after a workout. You need to replenish your bodys store of energy by eating carbohydrates and protein. c. Eat 6 small meals a day. This will give your muscles steady supplies of protein which will help them develop and will also help boost your metabolism.
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Protein
The most basic building block of human tissue, which includes muscle, is amino acids which are the basic structural form of protein. You will not be able to build body mass without having a sufficient amount of protein in your diet. Most athletes and bodybuilders consider an intake of 2g protein per pound of body weight is essential to gain body mass.
Protein Sources
There are many healthy sources of protein for the person who is aiming for building body mass. These include fish, protein shakes, eggs, dairy products which include cheese and milk.
Fats
The previous notion was carbohydrates and dietary fats are unhealthy. This is not true, according to the late founder of the Atkins Diet, Dr. Robert C. Atkins, fats are necessary to a persons fitness and health.
Fat Sources
The consumption of most of the ideal sources of protein can provide the healthy fats in the diet as well. An addition of a supplement of fish oil in the diet may also be useful when one is hoping to muscle mass. That is
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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are crucial to building muscle mass provided you do not take too much. The intake of simple carbohydrates post your workout is essential in the shuttling of fat and protein nutrients to the muscles immediately after the exercise routine. Also, complex carbohydrates that are fiber-rich, such as vegetables are an important part of the diet so that health is maintained and there is an ample supply of energy.
Carbohydrate Sources
Simple carbohydrate sources include rice, fruits, and potatoes. If they are used as part of your whole-foods meal or as part of your protein shakes, they provide glycogen which is needed in the restoration of intramuscular stores.
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Chicken
One food that can aid with gaining muscle mass is chicken. The lean protein that is found in chicken is important for the building of muscle. However, it should not be over-consumed. The consumption of about 1 to 2 grams of lean protein per pound of body weight is good enough. It is not recommended that this be exceeded as you will simply be consuming calories that are above the amounts you need and will therefore be stored by your body as fat instead.
Brown Rice
Carbohydrates such as those found in brown rice, are the bodys main source of energy. This is the energy that is fueling the training which helps you gain muscle mass. The complex carbohydrates found in brown rice are crucial because your body is unable to work as hard without the energy that is provided by carbohydrates. Without the carbohydrates your body will instead burn the protein that you need to help build your body mass and this means that your body will use the existing muscle tissue that you already possess to provide the energy it needs.
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Legumes
Legumes are excellent sources of fiber which is crucial for keeping the energy and blood sugar levels in your body stable. They are also very rich in carbohydrates that provide the energy needed during a workout and protein that is needed in gaining muscle mass. Legume choices include kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, black beans and many others.
Nuts
Nuts are easy-to-eat snacks that also provide good fats and a variety of nutrients that can help in the building of muscle and tissue. Nuts also contain potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E, folate and zinc. Healthy nut choices in your diet can include cashews, pecans, almonds, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts. However, it is important to remember not to eat too many nuts as they are also high in calories and you may end up gaining weight instead of muscle mass.
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The Fundamentals
The intake of protein always stays static and most experts recommend about 1 to 1.5 grams of proteins per pound of body weight to be consumed daily. You should try to experiment with differing protein intakes to find out what works for your body best. Making an effort to divide your daily portion of protein between several meals during the day also creates a kind of trickle effect of nutrients to feed growing muscles. There is also a need to take in plenty of vegetables and fruits that contain the needed minerals and vitamins
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The Variables
One of the many variables in a mass gain meal is carbohydrate intake because people vary widely. Too much carbohydrates can give rise to excessive fat storage in the body, while too little will limit your muscle mass building results. The intake of dietary fat also plays an integral role because of its role in the production of hormones like testosterone. Experts recommend consuming no less than 25% to 30% of your calories from good fats like nuts or olive oil. Post-workout nutrition is also a very important variable.
The Considerations
How much carbohydrates you should take, especially after your workout, are determined by your metabolic rate and body type. Those who are smallboned, the so called ectomorphs (who normally have problems gaining muscle mass) can take in 100 grams or more of simple carbohydrates like sugar or dextrose after a workout. When it comes to high-glycemic carbohydrates after a workout, taking in about 60g will do. Taking in 25% of your daily portion of protein after your workout, which would be about 30g to 50g would also be good. The trainees level of experience, as well as, the personal preferences and observations can also contribute to the development of your personal muscle mass gaining meal plan.
Common Misconceptions
Those who are beginners tend to put too much emphasis on the importance of protein in the diet from supplements. You need to understand that the human body has limited capacity for storing and metabolizing proteins. This means that taking in too much may do very little to increase muscle mass. On the other hand, carbohydrates get stored as glycogen in the muscle tissues
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which provide energy and, literally, expanding your muscles. There is no need for you to take in massive amounts of food. You need to focus instead on timing your food intake to achieve the best results. Keep in mind that your body does not do the muscle building while you are at the gym. The gains in muscle mass happen at home when you are actively resting and eating for your muscle recovery.
Features
Essential components that play major roles in gaining muscle mass include the so called macronutrients which are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. You need to also understand that your body also needs vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and water from the food that you eat in order to support muscle growth. The amounts, ratios and kinds of the macronutrients in your diet will help determine your results. You therefore need to make sure that your training goals are aligned with your diet to ensure that you provide yourself with the optimum amount of nutrients. For example, if you take in too much carbohydrate during a cutting phase, it may hold you back from achieving a good, lean, muscled look.
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Misconceptions
If you are just beginning in your muscle mass gaining journey, you need to avoid the same mistakes that most people make. Most people overemphasize dietary protein. You need to know that your body has limited capacity to store proteins and any extra amino acids, over and above the amount your body can store, will simply be eliminated or converted into glucose. The carbohydrates that you consume though are readily stored into your liver and in muscle tissue as glycogen which is a source of fuel for muscle contraction. If you cut too much carbohydrates that can lead to very poor muscle performance and may even lead to muscle loss. While supplements may play a supporting role, they are no substitute for good nutrition.
Benefits
All bodybuilding diets increase muscle mass, decrease blood sugar levels and speed up the metabolism. Any increase in your lean muscle mass may improve your athletic performance and add functional strength. But, your muscle tissues require energy to maintain so the body needs to burn more calories per day for every pound of lean muscle that you have. This means that an increase in muscle promotes leanness by speeding up your metabolism. Plus, bodybuilding nutrition, in combination with regular resistance training improves the metabolism of glucose and insulin sensitivity.
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Benefits of Sleep
When your body enters into the restorative non-REM deep sleep stage, the pituitary gland, that is located at the base of your brain, begins to release a shot of growth hormone that stimulate the growth of tissues and repairing of muscles. Any change in the quality of sleep or any lack of sleep causes a sharp decline in the secretion of growth hormones. The deficiency of growth hormone can be associated with loss of muscle mass, obesity and reduced capacity to exercise.
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Function of Water
The water you drink gives moisture to your bodys tissues and organs and protects them from any damage due to dehydration. If you fail to drink enough water, your body starts to literally dry you out. Water flushes out toxins from your organs and also helps your liver and your kidneys to get rid of waste products. Water also improves gastrointestinal health by helping digestion and preventing constipation. Water also carries minerals, nutrients, vitamins and oxygen to each and every cell in your body being a major constituent of your blood. In particular, your muscle cells require great amounts of these substances for them to repair properly and grow.
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Effects of Water
Water plays an important role in thermogenesis or fat burning, as a natural regulator of body temperature. Water enables your body to more effectively produce energy and also increases the synovial fluid in your joints. This fluid lubricates the joints for better performance while you work out in the gym. Water also directly affects your muscular strength, protein synthesis and cell volume.
Benefits of Water
By drinking more water, you are literally inflating your muscles like balloons and that results in a cascade of events that trigger synthesis of muscle protein. The process drives muscle growth or anabolism. The fact is that muscles that do not get enough water start to shrink and to undergo what is known as catabolic reactions that actually breakdown muscle. You can support your training by replacing fluids lost during sweat, increasing energy and allowing your muscles to contract more forcefully by timing your intake of water. It is recommended that you drink between 8 to 13 cups of water every day. You may require more depending on your body weight and level of activity. Although there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation for adequate water intake, 1.5 cups to 2.5 cups of water should be enough to replace the amount of water that you lose during a short duration exercise. For exercise that lasts more than an hour, you require much greater amounts of water. The best times to drink water include the time right after waking, with meals and between meals, and before, during and after working out.
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Anaerobic Exercise
Strength and endurance can be increased by aerobic activity while muscle mass is increased by anaerobic activity; weight lifting in particular. A vast majority of bodybuilders train different parts of the body on different days. Most of the time, individual preferences dictate the manner in which the workouts are divided. Mondays may be dedicated to the shoulders, triceps and chest. Wednesdays may be dedicated to the legs. Fridays may be dedicated to the biceps and the back. There are many various ways to split an exercise routine and different trainees tend to tailor their workouts in different ways. Generally though, bodybuilders rarely perform more than ten reps per set and 3 to 4 sets per exercise.
Variations
It is important to note that the same exercises should not be repeated indefinitely as the muscles will start to adjust to those repeated demands that are made on them. The exercises should be changed in order to challenge and stimulate muscle growth. You can change the exercises that are performed, the number of their repetitions, the pace at which the repetitions are performed, the number of sets, the weights that are used and the time for rest or pausing.
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You can, for example, train your chest by doing 3 sets of bench presses of 8 repetitions for a period of three weeks. Then on the fourth week, perform 8, 6, 4, and 2 repetitions while you increase the weights with each set. After the heavier set with 2 reps, you can decrease the weight and then immediately perform 10 reps.
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You can use heavier weights; you should be, by this time, able to lift each weight from 5 to 12 times per set. Then, instead of just one set per exercise, do two or three sets per exercise. Your work out should be about two or three days per week.
Volume Training
This type of training is designed to increase muscle size but not necessarily increasing their strength. You should use kettlebells instead of using barbells and weight machines. You should perform two exercises, focusing on different groups of muscles, per workout. You need to find your one repetition maximum for each exercise then, use about 60% of this weight. Do ten sets of each exercise while trying to do five repetitions for each set. It may take several workouts. When you are able to complete ten sets of five repetitions each, your new goal should be ten sets of six repetitions each. Continue increasing the number if reps per set until you are able to perform 10 sets of 10 reps each. The moment this goal is achieved then you need to go back to a more conventional workout.
Split Routines
The split routine is for the advanced weight lifter. It allows you to have your workouts six days a week. You can, for each workout, focus on two muscle groups like your legs and back every Wednesdays, as an example. You need to make a schedule that lets you focus on each muscle group two times a week while avoiding workouts for the same muscle group two days straight. You should do, per workout, 8 to 10 exercise. This means about 4 or 5 exercises for each muscle group, and, 2 to 5 sets per exercise. You again need to find your one rep maximum per exercise and then use about 70% to 90% of
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that weight.
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Explosive Push-Ups
By accentuating the pushing motion of the push-ups, you can increase the amount of work that is being done. Lower yourself and hold for a second and then push up as hard as you possible can and attempt to elevate your body so that your hands effectively leave the floor. Another variation is the hand-clap push-up. An even more challenging variation is having not only your hands, but also your feet leave the floor
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holding your kettlebells. Brace your trunk, exhale and then stand up while
holding the kettlebells as you would grocery bags at your sides. Complete the exercise by bending over at your hips and your knees bent slightly and keep your back neutral. Pull the kettlebells up towards your armpits, squat down and lower the weights back to your original push-up position. Repeat up to 5 to 6 repetitions for 4 to 5 sets each.
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Biceps Curl
Step 1 You need to hold a medium-heavy weight in each hand and stand with your legs about shoulder-width apart. Step 2 You should inhale and curl the palms in toward your chest, flexing your biceps muscles. Step 3 -- Exhale and lower your arms slowly to return to your starting position. You need to repeat the exercise about 8 to 12 times to gain muscle mass in the arms. Repeat for two sets.
Shoulder Press
Step 1 You need to hold a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand and raise your arms to shoulder height while bending at the elbows to make a 90degree angle. Your palms should be facing toward the wall in front of you.
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Step 2 -- Inhale and raise your arms, working your shoulders to build muscle. Stop straightening your arms right before you feel your elbows lock.
Step 3 -- Lower your arms to align with your shoulders. Repeat the exercise 8 to 12 times. Rest and repeat for two sets.
Squats
Step 1 You should take a heavy dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Step 2 -- Lower your buttocks to the ground while refraining from putting the knees over your feet as this can cause injury. Stop before your thighs are parallel with your knees.
Step 3 -- Straighten your legs to return to your starting position. Repeat 8 to 12 times for two to three sets. You can increase the intensity of this exercise by adding a bicep curl, shoulder press or front raise, where you lift the arms to align with your shoulders as your rise from the squatting position
Triceps Kickback
Step 1 You need to take a light to medium weight dumbbell in one hand and then lean over a bench or chair, placing your hand on the weight on the chair for support. Keep the back flat.
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Step 2 -- Lift your arm at your elbow to bring the top portion of your arm with your shoulder. Create a 90-degree angle with your arm.
Step 3 The turn the palm in toward your body and lift your arm to straighten it. You should feel your triceps working.
Step 4 -- Then bend your arm to return to the 90-degree angle position. Rest, then repeat 8 to 12 times for two additional sets. Just remember that the proper dumbbell weight is one that you can lift for a set of 8 to 12 repetitions to the point of muscle failure, meaning you can no longer lift it. If you can perform more, then the weight is too light. The weight is too heavy if you cannot perform at least eight repetitions.
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Fourth, you can pair your exercises by using the "super set" method of training. Super set training is when you pair off two different muscle group exercises together and completing one set of each exercise for several rounds. For example, pair a band chest press with back rows. Then complete one set of each exercise for up to 12 repetitions, performing five to six rounds of the pair of exercises. Fifth, you need to divide your muscle groups. On Mondays, work on your chest and back muscles by using chest presses with chest flies with bent-over one arm rows, standing rows, and push-ups against resistance bands with lateral pull downs (you will need to have the band anchored above your head). On Wednesdays, you can pair legs and shoulders by using dead lifts with lateral raises, squats with shoulder presses, and hip extensions with upright rows. On Fridays, pair biceps and triceps by using concentration curls with triceps kick-backs, alternate dumbbell curls with one-arm triceps extensions, and wide-grip curls (using both your hands) with triceps press downs (keep the band anchored over your head). Sixth, you should keep track of your workout by writing down all your tension level, exercises, feet position, sets and repetitions in order to ensure your workouts are made increasingly challenging. Then compare your data to make your next workout more challenging. Just remember that if the next level of tension is too hard, you can try using two resistance bands of a lower tension. Using big rubber bands without handles and exercise band sheets can make for a more varied selection of exercises for you. Routinely check your resistance bands for wear and tear. Resistance bands with wear and tear holes or markings can rupture and cause very serious
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injuries. Make sure that you check your bands every 2 weeks to ensure the bands are safe to use and have no tears.
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7. Wear some plastic hand paddles in order to build the muscles in your arms and shoulders. The hand paddles tend to place pressure on your arms and shoulders to maintain your angle above the water. 8. Place a buoy of some type between your legs to allow your lower body to float. Swim laps with various strokes using only your arms to increase muscle mass in your upper body.