Contrary to what many think, muscle growth is a very natural process of body development.  The body breaks down and rebuilds muscles on a regular basis. The body needs muscle to do basic things like climb, run, jump, swim, and dance.  With the proper knowledge of how to grow muscles using whole foods, workout routines, and plenty of sleep, the body can achieve great results.  You don’t need expensive supplements and pills to build muscle. A muscular more healthy body can be achieved by using very simple methods.  All you need is some discipline.

The first rule in muscle building is proper nutrition.  Muscles need protein to develop.  Start off with a well balanced diet including plenty of lean proteins.  You will get better results if you reduce your junk food intake.  Feed your body chicken, fish, turkey, lean red meats, and shrimp to provide whole proteins. Trim the skin and fat off your meat.  Balance your meals with complex carbohydrates like vegetables and fruit for other essential nutrients.  Eat unstarched carbhohydrates and whole grains like brown rice and whole grain pasta.  You will need to eat approximately 5 times a day of consistent protein in order to achieve maximum growth.  That is a small meal about every 2-3 hours.  The larger meals should be eaten during breakfast and lunch.  Lighter meals in the evening.  Body metabolism slows as you get closer to going to bed. Never eat a large meal before going to sleep at night.

You need to inhale when there is no resistance and exhale when there is resistance.  For example, extend your arms all the way out and exhale when doing a bench press.  If you don’t inhale/exhale with the exercise then you can cause serious bodily injury. 

Your muscles grow during sleep. You need to commit yourself and your body to getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night.  Try to nap after your workout if you can.  Stay away from things that cause you stress or keep you from sleeping.

Cardio is not a necessity to muscle building BUT IT DOES HELP!!  Cardio will help to remove unnecessary abdominal fat.  A light jog for 15 minutes will help to reveal definition in your muscles.  Doing jumping jacks will increase heart rate for positive blood flow.  Completing a jump rope session for 5 to 10 minutes will keep the muscles stimulated and increase stamina. It’s best to do cardio workouts between days of lifting weights.  Refuel your muscles with a protein shake after your cardio workouts.

Your body craves water.  Muscles crave water.  Drink water during your workout.  Sweating can dehydrate your body during a workout. Drinking water during your workout will help to keep your skin and body hydrated.  Drink about two cups of water before each meal.  Water helps to circulate nutrition in your body.  Water helps with metabolism.  Water also helps to distribute fuel to muscles after a workout.  Water even does a great job of ridding the body of unhealthy elements.  Water will help remove alcohol, unwanted fat, and impure things from your body and skin.

After a workout your muscles need at least 24 hours to recover.  Some doctors believe that giving your body between 36 – 48 hours of rest is best.  To be on the safe side you should workout a different muscle group each day you train.  For example, on Monday you would work the chest and arms, Tuesday you would rest or do light cardio, Wednesday you would workout your legs, Thursday you rest.  Some advanced body builders and athletes workout every day.  A beginner needs to stick to basics, and give the body time to rest in order to build muscle. 

Using these methods you can achieve fantastic results.  Having a muscular body does well for attracting people.  Once you start developing a musce, your posture is defined, your physique is increased, and your confidence will increase.  Enjoy working out, and train hard!

FEED YOURSELF!

DRINK SPORTS DRINKS

BREATH PROPERLY WHILE EXCERCISING

GIVE YOUR BODY PLENTY OF REST

DO CARDIO IN BETWEEN WORKOUT DAYS

WORKOUT EVERY OTHER DAY

WHOLE FOODS VS SUPPLEMENTS

USE FREEWEIGHTS, STAY AWAY FROM THE MACHINES

Drink Sports drinks during your workout.  Many of these sports drinks replenish the body with nutrients that are lost while sweating and working out.  Gatorade and Powerade are both great while muscle training.  

Protein supplements like whey protein, soy protein, and hemp protein are good but should be used sparingly.  Whole foods are the best for muscle growth.  Eat whole foods the majority of your meals.  Drink a protein shake immediately after a workout for quick protein digestion. 

You will get the best results from using freeweights.  Freeweights allow your body parts to adjust and freely move around to control the weight.  Machines control the movement in a straight motion.  You get better results from freeweights because they require more balance and control from your muscles.  Machines cramp the movements of your body which can cause injury.

DRINK WATER BEFORE MEALS AND DURING WORKOUTS

HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE

A STEP BY STEP RESOURCE GUIDE

You need to stress your muscles some to cause growth.  In order to cause this change from where you are now to positive growth in muscles you have to cause them to rip.  When you do resistance exercises and cause a rip in your muscles, blood enters causing them to expand and therefore trigger growth.  To maintain this growth the muscle needs food and rest after excercising.

STRESS YOUR MUSCLES