Whether you are a weight lifter or weight lifting is part of your cross training regimen for your main choice of exercise, then you know just how rewarding and addictive the pursuit of growing stronger can be. If you are reading this article then that means you are thinking about or have decided that you want to start increasing your abilities in the weight room. This is a great thing to do! Lifting weights can increase your muscle mass and decrease your fat stores, which increases your metabolism and makes you healthier in general.
You can not improve your gains at a rapid pace because you might risk injury which would completely defeat the point of your goals. Instead, you should focus on steadily improving your lift over time. Here are some tips on how to do just that.
The human body requires a good balance of hormones in order for everything to function properly. One of those is, naturally, testosterone. It is known as the primary male sex hormone, but producing sperm is not its only purpose. The importance of testosterone for maintaining good health, particularly in middle-aged and older males, should not be ignored.
Most people who exercise do so for two main reasons – to lose weight or to build muscle. Sometimes these can be done concurrently. In order to lose weight people do cardio exercises which help in shedding the fat. They also focus on burning more calories than they are consuming. Building muscle is a bit more complicated because it requires eating and exercising in the right way. A lot of lean men and women fail to build muscle because they think it is as simple as lifting some weights and waiting for the results. Building muscle takes hard work, consistency, and most of all knowledge on how exactly you can pack on the muscles.
So here are 8 tips to get you started on your bulking journey.
1. Eat Enough
As you work on increasing the size of your muscles you must provide your body with enough food to support this growth. It is important to consume enough calories to ensure that you are taking in more calories than you are burning. A calorie deficiency leads to weight loss so aim for the opposite. Taking in more calories leads to weight gain and when coupled with weight-training this will result in muscle growth.(more…)
Creatine is a substance that is naturally manufactured by the body. It is a nitrogenous organic acid that is considered to be the energy source for muscles. Identified in 1832, creatine is now one of the most commonly used supplements by those who practice sports, especially bodybuilding.
Creatine supplements are especially appreciated for their positive effects in increasing performance for intensive training sports, maximizing workouts in general and offering an advantage in anaerobic athletic contests. At Project Swole our personal experience using creatine is increased strength for max effort training and increased stamina for short duration anaerobic activity (sprinting, higher rep training, Olympic lifting). (more…)
The results of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor workout are clear for all to see in the media. As the film and the actor remain subject to a great deal of interest, many news and entertainment outlets continue sharing the best traits of Thor. But how did the Australian achieve his impressive physique in time for his work on the fantasy-action film?
It was ex-Navy SEAL Duffy Gaver who trained Hemsworth, and pushed the actor to gain 20lb for the role. Gaver devised an eight week exercise plan, which he split into two.
During the first four weeks, there was a careful focus on helping Hemsworth gain the level of strength appropriate for the God of Sky and Thunder. The second four weeks were dedicated to fat loss…
Creatine is the most researched and well understood training supplement. Creatine is also one of the most widely used, and trusted, sports nutrition supplements for weight trainers wanting to maximize muscle mass.
Creatine helps increase the speed and force of muscle fibres and helps them repair more quickly and scientific studies have found that taking a regular creatine supplement increases the reserves of creatine in muscle fibres. This means that the benefits of creatine supplements could be further reaching than just being used as a sports supplement.
Catabolic muscle wastage, cachexia and sarcopenia
If you’re suffering from a catabolic wasting condition where your muscles are starting to decrease considerably in size (muscle atrophy), then creatine supplements could help you. The term ‘catabolic’ refers to the breakdown of muscle tissue, and is the opposite of the term ‘anabolic’ which means the building up of muscle tissue. (more…)
A muscle cramp can be a serious buzzkill when you are dialed in on a workout. Or worse, they can be an unwanted and painful wake up call in the middle of the night. So how can you prevent these awful knots in your muscles from occurring? While proper hydration and sleep are important factors, your nutrition habits can have a huge impact on preventing cramps. Foods rich in potassium, sodium, magnesium, Vitamin D, and calcium help your muscles function properly and prevent muscle cramps. Potassium is an electrolyte that your body sweats out when you exercise. Lack of potassium is one of the leading causes of muscle cramping. Those taking diuretic supplements have higher tendencies for potassium deficiencies and should be especially aware of their intake efforts.
Sodium is another important electrolyte your body needs for optimum performance. While too much sodium can be a problem, most people forget to make sure they have enough when exercising. You lose it quickly when you sweat and need to make sure you’re replenishing these levels or you may experience harsh side effects like nausea and vomiting. (more…)
Aside from opting for the right weight lifting strategies, what you consume before and after a workout is the most important piece of the muscle growth puzzle.
Get this: you can lift as hard you can, sweat as much as you can and spending endless hours in the gym, but as long as you don’t provide your body with the right stuff—diet-wise—your hard work will be futile.
Therefore, if you don’t want to compromise your hard effort and really seek to pile on the muscles faster and more efficiently, here are the diet guidelines you need to live by.
It starts with protein
Yes you know it. Every gym-rat out there is well aware of the importance of protein in muscle growth and proper recovery. If you’re protein-deficient, you won’t achieve any muscle growth no matter how committed you’re or how hard you push yourself in the gym.
Most studies and experts recommend shooting for at least 2g per kilo of bodyweight of protein. This amount may vary from one gym-rat to the next. But the harder you lift and push yourself in the gym, the more protein you’re going to need.
What are the best carbs to help you build muscle or lose fat? More than often, you’ll get this response: “Stay away from simple carbs and focus on complex carbohydrates, since they digest slowly and provide your body with a constant stream of energy”.
I can’t tell you how many “fitness-experts” give this response to their clients on a regular basis. Of course it seems to make sense, but there is actually some science suggesting otherwise.
Many people believe that as long as a carbohydrate digests slowly, it should keep your blood sugar stable and make it less likely for you to gain fat.
But the truth of the matter is that structuring your nutrition program around “slow-digesting carbohydrates” is actually not an effective way to get the nutrition you need.
There are actually 4 primary reasons why this is the case. Let’s go ahead and take a closer look…
Gaining weight and gaining lean muscle are two entirely different things. While increasing the amount you eat will almost certainly lead to you putting on weight, it will not automatically ensure that you gain lean, aesthetically pleasing muscle mass.
In order to effectively build muscle, you need to combine the right physical exercise with the right fuel for that physical exercise. It is, therefore, vitally important to pay attention to the nutrients you put into your body and to understand the role that carbohydrates play in the muscle building process.
Physical Activity and the Role of Carbohydrates
In order to build the lean muscle you desire, you need to engage in resistance training which specifically targets the major muscle groups in the body. Examples of these types of exercises include barbell curls, bench presses and squats. It is best to avoid working the same muscle groups in consecutive days and working out three to four times a week is ideal.
In order to perform efficiently, you also need to provide your body with the right kind of energy. Although proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals all combine to provide different things, carbohydrates in particular play a large role in muscle building.
