If you’re serious about the art of bodybuilding, you know the intense work it takes to build and maintain muscle mass. It requires an appropriate combination of discipline, diet, lifestyle and exercise choices to make it all come together for a well-defined symmetrical body — with the strength to match.
There are many natural ways to help yourself achieve these goals without involving any types of steroids or other substances designed give you a better edge. These include diet, exercise and natural supplemental options that I’ll explore here.
Eat Carbs from Whole Food Sources
Eating carbohydrates from processed food sources rather than whole food will elevate your body fat percentage and create a thick layer of fat tissue over the muscles. This takes away muscle definition. Eating food raw or live provides the best source of quality carbs and nutrients while keeping fat and carbohydrate at a minimum. Be sure to limit grains. Even whole grains provide large amounts of carbs, which is something you want to minimize.
Eat More Frequently
An ideal regimen to practice for better muscle growth is to eat more frequently, ideally every three hours or so. This keeps a steady intake of protein, carbohydrate and fat for accelerated muscle growth. Making the nutrients available frequently gives the muscles access to what they need to grow at all times.
Get Enough Protein
You need one gram of protein per pound of body weight to maintain and build muscle mass. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you’ll need 160 grams of protein. Be sure to count your grams of protein throughout the day to achieve the desired daily protein intake.
Begin a strength-training routine that involves weight lifting. When you begin to lift, start out easy. Begin with a bar and add more weight slowly when you feel ready to move on.
Use free weights rather than machines. Free weights replicate natural movements unlike machines that force your body into unnatural positions that make you prone to injury. Using barbells is an efficient and effective way to go. You can do many exercises with just one barbell, saving lots of space as well as money. You can find oodles of barbell exercises online to create a complete whole body workout.
There are 22 amino acids which together comprise complete protein. Some of the best amino acids geared toward muscle growth include:
Arginine
Creatine
Ornithine
Glutamine
Carnitine
You can also implement the use of many types of protein powders and drinks to supplement with as well. These will further compliment your muscle growth regimen by aiding in quicker muscle repair after vigorous workouts. Repairing muscle tissue is important especially for someone doing hard muscle building routines on a regular basis.
Get Plenty of Rest
Adequate sleep will speed up muscle repair and growth. Keep a good sleep pattern to help make the muscle gains that you’ll be pleased with.
Beginning a muscle growth program is a great way to stay fit and become stronger. Staying focused and disciplined is key in keeping your muscle. Achieving these results will keep you motivated without the use of steroids or other unnatural substances.
Sources:
http://stronglifts.com/how-to-build-muscle-mass-guide/
