subject: How To Build Muscle Quickly - 6 Tips to Gain Muscle Easily [print this page] How To Build Muscle Quickly - 6 Tips to Gain Muscle Easily
To be able to build muscle effectively, one must understand how muscles grow.
So, how exactly does muscle grow? And how and why does lifting weights lead to muscle growth? What is the real purpose of weight training?
Well, essentially what you're doing when you do weight training is you're damaging your muscles. Yes, that's right, you are actually injuring your muscles when you subject your muscles to high amounts of stress (i.e., when you train with weights). Not only that, your muscles actually get a bit smaller while you are doing weight training.
You are probably scratching your head right now saying "does this guy know what he's talking about?" Yes, I know what I just said may be contradictory to what you are seeing while you are at the gym lifting weights. Yes, your muscles do look like they are swelling up as you lift more weights. But that is not because your muscles are growing, the swelling is actually caused by what is known as the "pump".
This muscular "pump" is caused by the increased blood flow to the muscles and has nothing to do with your muscles getting bigger. Always keep in mind that the "pump" is essentially just an illusion, it makes you feel good and tight, and it makes your muscles look bigger. But that's it. So, do not take the "pump" as a signal that's you've had a good workout.
Anyway, going back to our original topic, muscles don't get bigger until you go home to eat, rest, and sleep. It's only when you're resting that your damaged muscles get repaired. And it is during this repair and recovery process that your muscles grow bigger. The thing is that when your muscles get repaired, they actually get "over repaired" in such a way that they will be able to handle the stress that you have just subjected them to without getting damaged (at least not as much as they did before). That's why, along the way, you need to incrementally increase the weights you are lifting. The reason for this, as obvious as it may be, is to make your muscles adapt to higher amounts of stress, making them grow bigger each time.
So, if you really want to gain muscle mass, it is important that you be able to push yourself to the extreme.
Here are 6 tips that will enable you to challenge your muscles and push them to their limits.
Tip #1 - Get yourself pumped up right before you actually step into the gym.
This is not the "pump" that I just mentioned earlier. This is about getting all psyched up. You can do this by listening to your favorite music as you drive to the gym or maybe by doing or watching something that will get you into battle mode.
Tip #2 - Get your game face on.
Keep yourself from getting distracted by things that aren't going to contribute anything to your goal (e.g., the cute receptionist at the front desk). Just go straight into the gym and jump right into your workout.
Tip #3 - Get into that workout frame of mind.
Get warmed up as soon as you enter the gym. Get yourself into the mindset that you are in the gym for one purpose and one purpose only--to build muscle. And you've got to be in the mindset that you need to work real hard to attain that goal.
Tip #4 - Zone yourself out from everything else that's going on inside the gym and focus on what you're doing.
Let's face it, as tempting as it may be to strike a conversation with the cute girl on the treadmill, she's not going to contribute anything in the attainment of your goal. So, don't hesitate to use anything that will help you stay focused. A portable media player (like an iPod) with all your favorite music in it can come in pretty handy in this situation. Having your ears plugged can also send a signal to other people in the gym that you don't want to be interrupted.
Tip #5 - Treat each set of your workout like it's your last.
Don't get yourself into thinking that you still have so many sets to do and that you should pace yourself. What you should do is to go all out in every set and push yourself to the very limit. Do every single repetition as if your life depends on it.
Tip #6 - Wear a stop watch to keep the work out honest.
If the 60-second recovery turns into a 90-second or two-minute recovery, you're losing much of the effect of the workout. So don't cheat.
