Develop A Program. Decide Which Exercises You'll Do On Which Days. Some

1.
Develop a program. Decide which exercises you'll do on which days. Some
exercises focus on a specific muscle (e.g. bicep curl) while other exercises call upon
several muscles at once (e.g. squat). The important thing is to make sure each muscle
gets a chance to rest for at least a full day before using it again. For example, you can
do a full-body weight training routine every other day (with cardio in between, if
you want) or you can alternate muscle groups (arms on Monday, legs on Tuesday,
upper back and chest on Wednesday, etc.).
o Muscles
grow during rest, not during training. If you don't give a
muscle adequate time to recover, you'll actually interfere with the muscle building
process. When you lift weight, you're supposed to stress the muscle to the extent
that it breaks down at the cellular level, resulting in increased protein synthesis,
which produces thicker muscle fibers. This process begins 2-4 hours after the
workout and lasts 24 hours (although some researchers suggest that muscles
worked to exhaustion need 36-48 hours to rebuild). If you stress the muscle again
before the process is complete, you'll break down the muscle fibers before they've
had a chance to rebuild.
To build volume rather than strength, design your program around lots of
repetitions (10 to 12), three to five sets, and short (30- to 90-second) rest periods
between sets. Athletes looking for power and strength, on the other hand, will favor
a program with reps that max out at around six and sets ranging from two to six,
with a long rest period (two to five minutes) to promote better recovery between sets.
2. Practice good form. Learn how to do each exercise properly (full extension of
movement, proper stance and posture, etc.) or else you'll not only reduce the
effectiveness of the movement, but you'll also be increasing the risk of injury. To
master each exercise, learn to do it slowly with light weight. Even though you might
feel more accomplished when you move quickly, you're depending on momentum to
do some of the work for you, instead of your muscles. Do each rep slowly, in a
controlled and steady fashion.
3. Lift to fatigue. As mentioned earlier, in order to trigger the muscle building
process, you need to stress the muscle. By the final rep of your final set, your muscle
should be exhausted. That should be the last rep you can do with perfect form. If
you start losing form before then because your muscles are too tired, you're using
too much weight. If you find that you can add in one or more reps in good form, you
need to add on some weight.
4. Change your eating habits. You can't build muscle unless you give your body
the proper building blocks to do so (and stop giving it junk). There are also plenty of
supplements which can give you energy and aid in muscle recovery and repair, but
remember, they are supplements, which means they only work in addition to a good,
consistently followed exercise regimen and a proper diet.
a. Incorporate complex carbohydrates and protein into your diet. Focus on
lean protein like egg whites and low fat yogurt, and whole grain carbohydrates
like oatmeal and whole-wheat toast. Avoid sugary, white processed foods; they
interfere with your glucose levels and immune system.
b. Eat small meals throughout the day. This gives your body a steady
supply of fuel to build muscle. Eating in "spurts" (2-3 large meals per day) should
be avoided because it hinders muscle growth during the stretches between meals.
c. Since creatine provides energy, take this supplement about 45 minutes
before a workout. Look for products that pair creatine with carbohydrates, as this
combination increases the rate at which the creatine is absorbed by your muscles.
Consuming creatine with a glass of juice will have the same effect.
d. Drink sports drinks during your workout. Look for drinks that contain
carbohydrates and protein. This combination reduces muscle damage and hastens
recovery.
e. Get a carbohydrate-loaded drink or snack (1.5g of carbohydrates for each

2.2 lbs that you weigh) within 30 minutes of your workout to stimulate an enzyme
that helps the body produce glycogen.
f. Have a whey protein drink within 30 minutes of your workout to help
your body repair and rebuild lean muscle tissue.
5. Change your routine every four to six weeks. As your body adapts to stress,
you'll hit a plateau where the benefits of weight training will begin to diminish. The
only way to prevent this from happening is to change things up, such as by
increasing weight and changing exercises.
Tips
 While
doing cardio will help burn fat so your emerging musculature is more
evident, doing it for more than 90 minutes will favor a lean physique, rather than
bulk. Most bodybuilders greatly limit their cardio while they're "bulking" (building
muscle), then add more cardio when they're "cutting" (shedding fat).
 Some
people are genetically predisposed to build muscle easily. Other
people may need to experiment with different eating habits and training routines to
find what works for them. Most women are unable to build large muscles like men,
due to differences in hormone production, but they can still build muscle; it just
won't be as "bulky."
 Get enough

sleep. Sleep is a critical element of rest. Avoid caffeine and
alcohol for deeper sleep.
 Ask
someone to "spot" you, so that you can safely push your muscles to the
point where they fail. Your spotter can then help you with the weight just enough so
that you can complete the motion. Having a spotter for exercises like bench press is
normal and expected, so don't be shy to ask someone. And if you can't find a spotter,
don't lift to failure on any exercise where a dropped weight could injure you.
 Stay hydrated!
Warnings
 Many
people you will encounter in a gym have misguided ideas about
physiology and proper athletic programming. There's a lot of "gym mythology"
floating around. Take others' suggestions with a grain of salt and always ask for
sources.

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1.

e. Get a carbohydrate-loaded drink or snack (1.5g of carbohydrates for each

 Get enough

 Stay hydrated!

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