Muscle Building
The art of Body Building has gotten so complicated these days, that its beginning to resemble Rocket Science. No wonder many guys have a hard time getting results in the gym, should it be 3 sets or 5 sets per muscle group? Is it better to pair Biceps with Back in a session, or should it be Chest and Back? we took all that muscle science and broke it down into lay language, so that your training will never be stymied by these dilemmas. Here are 9 simple rules of building muscle, that will put you on the road to a bigger stronger Body.
Steps:
Rule Number 1 (Vary your routine): Changing your weight routine is crucial if you want to continue to build muscle. Otherwise, your muscles become accustomed to your exercise programme and may stop responding to it. Tinkering with your programme, what experts call periodization, is pretty simple. There are five variables that determine the results you will see with your weight-training programme:
- The exercise you do
- The order in which you do them
- The number of sets you perform
- The number of repetitions,amount of weight you lift (higher weights mean fewer repetitions)
- The amount of time you rest between sets
If you take a look at these five variables and change them throughout the year, you will probably have the best results and avoid over training. While there is no cut and dried rule for how often you should change your programme, most fitness experts recommend changing one of these five factors every four to six weeks.
Rule Number 2 (limit lay offs): An occasional week off from the gym may actually help you bounce back with extra vim and energy, give your stale muscles a break from the routine. However any more “holidays” can be detrimental. By some experts estimates, after 10 days of not lifting, the average individual may find he can lift about 10 percent less weight than he used to. Stay out of the gym for a month, and you could end up losing as much as 25 percent of the strength you have gained. The rate at which your strength declines, however, depends in part on how long you have been training. There is evidence that the more training you have behind you, the slower you are going to lose your strength.
Rule Number 3 (work in a few drop sets): A drop set is an additional set that is performed right after you have completed your regular sets of a particular exercise. It is done to squeeze a little extra work out of a muscle, to top it off in muscle head lingo, after it has been put through its regular paces. This technique is a great way to shake up your routine when you have hit a plateau. Heres a typical drop set routine. Do your usual weight, then, without resting, reduce the weight by about 25 per cent. Go for 12 to 15 repetitions at this weight, then reduce the weight by another 10 percent. Perform another12 to 15 repetitions at this lighter weight and then, if your muscles can take it, reduce the weight again and do another 12 to 15 repetitions. Drop sets are ideal when your programme becomes stagnant and you are looking to put in a little more variety. Don’t use it as part of your everyday routine. Moreover they are tough, so don’t try them with free weights. Use machines instead, they make it easier to control the weight when your muscles are tired.
