Healthy Muscles and a well balanced physique can help you live a longer, healthier, happier, pain free life. Scientific studies have proven that resistance training can dramatically help your body:
1. Increase Strength
2. Burn Fat
3. Correct Postural Imbalances
4. Produce Endorphins that Increase Energy and Mood Levels
5. Improve Sleep Patterns
Resistance training is not just for body builders and high level athletes. We are going to explore a couple of important keys to healthy muscle building that will make the process as efficient and effective as possible.
The goal is to help you create a stronger, fitter body without having to make a new career of going to the gym. If you can dedicate 3-6 hours per week you will be amazed at the changes you can make to your body and to your life.
These keys are valid for men or women, young or old, anyone seeking to improve fitness through resistance training.
Key # 1 – Efficiency
One of the most common obstacles to a healthy muscle building program is lack of time. With a bit of education this obstacle can be easily overcome. An effective muscle building program can easily be completed in 30-45 minute sessions 3-5 times per week.
Traditional muscle building programs emphasized isolating an individual muscle or muscle group and doing 12-24 repetitions and 3-4 sets for each muscle group. Not only is this a HUGE time commitment, it is also an inefficient way to build muscle.
Exercises that utilize two or MORE of the bodies larger muscle groups during each repetition are the smartest use of our exercise time. When you combine resistance training with a movement that utilizes at least two large muscle groups you are using the most efficient means to a lean, fit best body.
Here are four examples of multiple group exercises:
A. Squat/ Straight Arm Shoulder Raise
B. Lunge/ Back Fly
C. Dead Lift/Curl
D. Squat Thrust/Push Up
Each of these exercises works one of the large leg muscle groups and one of the large muscle groups in the upper body during each single repetition. If performed in the correct posture these will also strengthen and stabilize the core muscles of the abs and lower back as well.
If you do a bit of research and use a bit of creativity you will find there are endless variations of multi group exercises you can perform to most efficiently develop your best body.
It is recommended that you do one exercise per day, 8-12 reps for each set and do sets until failure of the muscles will not allow you to perform the exercise with correct form and posture. When you can perform more than 5 sets without failure it is time to increase the resitance used during each set.
By activating more muscle groups through various ranges
of motion this type of healthy muscle building optimizes the muscle development and minimizes the time needed. Quality over quantity!
The second key to a healthy muscle building program is to make sure your muscles get adequate food and rest. Without proper post workout nutrition, the muscles can not recover from the workout and repair themselves into stronger more efficient muscles. Without proper post workout rest, the muscles will not have time to repair themselves
before your next intense workout breaks them down again.
When you are doing regular high intensity workouts you should be striving for 7-10 grams of protein per day per pound of body weight. It is best if you can get this through healthy food, but protein supplements can also be helpful if they are high quality.
You should also strive for a minimum of 48-72 hours rest in between intense muscle building workout sessions for each of the muscle groups involved. If you need to break up the workout days but, do not wish to take a day off you can alternate in days of strictly core workouts or cardio to give your legs and upper body groups the rest they need.
