In order to gain muscle, a lot of people simply head to the gym and start lifting weights – jumping from workout station to workout station and trying to figure things out as they go along – only to end up in a place where they are left wondering why the heck they are not gaining any muscle or getting ripped the way they would like. The mistake most of these people are making, however, is that they are not taking the time to learn about the foods they should be eating in order to gain muscle, the foods they should be avoiding, and the workouts they ought to be doing in order to maximize their results.
The first thing you want to understand, of course, is the foods you ought to be eating – and in addition to knowing the foods you should be eating, you are going to want to make sure you are eating them at the right times. As for ‘the foods you should be eating,’ protein is going to be one of the most important things of all for gaining muscle, as this is what your muscles feed off of. And in order to maximize your protein consumption, you should be packing in your protein as soon as you have finished your workout, aiming to get about 40 to 50 grams in you right away.
In addition to making sure you are getting protein, however, it is also important that you are avoiding the foods you should be avoiding. While most people understand that this means avoiding sugars, many people do not understand that this means avoiding breads as well! The carbohydrates in bread are turned into glucose by your body, and the body then stores glucose as fat – meaning that all breads you consume (yes, even if you are drinking lots of water!) will be putting fat onto you, instead of the muscle you want.
And when it comes to truly building muscles in your workout, the key will be understanding the manner in which your workouts should progress: you should be aiming for low reps at high weights if muscle building is your goal. In this way, you will push your muscles to the max! And after working out in this manner, you will want to give those particular muscles a break for a day before working them out again. So, for instance, you might want to work out your leg muscles one day, then rest those the next day while you work out your upper body!
Gaining muscle and getting ripped is not nearly as difficult as some people make it out to be. The key is simply understanding the right steps to take, and the right manner in which to approach your muscle building goals. When you are making sure to eat protein shortly after your workouts, are avoiding sugars and carbohydrates, and are working out with low reps and high weight – giving your muscles a rest after you have worked them out – you will be able to start gaining muscle the way you want!