It doesn’t matter if you are watching a Rocky movie, or reading your favorite bodybuilding magazine, there is no escaping the fact that in order to build muscle, a high protein diet is recommended. Have you ever wondered why there seems to be such an emphasis on protein consumption for those interested in muscle building? Wouldn’t it be better to simply eat a regularly balanced diet, with normal amounts of protein eaten along with the other food groups?
While having a healthy diet is a MUST, the extra protein added to a bodybuilder’s diet plays a very important role in the breakdown and rebuilding of lean muscle mass that no other nutrient provides. Without extra protein in your diet, the actual buildup of muscle mass is unlikely to occur, no matter how much you train. Many people, even if interested in bodybuilding, fail to realize the actual process of muscle creation and the role that protein plays in its actualization.
The first misconception that most people have is that you simply “build” muscle by working out. Bodybuilding is actually a process of muscle breakdown and re-growth. Without first breaking down the muscle tissue through the lifting of weights or other stress exercises, such as isometrics, the body would not be stimulated to create new muscle tissue. People do not even create muscle mass by lifting weights. They are in effect tearing the muscle tissue at this stage, and the actual creation of bulk muscle tissue is done while resting. When resting, the body uses protein to repair and build the torn muscle tissue, which is vitally important to any results that may be sought while working out. A person who continually works out will usually see less progress than the one who works out aggressively with periods of rest to compliment their workout schedule, as the body is not given the chance to “recover”, the process that produces the muscle mass we are working out to achieve.
Recovery time could be sleeping at night, taking a nap, taking a few days off from lifting, or simply shifting the muscles that your lifting concentrates on. One of the most productive workout schedules for muscle creation is to work out on a daily basis for 3-5 days in a row, and then to take 2 days off for rest and recovery.
Making sure that the body has enough protein to complete the recovery process is very important to the bodybuilding process because without it, the broken down muscle tissue will not repair and build upon itself, creating the “bulking up’ that is so desired. Eating at least the same number of grams in protein that the weightlifter is in pounds ensures that the body has enough protein to finish this process effectively.
Showing up to the gym for the first time, no matter how confident you may feel while working out in your home can be an intimidating experience. If you are venturing out into the world of communal fitness for the first time, following a few common sense tips can make a world of difference, and keep you going back time and time again to create the body that you crave.
There are many crazy things that people will do in their search for larger muscles, especially the thighs. Some people will even risk hurting themselves time and time again with strange techniques or unhealthy lifting practices thinking that the risk is worth it to get them ahead. This is unfortunate for two reasons. One, the risks involved can put a lifter out of commission permanently and the risk for injury in general is much higher, and two, after trying every method in the book to grow at a fast rate, once progress seems to be halted, a return to the tried and true methodology of a correct diet and standard pyramid lifting practices usually proves the only true way to advance any further, and could have brought them to where they are without injury to begin with, making the risk a total waste.