Muscle Building

Building Lean Mass Muscle – The Core 4 Factors

January 12, 2010
By Douglas Young

To build lean muscle does not have to be as big of a mystery as most people would lead you to believe. There is plenty of information about super-sets, pyramid reps, etc. The list is basically endless. The big secret that nobody seems to be sharing is that most of this information has been rehashed at least a dozen times throughout the years. Pick up any authors book in a bookstore regardless if it is 1,000 pages or 50 pages they will all center around four basic principles.

Aerobic Training. Any good workout program is going to have some sort of aerobic training Incorporated into it. Aerobic training is not only good for the heart and lungs, but it builds up your stamina. Without Stamina you will not be able to push your muscles to the point where they fail. This is one of those cases where you really want your muscles to fail, so they can get stronger and bigger. Some programs, especially those geared towards people who have trouble putting on weight will say to skip aerobic training, but this is a crucial mistake. Do not get to concerned about what is considered aerobic training and what is not, basically it is anything that gets your heart and lungs working, good examples of this are jump rope and cycling.
Resistance Training. This is area that most people concentrate too much on. Whether to do free weights or machines, number of sets, how much weight, etc. It is important to remember what your goal is…To build muscle that looks good. Most people want an athletic body, the kind that members of the opposite sex say to themselves ‘that guy is in shape’. Your muscles do not care if you are lifting dusty weights that you bought at a second hand store or the kind that sell on television that cost a fortune. Resistance is resistance. Concentrate on working the whole body each workout. Do one set of a weight you can only lift 8-12 times. I promise you will grow quickly.
Nutrition. Without the proper nutrition you will not grow. It is not that you will not get into shape, you just will not look like it. Think of the food that you put in your body as fuel for a fancy car. The sleeker and sexier the car, the better grade of fuel you need. You can not run an expensive automobile on cheap gas.
Rest and Recovery. There is a reason that all workout programs have a rest period built into them. This is when your body is making good use of all that quality gas you have been putting into the tank, it is repairing the damage you did in the gym. Each time you lift weights heavy enough to stimulate growth, you are in layman terms ripping your muscles. When you are resting and recovering your body is filling in those trenches you created resulting in a bigger and stronger muscle. This is a very simplistic explanation of a very complex biological event in your body, but I hope you understand the point I am trying to make. This is where the magic really happens.

There are many valuable workout programs out there for you to choose from, just remember there are is no silver bullet or magic pill that is going to replace the common sense approach to building muscle. When evaluating any program remember to look for these four core elements, then pick a program that you can actually work into your lifestyle.

Douglas Young is an online researcher and enthusiast on the subject of muscle building and gaining lean muscle mass. For more articles, information and advice please visit http://www.theweightgain.com

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