Everyone wants to look their best and feel great. Men with muscle mass are a magnets for women and other men will treat you with respect.
It’s not only great for men but it’s also healthy for women to be fit and tone. Having a fit body also increases not only your physical health but also your mental health. Your self image increases and so does your confidence also.
Getting in shape is also a great way to loose weight and build up your muscle mass at the same time. Though, the question many ask themselves is, “How do I increase my muscle mass?”
Here’s five little-known weight training secrets fitness models use to get the look they want without dangerous steroids or expensive supplements.
1. Limit your training periods to 45 to 75 minutes.
After 75 minutes, the levels of muscle building and fat burning hormones your body produces (testosterone) will begin to drop. Believe it or not you can actually overtrain.
Training more than 75 minutes at a time will prevent you from gaining muscle and could actually lead to muscle breakdown! It will also prevent you recovering faster from training sessions.
The more you do beyond 75 minutes the less you will get out of it. The optimal amount of time to train is 1 hour.
If you are a beginner you’ll want to start out at about 45 minute training periods and use light weights such as dumbbells.
2. Rest in between sets should be kept to a minimum of 90 seconds or less.
Keeping your rest in between sets limited to 90 seconds will help you train more efficiently. It also helps improve your cardiovascular system and has been shown that this kind of training stimulates growth hormones output the most.
3. The sets should be between 8 - 15 repetitions each.
Why you should limit your repetitions is because, you get the blood flowing into your muscle cells better in this repetition range. This is important since blood carries nutrients that nourish the muscle cells and help them recover and rebuild.
Also, studies show that muscle building and fat burning occur more efficiently at these repetition ranges.
4. Training must be varied and cycled.
Don’t get stuck with doing the same routine everyday. Doing the same thing everyday will limit muscle growth because you body will get used to your training activities. Not to mention you will get bored after about a week and loose motivation to continue. Vary you training by doing cycles (about 3-4 weeks) of high volume (8-15 reps/set) with periods of higher intensity (5-8 reps/set).
5.Use free weight, not a weight machine
Weight machines may be acceptable for bodybuilders to use but for people looking to increase their muscle mass, especially people who are thin, weight machines won't help that much. They can even injure someone who is not used to them. Instead use free weights such as hand held dumbells.
With these tips you should be on your way to getting the body you always wanted.
If you found these tips helpful find out why 95% of people who try to get fit fail at the
Diet and Fitness Blog
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