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Understanding How to Build Muscle | Savvy Fitness – Diet & Exercise

Apr 19 2008

Understanding How to Build Muscle

Published by Author at 6:24 am under Bodybuilding, Exercise

What is it about bodybuilders that make them such an amazing site to see? Is it the low body fat percentage that they are known to possess that makes them such a site to behold? Well, yes, to a degree a low body fat percentage plays a significant role in the way a professional body builder looks, but that is really not the main reason. After all, there are a number of people who have very low body fat percentages and people do not consider themselves a whole lot to look at mainly because they are too skinny. Nope, it is not low body fat percentage alone that makes a body builder look impressive; it is the huge amount of solid, lean muscle mass that creates the visual spectacle. This leads many people to wonder that it takes to build muscle in an impressive fashion. Of course, the average person is not interested in packing on fifty pounds of muscle like a professional body builder, however, the means in which the average person will build muscle is basically the same as a professional body builder will with the only major difference being the fact that the average person will simply work a routine that is of significantly less intensity.

How Muscles Grow

Muscles grow when they are overworked. That is to say, when you lift weights you are overloading the muscle. Because the muscle does not particularly like the idea of having to work super hard to lift weight it grows. That is to say, by lifting heavy weights properly you will build muscle. Keep in mind, however, that the muscles do not grow while you are lifting weights. Instead, they grow while the body is at rest. So, in reality, you build muscle while you sleep provided that you worked out that week. Now, what needs to be understood here is that if you workout too often and do not give your body their proper rest then you will not build muscle. Instead, your muscles may actually get smaller and that is hardly the look you are going for!

So, if you workout about three or four days a week for a reasonable length of time (say one hour) and you are consistent, then you will build muscle. This may sound like a simple process and in a way it is, but in reality it is not so simple as it requires commitment and discipline. If you are willing to commit to this discipline then the rewards will follow.