Weight loss may be the goal of most people who start an exercise program, but not everyone who starts to work out has the goal of dropping body weight. Some people have the opposite goal in mind, gaining weight. People who do this are not interested in increasing the fat content of their body, but rather their overall muscle mass.
The reasons for increasing muscle mass may be as simple as keeping good muscle function as we age, or a scrawny person trying to improve his looks. While it is doubtful such a person will ever possess the appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his early Conan the Barbarian movies people who succeed in “bulking up” can achieve some impressive results. Steroid use is one of achieving this, but working out and eating the right diet are longer, more sure way to achieve a muscular body.
The Major League Baseball scandal over the use of performance enhancing substances has put steroid use at the front of the minds of many people. Steroids may work, but are unpredictable and have many dangerous side effects. People who get caught using them or having them in their possession may be subject to arrest and fines on top of any ill health effects these drugs may cause.
Because the short cut methods are not a good way of bulking up, legitimate methods of building muscle mass must be sought. Some people may want to join a gym of invest in expensive weight lifting equipment, but neither money nor a gym membership are necessary. Simple exercises that can be performed at home such as push-ups, crunches, and leg-lifts. Curls are still the best method available of building up biceps, but simple dumb bells may be purchased from Wal-Mart or many other department stores. Failing that, home made solutions such as heavy food cans or bottles filled with water serve the purpose. Some exercises do require listed there do require access to specialized equipment, but many gyms and YMCAs have weightlifting equipment available to their members.
After the age of twenty five, the human body starts to slowly lose muscle mass. This effect is more pronounced in men than women, but it does mean that adding exercises to improve muscle mass become an important part of a fitness regimen as people get older. Doing aerobic exercise 3 times a week and weight training exercises twice a week will prevent this natural occurring decay according to MSNBC.
People doing weight training exercises to keep from losing muscle mass may not be interested in bulking up to get the body builder look. For those who are interested in developing what one older Ren and Stimpy cartoon described as “huge pectoral muscles” the exercises are only one part of the needed regimen, the serious body builder must also eat the proper diet. This guide helps a body builder plan the diet and exercise regimen required.
The serious body builder follows a diet that ignores much of the standard nutrition advice that about what to eat. Body builders must eat a diet rich in carbohydrates, but they should also consume more protein than is recommended by the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Pyramid.
Larger amounts of protein and carbohydrates help the body build muscles and retain its energy reserves. Protein helps the body build muscle and carbohydrates supply the body with energy to perform the tasks we put it through on a daily basis. Carbohydrates get converted into a substance called glycogen, which the body uses as fuel. Long exercise periods deplete the body’s supply of glycogen, resulting in fatigue and decreased athletic performance. Eating a high carbohydrate diet helps offset this problem.
Cutting back fat is advice everyone has at least heard, but the intake of fat of someone who has the goal of building muscle mass should be somewhere between 15% to 20%. A diet with that includes this much fat helps to ensure that the body will get enough essential amino acids, insulation, and building blocks for cell membranes. Altogether the diet should include 30% protein, 55% carbohydrates and 20% fat. Supplements may help in building muscle mass, but the body builder can save money by doing a little research to figure out which such products work and which ones do not.
Sources:
http://www.building-muscle101.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20515088/
http://www.building-muscle101.com/weight-lifting-diet.html
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