What frustrates you the most as a man? What do you feel when heroes like Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger try to grab your girlfriend's attention? Those bulky muscles, toned body and a thin waist line make these heroes earn the status of "secret lovers" in women's minds. Okay, you won't mind that much because, after all they are the stars who can have many such admirers! But what about the normal "Tom, Dick or Harry" who can be your neighbor? A normal guy can assume great looks and build up a great body! What will you feel when he will try to woo your girl? You can be like him and you can preserve the interest in your relationship. Here are the top 10 ways by which you can build up muscles and can be another "Stallone" to your girlfriend:
- Select a Suitable Workout: Select a workout that suits you. There are a number of muscle building workouts but what suits others may not suit you. The best workout will involve a customized workout regime which is planned according to your fitness level, health status and your requirements. A fitness expert is the best person who can plan out your muscle building workout.
- Divide Your Workout: For an effective workout, divide it. Divide your workout into 3 to 4 sessions and in each session you focus on 2 to 3 muscle groups. By doing so, you can overload your muscles properly. Take adequate rest after this session. Training the same muscle group daily or for 3 to 4 times a week can lead to overtraining and may cause injury.
- Monitor Your Frequency: Strength training on a daily basis for 6 to 7 days a week may not be recommended, especially if you are going for intense strength training. Perform workouts for a maximum of 3 to 4 times a week. Take rest on the remaining days. You can even go for some aerobic exercises or recreational sports to maintain physical activity.
- Incorporate Proper Technique: Execution of proper technique not only prevents injury but also allows you to isolate particular muscle actions to get optimal benefit. After learning the proper technique, do each and every movement slowly and in a controlled manner.
- Incorporate Proper Breathing Technique: Focus on the rule - "Exhale when you exert". Many people tend to hold their breath during workouts. This raises the internal pressure which can severely affect an individual's cardio-respiratory functions and can cause severe injury. You may also experience a fall in your performance if you do not breathe properly.
- Change Your Workout: Your workout should be progressive in nature. This means, you need to change your workout after every 3 to 4 weeks. Working out on the same regime leads to adaptation and the results gradually slow down. Change your workout intensity to keep your body in the muscle building state. Strength training is more of intensity than volume, so the progression should preferably be in terms of increasing the resistance or the intensity.
- Take Adequate Rest: Ensure proper rest after each workout session. To do so, perform strength training on alternate days. Muscles recover and grow during the resting period. Proper rest need to be supplemented with a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep may wash off all your efforts! So pay proper attention to it!
- Allow Proper Warm Up and Cool Down: Do proper warm up and cool down. Warm up prepares the body for the workout. It increases blood circulation to target muscle groups. It also increases the muscle temperature, making it efficient for a productive workout. At the end of the workout session, do proper cool down to bring your body back to the resting state. Include proper stretching exercises in your cool down.
- Record Your Advancements: Keep a log of your workout so that you can track your progress. Make a note of the weights that you are lifting, the number of repetitions and the sets that you are doing. Your logs will be very helpful in making a progression in your workout.
- Take A High Protein Diet: Diet should always be planned according to your workout. Proper nutrition plays a great role in muscle building. Consume sufficient amount of calories. Lack of calories will cause protein break down, which happens to be the ultimate building block of muscles. A high protein diet is very important in building muscles. Muscles are nothing but protein and thus protein plays a vital role. You can also go for protein supplements like whey protein, protein shakes and bars. Take appropriate pre and post workout meals. Keep your body hydrated by consuming sufficient amounts of water throughout the day.
This is just the beginning of a bigger story! You will feel very confident and motivated when you will observe the gradual development of muscles. And of course, you can be your girlfriend's "Rocky"! Let the real Rocky stay back in her dreams only!
