While the goal of many diet and exercise programs is to get as small as possible, the goal for bodybuilders is usually to get as big as possible. Big as in lots of muscle, not fat. Getting big in this case can be just as hard as it is for overweight people to get small through dieting and fat loss. Muscle takes time to build and also requires specific exercises and foods to help the process along. Simply going to your local gym and picking up a few weights is not going to help you build significant muscle. Instead, you'll have to follow tried and true principles of body building that some still regard as secrets because of the lack of people that actually follow the advice.
One of the first keys to building muscle mass when bodybuilding is to use the proper weight. In order to build muscle, you have to go heavy. It's really that simple. Your muscles only grow after they have faced a challenge that makes them experience stress needed in order for them to be damaged and then have to repair themselves. It is this repair process that results in your gaining bigger muscles. If you choose to go light, your body will very quickly become used to the workload and no growth will occur. A good rule of thumb is to use a weight that you can only lift for 10 repetitions in a strict manner. If you are able to perform much more than 10 reps, you are probably not doing enough work for your body to gain muscle. In addition, if you cannot perform 10 strict reps, you may be using a weight that is too heavy and you risk damaging yourself.
The next bodybuilding secret we’ll talk about is that of compound movements. Compound movements are those in which you will use several muscle groups at one time to perform the exercise. When you are working more muscle groups at one time, you are able to lift much heavier weight and will therefore speed up the process of adding muscle to your entire body. One of the best examples of a compound exercise that is effective in helping you build muscle is the squat. This exercise will work almost your entire body and certainly all of the muscles of your lower body very effectively.
While there are certainly more techniques we could list that will help you in your process to gain muscle, the last one we will mention in this article and perhaps the most important one you'll ever learn is rest. The fact is your muscles will only grow during periods of rest. I am not talking about the rest between exercises but instead the rest you experience while sleeping at night and the time between actual workouts. Getting adequate amounts of rest at night and between workouts is vital to your gaining muscle. All too often, be generous will work out day after day and never give their body any time to rest. They are then surprised by their lack of muscle development and become frustrated. In addition, this often leads to overtraining which will certainly halt the progress of new muscle. Make sure to get significant amounts of rest each and every night and after working out for two or three consecutive days, take an entire day off to give your body time to recover.
While the above may not exactly seem like well guarded secrets, they do represent some of the most effective admonitions you can take advantage of when trying to build muscle through bodybuilding.
Emile Jarreau has been involved in Fitness and Bodybuilding for over 32 years. For more information regarding fat loss go to http://www.MrFatLoss.com