Understanding the Basics of Building Muscle Mass

Before embarking on an exercise regimen, it is imperative that you be clear on what exactly your goals of working out are. Many people start an exercise regimen without a clear idea as to what it is they would like to accomplish. This can lead to frustration, injury, and apathy. Building muscle mass, which is something that many people strive for, is a physical undertaking which requires a detailed plan; a focused diet and exercise routine that is unique.

Many people - especially novice gym-goers - are under the false assumption that simply lifting weights a few times a week will result in their bodies being transformed into rippling, bulging shards of steel. Many of these very same people are the one's who, out of pure frustration, end up cancelling their gym memberships and returning to a life of leisure when their muscle building goals fail to produce. This is a common occurrence, and it is something that could easily be remedied by learning a bit about how the body adds muscle, and how the body resists adding muscle. Learning these fundamental basics are paramount to achieving your physical goals.

The basics behind adding muscle mass to your body are fairly simple. In order to gain muscle mass, your body has to be in a state of positive energy balance. What this means is, you have to ingest more calories on a daily basis than what your body expends. Adding muscle mass is the opposite of trying to lose fat, where your goal would be to ingest fewer calories than what your body burns, thus creating a negative energy balance. This simple equation is the basic foundation for building muscle; you must have a positive energy balance in order to add muscle mass to your body. All the weight lifting and grunting and sweating in the world is not going to give you any added muscle mass if you are not taking in more calories than you burn. Calories = Growth!

The types of calories that should be ingested for the goal of adding muscle mass are very important as well. Most experts agree that a person should be ingesting at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Amino Acids, which are the building blocks of protein, are essential for muscle growth. Lacking an adequate supply of protein, your muscles cannot repair themselves as effectively as they could with a steady, adequate supply. So, a 150 pound person should be consuming at least 150 grams of protein per day. Ideally, this protein intake should be made up of high quality, lean sources of protein: lean cuts of beef, chicken or pork; beans, nuts, and low-fat dairy products. Egg whites, which are very high in protein and virtually fat-free, are an excellent and easy source of high quality protein.By adding sources of high quality carbohydrates to the diet, such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread and oats, adequate energy will be provided to supply the necessary drive to power workout sessions at the gym.

In addition to the calorie equation, muscle building requires adequate strength training. However, many people mistakenly believe that the more they train, the more muscle they will gain. This is, for the most part, false. Training too hard and for too long can have a detrimental impact on your muscle gains. Your muscles need adequate rest between workouts in order to repair the microscopic cell damage that results from weight training. It is this cell damage and the attending repair of it which results in your muscles becoming bigger and stronger. So, the weight training itself is the catalyst which kicks off the muscle building process; but it is the rest periods between workouts, when your muscles are being repaired, that actually produce the muscle growth. And without adequate calories in your diet to fuel this repair, your muscles won't get any bigger. Training each muscle group 1-2 times per week is what most experts recommend. Training more often that that will most likely deprive your muscles of the adequate rest/repair interval that is needed for muscle growth. Many people prefer to train their whole body 1-2 times per week, while others prefer to train a few body parts on each day. The important thing is to stay consistent and remember to allow plenty of time for your muscles to repair between workouts.

So, the goal of building muscle mass is a goal that is shared by many exercise enthusiasts and people who are striving to improve the appearance of their bodies. By understanding and following the simple basics behind muscle growth and muscle repair, everyone can dramatically alter the appearance of their bodies and drastically increase their muscle mass.