A Beginners Guide on How to Build Muscle

By Susan Dickson

A Beginners Guide on How to Build Muscle thegearhunt.com

Everyone remembers the commercials, well almost everyone, where the skinny boy doesn’t get the girl because the muscled-up guy kicks sand in his face at the beach. Of course, then he runs off and lifts weights, builds his muscles, comes back and gets the girl. Well, of course, that’s not how it works in the real world, but you get the picture. Building up muscle is a good thing, whether you’re a man or a woman, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come with its own set of disadvantages as well. There are honestly quite a few different reasons that people want to build up their muscles.

Maybe you’re a guy who is tired of being skinny and weak or maybe you’re a girl that just wants a little more muscle on her body. Whoever you are and whatever your reason, it’s important to go about it the right way. As with anything else in the world today, there are many benefits to building up your muscles, but there are also some dangers, side effects and all-out bad things associated with muscle building supplements and muscle building itself as well. In this blog, we will go into everything we could find during our research about muscle building, from the dangers to the benefits and from some tips on how to get the job done to the supplements you can take and whether they are bad or good for you. It is said that there are three basic things you need to build your muscles. Those are:

The ability to lift heavy things
The ability to eat a diet that helps you achieve those goals
The ability to rest and not go overboard with your muscle building routine

If you have the ability to do these three simple things, then muscle building might just be the right choice for you.

With that in mind, grab a protein shake, pull up a weight bench and let’s delve into our blog on everything to do with muscle building and what you should know to get you started the right and safe way.

Top Reasons You’re not Building Muscle

The first thing you need to know when you’re looking to build up your muscles is why it hasn’t worked for you in the past. If you’ve tried everything you can from workout programs to chugging those supplements, and nothings working, you must just not be destined to have muscles right? Maybe not. Below, we will go into a few of the top reasons that your muscle building just isn’t working for you, so hopefully, you can fix it and meet your goals.

You’re Being Too Impatient

If you’re truly a beginner to the muscle building world, then the first months of your routine are going to have changes that aren’t visible to the naked eye. These changes might not be seen, but they are working, trust us. The key is to not look in the mirror two weeks after your muscle building routines begin and think, “this just isn’t working for me,” and quit everything you’re working so hard to accomplish. The visible changes will come, you just have to be patient and willing to work for them.

You Don’t Keep a Training Log

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when trying to build muscle is not keeping a training log. Keeping track is just as important as the program itself. How are you supposed to know what you’re supposed to do tomorrow or what you did today if you have no record of it to look back on or at? For example, if you’re hurt while training, you can look back over the log to see what you’ve been doing that might have caused it, and that is invaluable to anyone who is building muscle for sure.

Your Workout is Random

It’s extremely important to have structure when you’re on a muscle building workout program. Working out one day, then not working out for weeks, then working out for a week and skipping three or four days is not going to give you the muscles you want. You have to be consistent and have a workout structured to fit your needs. This means working out to build your muscles consistently, not every now and then when you feel like it.

You Don’t Eat Enough or Don’t Eat Right

You can’t expect to build muscle if you eat like a bird or eat things that are completely unhealthy. To gain muscles, you can’t exist on salads every day, all day long. While salads are good for you, you need something with more substance and with more calories. This doesn’t mean that you should stock up on junk food or fast food products, those are things you still need to avoid. Instead, try organic meats and other foods that are good for you, but still, have a high caloric intake.

These are just a few of the top reasons you might be failing with your muscle building. Now, we’ll move onto a few of the reasons that you do need to work on building your muscles, even if it’s just a little.

Reasons to Build Your Muscles

Building your muscles doesn’t mean you have to be a bodybuilder. Instead, there are many, many reasons out there that you should build them just for yourself and your own health. Below, you will find a list of reasons that building muscle is the right choice for almost everyone.

It improves your metabolism
Gives you more strength as you age
Gives you curves in the right spots

Helps you keep up with your children
Gives you the ability to burn more calories/allows you to eat more
Builds your confidence

Improves your physical appearance

While these are some great reasons to build your muscles, it’s still important to not go whole hog on something you’re not used to doing. Make sure that you start small, take rests, and work your way up to the muscle strength goal you’re working towards. It’s also important to visit your primary health care provider to ensure that you are able to start a muscle building program. Your doctor can determine if it’s the right course of action for you and help you set up a workout that tailors your body type and needs.

Benefits of Starting a Muscle Building Program

There are quite a few benefits to starting a muscle building program as well, whether you’re starting one just to build your muscles or you want to get pumped and reach bodybuilder status. With that in mind, let’s delve into our list on the benefits below, so you can do your research well before you start a program.

Improves bone density
Helps improve sleeping habits
Helps improve brain function

Can improve your confidence
Can improve your mood
Helps improve heart health

Improves your metabolism

Remember, there are many, many health benefits to starting a muscle building program out there, not only physical benefits but emotional and mental benefits as well. As with any new program, however, it’s important to start small, visit your primary health care provider first, and don’t overdo it. Remember, muscle building is supposed to help improve your health, not make it worse.

One of the biggest things you need to accomplish when starting a muscle building routine is getting into a routine. Whether it’s going to the gym twice a week or lifting in your own home twice a day. The trick is to find a routine that works for you and sticking to it. You can’t expect to build muscle mass if you are constantly being lazy and falling behind on your routine.

Other Muscle Building Tips

There are so many muscle building tips out there that it’s hard to put them all in one place. Instead, we are going to list a few below for you to follow or not follow, depending on whichever ones best suit your routine and goals.

Always have focused form
Stimulate the muscles, don’t annihilate them

Always be changing up the times between your sets
Have a plan set out
Always follow a routine

Never, ever overdo it
Follow a diet that has enough calories to help, not hurt you

Now, that you know a little bit about how to start building the muscle you need as you age, or the muscles you want to improve your appearance, it’s time to look into the drawbacks and dangers of muscle building, as there is such thing as too much of a good thing.

Dangers of Muscle Building Revealed

While there are quite a few dangers when it comes to muscle building, such as torn muscles, ligaments, and overdoing it to the point to where you hurt yourself, most dangers and side effects seem to come from the muscle building supplements that are extremely popular today. First, we will list some supplements that are attributed to building muscles, then we will go into the dangers and side effects of those supplements as well.

Supplements for Muscle Building Revealed

If you already exercise regularly and have recently decided that muscle building should become a part of your routine, then you might not yet know the best supplements on the market today to help you reach the muscle growth you crave. While we all now know the three main criteria of muscle building, which are taking in more calories than you are burning, eating more protein than your body is breaking down and having a very challenging exercise program, many people feel that adding a supplement to their diet will only help them. Below, you can find a list of the best and most used supplements on the market to choose from.

Creatine supplements
Protein supplements

Weight gainer supplements
Branched-Chain amino acid supplements
HMB

There are many other muscle building supplements out there to choose from, these are just the ones that are said to be the best. Your best course of action is to talk to your primary health care provider and let him help you figure out what is the best supplement for you to take. Remember, this is supposed to help your health, not hurt it.

Now, that we know the supplements you need to take to ensure that you are building muscle the right way, it’s time to go into a few of the dangers and side effects of those supplements as well. There are many side effects associated with these supplements, but we will concentrate on the protein supplement side effects for this blog.

Side Effects of Protein Supplements for Muscle Building

Upset Digestive System

Protein supplements for muscle building have been reported as causing digestive system upset. Some of them are said to cause constipation, nausea, and diarrhea. You shouldn’t be taking some of these if you are lactose intolerant as well.

Causes Unhealthy Weight Gain

Some protein supplements can cause you to gain weight and not in a healthy way. Not muscle weight, fat weight, which isn’t what you are building your muscles, for now, is it? You want to be sure that you aren’t taking too much of a protein supplement or you could find yourself weighing a whole lot more than you intended.

Other Side Effects

Has been known to lower blood pressure too much

It is possible that it could affect your kidneys
Has been known to cause hormone imbalance
Could cause damage to the liver

Has been known to lead to heavy metal poisoning
Can interact with certain medications
Has a risk of cancer

Could cause dehydration
Could cause hair loss

These are just a few of the side effects that have been reported by users who have ingested too much of a protein supplement. It’s best to be careful what you are taking and how much with any muscle building supplement, however.

This concludes our blog on building muscle and everything you should know. Happy muscle building, everyone, and be sure to do it the safe way for the best results.