Build Muscle - Ways to Enhance Recovery So You Can Build Muscle Faster
In order to build muscle, two things must be present.
First, you will need an overloading stimulus, which usually comes in the form of a heavy weight that has been lifted.
After that objective has been achieved, then you need to present rest to the body so that it can recover from the stimulus, repair the broken down muscle tissue, and then grow back stronger.
If either of these two things are missing, your results will be less than stellar.
There are things you can do to improve the rate at which you recover though, which will then indirectly help you build muscle faster.
The less time you have to spend recovering, the more time you can spend in the gym.
Since frequency is a large component of the muscle building process, this then sets you up to experience optimal weight gain.
Here is what you need to consider.
Post-Workout Stretching Skipping your post-workout stretching is a bit mistake.
Not only will stretching help to ease muscle soreness, but it will also allow more blood flow to the muscles, helping to remove the byproduct build-ups that are associated with a hard recovery.
All it really takes is 10-15 minutes at the end of the workout to stretch out all the major muscle groups.
This time will be time well spent.
A Hot Bath Or Sauna Another common technique that many individuals use as a means to optimize their recovery is taking a hot bath or sitting in a sauna.
Both again will increase the blood circulation to the muscles and help keep them lose and limber.
If you've ever done a hard leg workout and the next day had trouble getting out of bed, you know just how much post-workout soreness can be a factor that keeps you out of the gym.
Glutamine Taking glutamine in the post-workout period is also a smart plan if you're looking to maximize recovery and build muscle faster.
Glutamine will help increase the stores in the body, and since this is the primary amino acid that is responsible for muscle repair, it's going to be vital in fixing those damaged muscle cells.
Relaxation Finally, the last thing you can do to optimize your recovery is simple relaxation.
While this should seem to go without saying, if you going straight from your workout to a stressful job or stressful relationship, this can actually compromise the recovery you experience.
When the body is highly stressed (apart from physical stress), cortisol is still released from the adrenal gland, which is a hormone that will break down tissues rather than build them up.
Since the main goal during recovery is to rebuild the muscles that you have just damaged, you can see why this is obviously not a good thing.
So, do everything you can possible to spend some time doing a low-key, leisurely activity after your hard workouts.
This could be reading, going for a very easy walk, sleeping, or just watching your favorite TV show.
For some, those who workout in the morning for instance, this may not be practical, but for those of you who it is, you would be highly advised to do so.
So, make sure you are doing whatever you can to get your body repaired from your workout.
The sooner you take action on your post-workout recovery practices, the sooner you will build muscle and see the results you're after.
First, you will need an overloading stimulus, which usually comes in the form of a heavy weight that has been lifted.
After that objective has been achieved, then you need to present rest to the body so that it can recover from the stimulus, repair the broken down muscle tissue, and then grow back stronger.
If either of these two things are missing, your results will be less than stellar.
There are things you can do to improve the rate at which you recover though, which will then indirectly help you build muscle faster.
The less time you have to spend recovering, the more time you can spend in the gym.
Since frequency is a large component of the muscle building process, this then sets you up to experience optimal weight gain.
Here is what you need to consider.
Post-Workout Stretching Skipping your post-workout stretching is a bit mistake.
Not only will stretching help to ease muscle soreness, but it will also allow more blood flow to the muscles, helping to remove the byproduct build-ups that are associated with a hard recovery.
All it really takes is 10-15 minutes at the end of the workout to stretch out all the major muscle groups.
This time will be time well spent.
A Hot Bath Or Sauna Another common technique that many individuals use as a means to optimize their recovery is taking a hot bath or sitting in a sauna.
Both again will increase the blood circulation to the muscles and help keep them lose and limber.
If you've ever done a hard leg workout and the next day had trouble getting out of bed, you know just how much post-workout soreness can be a factor that keeps you out of the gym.
Glutamine Taking glutamine in the post-workout period is also a smart plan if you're looking to maximize recovery and build muscle faster.
Glutamine will help increase the stores in the body, and since this is the primary amino acid that is responsible for muscle repair, it's going to be vital in fixing those damaged muscle cells.
Relaxation Finally, the last thing you can do to optimize your recovery is simple relaxation.
While this should seem to go without saying, if you going straight from your workout to a stressful job or stressful relationship, this can actually compromise the recovery you experience.
When the body is highly stressed (apart from physical stress), cortisol is still released from the adrenal gland, which is a hormone that will break down tissues rather than build them up.
Since the main goal during recovery is to rebuild the muscles that you have just damaged, you can see why this is obviously not a good thing.
So, do everything you can possible to spend some time doing a low-key, leisurely activity after your hard workouts.
This could be reading, going for a very easy walk, sleeping, or just watching your favorite TV show.
For some, those who workout in the morning for instance, this may not be practical, but for those of you who it is, you would be highly advised to do so.
So, make sure you are doing whatever you can to get your body repaired from your workout.
The sooner you take action on your post-workout recovery practices, the sooner you will build muscle and see the results you're after.
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