Muscle Routine Component No. 1 - heavy weights, high intensity
The saying, "no pain, no gain" is too true. The reason that backs up this ancient proverb is the fact that muscle will only respond and grow when it opposes a force that is greater than itself. It obviously will hurt after lifting something heavy for an extended period of time and if you routinely undertake this process, your muscles will naturally adapt to it. Better getting bigger and feeling less pain than staying small and feeling more pain. No one talks about it in this manner, but this is why heavy weights are necessary for continual muscle mass gain. High intensity simply refers to doing the workout in a continuous circuit, giving your muscle less time to rest and hence reaching "muscle overload" quicker. "Muscle overload" is characterized by an inability to lift weights any more meaning your muscle is ready to rest and grow.
Muscle routine Component No. 2 - natural, high-protein food
You need to supply your muscles with the fundamental building blocks to grow. Building muscle without eating high-protein food is like building house with no bricks. We all know about the bodybuilders who take this too far and take steroids which is pure protein injected into the muscles. Our aim is to do this as organically as possible, to maintain the integrity of the body and keep our body naturally healthy. Red meat is a popular choice, but it generally gets digested slower because of its density. Things like eggs and legumes however are smaller and thus more readily absorbable.
Muscle Routine Component No. 3 - rest
Many unsuspecting bodybuilders forget about this important aspect of an effective muscle routine. Rest is paramount. Continuing with the house building analogy, it's like giving time for the mortar to dry. Doing weights without giving yourself time to recover can actually undo the muscle that you spent so long trying to get. This is why working out at night time is not such a good idea. Your body has been stirred up and is unable to rest properly.
These three muscle routine components are absolutely vital to muscle gain success. If you are someone who is new to gaining muscle, you have been given a foundation to base your future workouts on. If you are a hardgainer whose muscle routine lacked these components, congratulations, because you're not a hardgainer anymore. There is always time to fix up your muscle routine. What better time than right now?
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