A good understanding of how the human body works and grows is imperative in order to be able to accomplish rapid muscle growth. There are a myriad of exercises from swimming, jogging, soccer to lifting barbells, dumbbells, etc. So is there a difference between these exercises? Would you build muscle if you increased your swimming sessions from half an hour to 1 hour? not likely. There is a trick to building muscle fast, and before you can fully appreciate it, or even buy the idea, you need to know the fundamentals underlying the health and strength building processes of the human body.
The exercises that we see, hear or do ourselves are basically of two types;
1. Aerobic: Aerobic exercises make the heart muscle stronger. This is the main reason for doing them. These exercises are done to promote full body fitness. Aerobics means ‘with air’ or more specifically ‘with oxygen’. The intensity level is kept moderate during these exercises; The heart continuously increases its rate of pumping blood throughout the body. These exercises focus on ensuring that the muscle tissues of the body get an adequate supply of oxygen. As a result, fat is reduced and muscles are strong and healthy. But they do not grow muscles. They train the muscles to keep them active and flexible. Exercises like jogging, swimming, jumping rope, specially designed aerobic workouts etc come under this head.
2. Anaerobic: These are the exercises that build muscle. The word anaerobic means ‘without air or oxygen’. So how does exercise work without oxygen? This way; The intensity level in these exercises is high. If you tone arm muscles with 5p pound dumbbells regularly, that’s aerobic. If you lift the maximum possible weight on your dumbbells, and then work on maxing them out, you’re on your way to anaerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise causes the muscles of the body to contract to such an extent that the body cannot supply oxygen in its present state. So the body uses the glycogen stored in it and converts it into lactic acid. This lactic acid gives the muscles the energy they need, but also creates an ‘oxygen deficiency’. Now your body and your muscles know that there was not enough muscle mass and energy and had to take emergency measures. Lactic acid causes the burning sensation in the muscles that most people feel at the end of their intense workouts. This intensity results in a slight tear in the muscles, but this damage is the stimulus the body needs to grow stronger muscles and that too in greater mass.
Now in light of the above, you know that you can convert your current aerobic routine into an anaerobic routine by increasing the intensity. You also know that aerobic exercise will improve your health and body, but they won’t bulk up your body. To build muscle as quickly as possible without compromising on your health, you need to include the following in your routine;
1. Progressive Overload: This means that with each workout, you increase the size of the weight you lift.
2. Maximum Lift: If you want to see rapid muscle growth, lift weights to your maximum capacity. Maximum capacity means the maximum capacity that you can lift without causing abnormal or unnatural pain to your body. Make sure you have an instructor under your supervision.
3. Exercise should be short but intense: Keep your exercise routine short but intense. This should bring out your full potential. For example, you should lift heavy weights but reduce the number of repetitions.
4. Watch Your Diet: Diet is essential for healthy muscle development. Since your goal is to build muscle fast, make sure you consume plenty of protein. Consuming a high-protein meal half an hour before a workout ensures that your body has a healthy supply of amino acids that it can use to repair and build muscle soon after your workout is over.
5. Rest and Sleep: As you increase the intensity of workouts, the breaks you take between workouts should increase. Similarly, you should increase the number of hours of sleep to at least 8-10 a day for healthy muscle development.
Source by Johan Knutsson
