The recovery phase and muscle gain

The recovery phase and muscle gain
If you've spent any time in the bookstore browsing through
magazine articles on bodybuilding, you've no doubt come
across some pretty strong claims about how the latest
supplement fad can provide you with unbelievable results.
You may have also seen some recommendations on improving
your workout technique and other such advice. What was
probably missing from the discussion is the importance of a
solid recovery phase when embarking on a new strength
training or bodybuilding program. If you seem to spend all
your time in the gym without making any progress, or if
your initial muscle gains have reached a plateau, take a
moment to think about your recovery plans (or lack thereof).

What exactly is the recovery phase? Well, let's review how
muscle is built in the first place. In order for your body
to build muscle, you first have to give your body a reason
to build it. You see, on a basic biological level muscle
is an expensive asset to have, and the body would rather
not have to maintain it. The only way to stimulate new
muscle growth is to give the body a reason to build it, and
the way to do this is to take advantage of our basic
biological need to survive.

When we lift a heavy weight that the body is not used to,
the muscle is damaged on a microscopic level. Because the
body does not want to be put under this same stress ever
again, the muscle will be rebuilt bigger and stronger
(provided there is enough material for growth in the form
of protein and other nutrients). So how does this tie in
to the importance of resting during the recovery phase?
Simply put, the muscles must be given time to rebuild
before they are put under heavy stress again. This means
that we must limit the frequency of our workouts in order
to maximize their effect, and this is why many bodybuilding
experts recommend only a few hours of training per week.
You may have heard them referred to this concept with the
motto Less is More.

In addition to carefully planning your workouts to avoid
over training, you must make sure that you're getting
plenty of sleep in order to experience the best possible
muscle gains. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, and,
as you learned above, the body has to repair and enlarge
your muscle after a heavy workout. If you ignore these
principles, don't be surprised if you find yourself unable
to reach new heights in your quest for maximum muscle gain.

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Jon Cardozo, from Jcardozium research, writes on how to
build muscle naturally, nutrition, and general fitness.
Visit his website for more information on how to gain
muscle at http://maximum-muscle-gain.com