4 Key Considerations to Gain Muscle Mass

4 Key Considerations to Gain Muscle Mass
In today's society weight is almost a taboo word. There is
an obsession in society and in the media with losing weight
fast. However, some people do not need to be thinner and
actually need to put on a little weight. If they gain
muscle mass instead of fat they will not only put on
weight, but they will look better for it too. In this
article I discuss four guidelines to help you can gain
muscle mass:

1) DIET:- Most people who exercise regularly monitor their
food intake. They control the quantities they are
consuming and avoid certain types of food. To gain muscle
mass you need to focus on increasing your caloric intake
and your protein intake. You may also gain fat in this
process (as a result of consuming additional calories) but
if you stick to a regular exercise routine you should soon
lose this excess fat whilst maintaining the muscle you have
gained.

Gaining fat initially is not a bad thing. The excess fat
will give you the additional energy and calories required
to gain muscle mass. Once you gain the desired amount of
muscle you can then change your diet to one that promotes
fat burning as opposed to muscle gain till you reach a
happy medium. Some athletes have reported that it is
easier to lose their excess fat by following a fat loss
diet for a short period after they have reached their
preferred muscle weight and continuing with their same
workout.

2) NUMBER OF MEALS:- If you are eating to gain muscle it is
recommended that you increase your number of daily meals to
5 or 6. By eating more regularly you can saturate your
body with amino acids and glycogen (gained from
carbohydrates and proteins) and ensure that your body does
not enter starvation mode (whereby it would start burning
muscle tissues).

3) WEIGHT TRAINING:- Eating the right food is a step in the
right direction but without proper training you will not
gain muscle mass. In the beginning you should do all your
weight training under the supervision of a trained
instructor. They will be able to make sure you are doing
the exercises in the right way, thereby avoiding injury.
They can also show you the best exercises for building
muscle. For example, squats and presses are good ways to
gain muscle mass.

4) OVER TRAINING:- Over training is a major factor behind
bodybuilders failing to gain muscle mass. You need to give
your body time to rest and repair so that your muscles can
grow. To avoid over training you should try to limit each
session to 2 hours maximum, not train for more than 2
consecutive days and take a week off every 6-8 weeks.

Gaining muscle mass is a great but often overlooked way to
improve your health and overall appearance. Building
muscle can be difficult when you are a beginner because you
are unsure what exercises to do, what foods to eat and what
supplements to take. However, with the right information
it gets a lot easier. I hope this article has given you a
few pointers and helps you in your quest to gain muscle
mass.

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