The best way to gain muscle is the natural way. While many people use steroids in order to gain muscle and eliminate fat, steroid use is not only illegal in many places but also dangerous. Steroids not only cause muscle growth but also side effects such as headaches, blood pressure problems, problems with the organs, mood swings, depression and in some cases even death. Steroids are a dangerous path to take for a person who is aiming for muscle growth.
The truth is, it is possible to gain muscle naturally. While natural muscle building takes longer than steroid muscle building, it is much better in the long run. A person who has gained muscle naturally will be much healthier overall than a person who regularly uses steroids.
Natural Muscle Building Foods
A person who wants to have more muscle should eat natural muscle building foods. A natural muscle building diet will help one to eliminate fat while gaining muscle. There are a lot of misconceptions about which foods should and should not be eaten when on a natural muscle building diet. Following is a simple overview of what one should and should not eat when attempting to gain natural muscle growth.
Proteins are the building blocks of muscle growth. A person who wants to gain muscle should eat a gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. In other words, a person who has a lean body weight of 100 pounds should eat 100 grams of protein a day. While this figure can be increased to 1.25 grams per pound of lean body weight, it should never exceed this figure. Too much protein intake is as bad for muscle growth as too little protein intake.
Carbohydrates and fats also play a role in muscle growth. However, this does not mean that one can eat unlimited quantities of junk food and still expect to gain muscle. The key is to eat healthy carbohydrates, such as brown rice, brown bread, potatoes and the like. Fatty acids can be obtained from healthy foods such as olive oil, flaxseed oil and egg yolks.
While these foods are especially important, one should strive to maintain a healthy diet overall. Drink at least eight cups of water a day and include plenty of fruits and vegetables in the diet. These foods are important, even though they do not directly contribute to muscle growth.
All natural muscle building supplements are also important, but they are not an alternative to following a strict muscle building diet. A person who uses the supplements in place of a diet will not see much progress. Supplements are just that – supplemental. Natural muscle building supplements are a must, as they will help one to lost weight faster, have more energy and build muscle, but they should only be used in conjunction with a natural muscle building diet.
Natural Muscle Building Workouts
Having a proper muscle building workout regimen is as important as following a natural muscle building diet. The truth is that a person will not gain muscle growth without a proper training regimen. While there are many expensive books on the topic, one does not need to buy any of them in order to make a muscle building workout plan.
First of all, one should consider which exercises build muscle. Bench-pressing, weight lifting, hanging leg raises, squats, leg presses and curls, calf raises, bar dips, lat pull downs, upright rows and wrist curls are just some of the many muscle building exercises that one can do either at home or at a gym. The main question many aspiring muscle builders ask is how many of each of these exercises should be done on a daily basis?
A person who is just starting out should do between five and six sets of muscle building exercises for the leg, back and chest muscles and three to four sets for the arms and shoulders. A newbie muscle builder should never attempt to do more than this, as it will be counterproductive. Once a person has been working out for six months or more, then this figure can be increased to six to eight sets for the legs, chest and back and five to six sets for the arms and shoulders.
Natural muscle building may take time but it does not take months on end. A person who follows a proper natural muscle building diet and workout regimen will see results. Eating the right foods and exercising right are the best ways to build muscle.