Abhishek Agarwal asked:
All kind of common myths circulate about how to build muscle. Most people will tell you that you need to do 12 reps, that is 12 repetitions, of a weight exercise if you want to build muscle. This is a fiction. It is not the number of repitions that build the muscle but the time that the muscle spends under tension.
The trick is to do the exercise more slowly rather than do more of them. A few repetitions performed slowly will have more effect than repeating the exercise more often more quickly.
Using slightly heavier weights and performing fewer reps will have the best effect on building muscle mass.
It is important to increase the weights slowly. You should begin with weights that well within your ability to lift them. Gradually progress at each session to heavier weights. Stop if you feel any pain and go back to the previous weight.
Always make sure that you warm up before beginning your weight training. This will avoid muscle strains. After the session make sure that you stretch the muscles to ensure that they do not become tight and stiff.
Another common myth is that reps should be done in three sets. There is no magic involved here. The idea of breaking your reps into sets is just a way of introducing a period of rest into the weight training. This is important if you want to avoid muscle strain.
You will often hear that you should do three to four exercises for each muscle group. Generally speaking this will not be enough to build muscle effectively. You need to work the muscles more than that.
The injunction not to let your knees go beyond your toes has probably baffled you unless you have a good trainer to explain it. This is in fact perfectly true. Studies have shown that you are more likely to suffer injury when doing squats if your knees go beyond your toes.
Researchers at Memphis University found that knee stress was much higher when the knees went beyond the toes. But they also found that hip stress was greater if the knees were not allowed to move forward.
The best solution seems to be to focus on the position of your upper body when doing squats and lunges. If the upper body is kept upright then the stress on both knees and hips is reduced.
Some of the best guidance for preventing joint strain can be found in yoga manuals. A few classes with a good yoga teacher may be a good way of developing the correct posture for weight training.
Another common myth that you will hear in the gym is lift weights draw abs. The idea is that the abdominal muscles support the spine so by pulling them in you will protect the spine from injury.
But the muscle you draw in is the transverse abdominis is not the most important one in protecting the spine. All the abdominal muscles work together to protect the spine. So by deliberately working one muscle you may prevent the others from doing their part.
Again posture is your best guide. Keeping the spine straight when you perform an exercise will ensure that all the abdominal muscles come into action.
The single most common myth is that if you work out every day you will build more muscle. This is not true. Muscle builds because cells are damaged in the process of exercise. When the body repairs that damage it makes the muscle stronger. You need to allow your muscles a day to rest so that your body can do the essential work of repair.
Muscle Growth
All kind of common myths circulate about how to build muscle. Most people will tell you that you need to do 12 reps, that is 12 repetitions, of a weight exercise if you want to build muscle. This is a fiction. It is not the number of repitions that build the muscle but the time that the muscle spends under tension.
The trick is to do the exercise more slowly rather than do more of them. A few repetitions performed slowly will have more effect than repeating the exercise more often more quickly.
Using slightly heavier weights and performing fewer reps will have the best effect on building muscle mass.
It is important to increase the weights slowly. You should begin with weights that well within your ability to lift them. Gradually progress at each session to heavier weights. Stop if you feel any pain and go back to the previous weight.
Always make sure that you warm up before beginning your weight training. This will avoid muscle strains. After the session make sure that you stretch the muscles to ensure that they do not become tight and stiff.
Another common myth is that reps should be done in three sets. There is no magic involved here. The idea of breaking your reps into sets is just a way of introducing a period of rest into the weight training. This is important if you want to avoid muscle strain.
You will often hear that you should do three to four exercises for each muscle group. Generally speaking this will not be enough to build muscle effectively. You need to work the muscles more than that.
The injunction not to let your knees go beyond your toes has probably baffled you unless you have a good trainer to explain it. This is in fact perfectly true. Studies have shown that you are more likely to suffer injury when doing squats if your knees go beyond your toes.
Researchers at Memphis University found that knee stress was much higher when the knees went beyond the toes. But they also found that hip stress was greater if the knees were not allowed to move forward.
The best solution seems to be to focus on the position of your upper body when doing squats and lunges. If the upper body is kept upright then the stress on both knees and hips is reduced.
Some of the best guidance for preventing joint strain can be found in yoga manuals. A few classes with a good yoga teacher may be a good way of developing the correct posture for weight training.
Another common myth that you will hear in the gym is lift weights draw abs. The idea is that the abdominal muscles support the spine so by pulling them in you will protect the spine from injury.
But the muscle you draw in is the transverse abdominis is not the most important one in protecting the spine. All the abdominal muscles work together to protect the spine. So by deliberately working one muscle you may prevent the others from doing their part.
Again posture is your best guide. Keeping the spine straight when you perform an exercise will ensure that all the abdominal muscles come into action.
The single most common myth is that if you work out every day you will build more muscle. This is not true. Muscle builds because cells are damaged in the process of exercise. When the body repairs that damage it makes the muscle stronger. You need to allow your muscles a day to rest so that your body can do the essential work of repair.
Muscle Growth
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