The muscle building process

The muscle building process is relatively simple to understand.

With all the information available on the internet, you would think it would be easier to find information on what exactly makes muscles grow. There are quite a few misconceptions out there and this article will debunk some of those myths and reveal exactly what happens when your body builds muscle.

The entire process begins when the existing muscles in the body are put under extreme stress, such as when they push or pull more weight than they are used to pushing and pulling.

When muscles are asked to do more work than they are used to, they suffer minor tears. You will feel these microtears as muscle pain. These mini-lesions are repaired while the body remains. The resulting muscle is slightly larger than before, better able to handle the stress that caused the initial tears.

A bodybuilder maximizes the muscle building process by continually increasing the stress level locus on muscle groups. This is achieved by increasing the amount of weight, the repetitions of the exercises and/or changing the type of exercise used on a specific muscle, causing new microtears, building the muscle more and more.

Massive muscle growth also requires a specific nutritional plan. There are three macronutrients that you will need in the correct proportions to fuel muscle growth. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats will provide you with the nutritional load your muscles require.

Carbohydrates provide the fuel to help you power through your workouts. Slow digesting, low glycemic (GI) carbohydrates, most fruits and vegetables (except potatoes, corn, and peas), whole grains, basmati rice, and pasta are preferred because they do not cause a increase in blood sugar as high glycemic carbohydrates do. A sharp increase in blood sugar causes an increase in insulin production, making it more likely that energy from food will be stored as fat and not used for energy. Post-workout meals, however, often contain some fast-digesting carbohydrates to replace glycogen in the muscles and promote protein synthesis.

Protein is the building block of muscle building and professional bodybuilders eat large amounts of it. For some, protein is nearly a third of the day’s calories. In addition to poultry, beef, pork, and eggs, protein powders made from whey or soy are added to meals or used as meal replacements in shakes.

You need about two tablespoons of dietary fat each day. Approved sources of fat for muscle building are unsaturated, which are liquid at room temperature and are found in canola and olive oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados.

The missing components here are rest and recovery. You have put a lot of stress on your body and it needs to rest. The specific muscles that you have worked on need to recover and should not be exercised again until they are properly recovered. For most people, that means there should be at least 48 hours between workouts for the same muscles.