Are you trying to build muscle? If so, then there are some steps that you can take to maximize your workout and minimize time wasted at the gym. If you want to be bigger and stronger, then this article can help you to attain those goals. Follow the tips you’re about to read instead of wasting time with ineffective workouts.

Warming up the right way is important when trying to increase muscle mass. As you build muscle and get stronger, you can actually be vulnerable to injury. By warming up, you can prevent this injury. Prior to lifting, exercise lightly for about 10 minutes, and follow it up with about 4 light warm-up sets.

If you are currently training to do a marathon, or doing any type of extreme cardio work, now is not a good time to try to build up your muscles. While engaging in cardio exercise is key to good health, it can negate the work you do on your muscle mass. Put most of your efforts into strength-training if you wish to grow muscle.

You must eat carbohydrates, if you want to build muscle. They give you the energy you need to perform your training. If you are following a particularly grueling training program, adjust your protein intake to match. That means about 2-3 grams of protein per pound of weight.

Eat very well on the days that you plan to work on your muscle building. It is always a good idea to increase calorie consumption approximately an hour before working out. Do not sabotage your efforts by binge-eating on your workout days. Instead, just increase your caloric intake more than your consumption on your off days.

Some people mistakenly increase protein consumption when beginning to build muscle. This can cause excess calories to accumulate. If those calories aren’t burned while working out, fat gain may result. Increase the protein in your diet slowly, and give you body a chance to convert it to muscle.

Plyometric exercises are a great idea! This work smaller, “fast-twitch” muscle fibers, stimulating muscle growth. Plyometrics incorporate acceleration into your workout. As an example, if you were performing plyometric push-ups, you would allow your hands to spring off the ground lifting yourself up as high as possible.

Limit your workouts to no more than four times during the week. You want to provide time for your body to repair itself. Working out too much can cause you to injure your body, and can ultimately be counterproductive for your end results.

An excellent method of getting around muscles that are limiting you in certain exercises is pre-exhaust. One example of this are your biceps becoming fatigued before lats on a row. An exercise that isolates and works only your lats, performed before your workout, allows you to avoid this problem. Your lats will already be exhausted, which means that when you perform the rowing exercise, your biceps will no longer be the limiting factor.

Even if you aren’t concerned about adding bulk to your body, it’s still beneficial to work out your muscles. It can improve your self-esteem, give you more strength and help with your joints.

You should focus on short-term realistic goals. You might want to be able to lift a large amount in only a short period of time, but this is not a realistic goal. If you move too quickly or lift too much, you can injure yourself. After finding your baseline strength, attempt to modestly improve every routine. You may surpass those short-term goals. Doing this can give you even more encouragement towards continuing your workout regimen.

One effective strategy is to mix up the kind of grip in the back. Use staged or mixed grips when doing rack pulls or deadlifts, so that you can build strength more easily. Utilizing a staggered grip will give you the ability to twist the bar in one direction as your underhand grip moves the weight bar in the opposite direction. This will stop the bar when it starts to roll on your hands.

Creatine supplements can sometimes be beneficial. They might allow you to put more into each workout, and therefore build muscles more rapidly. If you’re consuming any kind of supplement, you should ensure you are being careful. You should ensure that you read and understand the directions, then follow them exactly so as not to overdose yourself.

You may want to go fast through your reps, but don’t! Performing the movements of each exercise slowly will provide better results, even if you have to switch to a lighter weight to do it. Try to shoot for 20 seconds for each rep, with 5-10 seconds for each movement within any weight-lifting exercise.

Weight Lifting

In weight lifting, technique is more important than the amount of weight being used, the speed of exercise or the frequency of workouts. Every exercise in a weight lifting routine should be practiced thoroughly until you have mastered the proper form. Perfecting one’s form early on with light weights is best, and when more weight is added later, the benefits are maximized.

As this article demonstrates, building muscle can be achieved through a number of different ways and some may work better for you than others. The tips you have learned here can give you great results. If you use the advice that was in this article, you will find that your workout results improve dramatically.