One of the biggest misconceptions by people who are beginning a training regimen for increasing muscle growth is that they need to spend hours at the gym and work their bodies to death. However, the best muscle building workout is one that is short, with limited reps and sets. The key to muscle building is in the amount of weight used during training. The proper amount of rest is necessary so that muscles can grow to their potential.

Before entering the gym, a person should make sure they are fully hydrated. Physical activity exposes people to water loss. When a person becomes dehydrated, they experience increased thirst, weakness, dizziness, heat exhaustion, and in the most severe cases, death. If a person is not properly hydrated during a muscle building workout then they will not be able to lift as much. Drinking water during and after a workout will maximize performance in the gym as well as lead to generally better health.

Counting the number of sets during weight training is important for a few different reasons. They allow a person to rest so they can perform their best throughout the entire workout. They help a person keep track of how much they are working their muscles. They are a way to measure intensity during a workout. Some people may think the more sets they do the bigger their muscles will get. The truth is that muscles that are overworked will not grow as quickly or as big as they could because they need proper rest. Too many sets will cause damage to the muscles that is counterproductive to muscle building.

The same rule applies to the number of repetitions in each set. Focus on the quality of the reps as opposed to the quantity. Use the maximum amount of weight possible without interfering with form for the best muscle building workout. If the weight is too much and the reps are sloppy, then this defeats the purpose of the exercise.

Limit the amount of time spent in the gym. Again, many people assume that long workouts lead to better results. However, the opposite is true. Overworking any muscle will cause a breakdown in tissue and cause injury. If a person is injured, then their entire muscle building plan will be put on hold. Quick, intense workouts will make muscles more powerful and leave them enough time to heal.

The best muscle building workout is short and to the point. Contrary to popular belief, people who want to gain muscle do not need to spend all day at the gym. Instead, they need to make the most of their weight training by controlling the number of sets and reps they do while using as much weight as possible. These simple tips should be used at the gym by anyone who is working on their muscle growth.

• Create a caloric surplus. This means you must eat more calories than your body burns. Extra calories help to repair muscles from strenuous workouts and they help to build new muscle. Too much weight training and not enough calories will make a person look skinny. Some calories are more helpful than others for helping a person gain muscle and increase muscle mass – these include protein, and high quality carbohydrates and fats.
• If a person eats 20 times their body weight in calories from potato chips and ice cream, it is not likely they will gain muscle. Instead, they should eat whole foods that are unprocessed and full of nutrition. Protein from meat, poultry, fish, and eggs is the only type of food that will help create new muscle. There are protein supplements available at vitamin and wellness stores that help people take in more calories and gain muscle. Foods that are high in dietary fats will increase testosterone. Complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice, potatoes, and oatmeal will help produce energy.
• Eat more often. Eating breakfast is a great way to take in calories in the very first hour of the day. People who are trying to build muscle should also eat after workouts to help repair muscles and replenish energy. A steady intake of nutrients not only supports healthy muscles, it also boosts metabolism. Eating six meals per day will accomplish this.
• Drink a lot of water. Most people do not drink enough water. Dehydration can happen easily during intense workouts. Drinking a sufficient amount of water will help muscles repair themselves. Water naturally removes toxins from the body. Juice and soda are not substitutes for water – they include sugar which will ultimately be stored as fat if their energy is not used immediately.

Enhancing a training and fitness regimen with the proper diet is the only way to healthfully gain muscle. People who train hard in the gym need to be aware that what they eat and drink during the day will either help or hinder their workouts. Muscles need to rest and repair. Proteins, complex carbs, and high-quality fats are the food a person’s body needs for optimal recovery. Muscles will grow when they are developed through weight training, nourished with the proper foods and plenty of water, and are well rested. Perhaps above all, the determination and drive to follow a predetermined plan day in and day out is the most important element to muscle building because consistency is the real secret for increasing muscle mass.

To know what really works when it comes to bodybuilding and muscle gain is everything.

There is one mistake though that lots of people do which keeps them from gaining the body that they are dreaming about having.

What is it? – Overtraining

A lot of people and especially those that are new to bodybuilding might think that the fastest way to achieve huge muscle gain is to work out like crazy, and begin going to the gym each day of the week for over an hour each time. They work out and work out and then they work out a bit more until their muscles really ache.

Then they begin to wonder why they don’t get the results they are looking for and maybe they add an extra session a day and think that it will give them the success they’re seeking. Wrong!

After a few weeks, their bodies will likely be so stiff and aching that they won’t even be able to do a work out, and this is probably the best thing that has happened to them in a while in regards to their muscle building progress.

The secret to gain a muscular body is directly related to how often you work out and how much time you are spending at the gym. And believe me, less is more in this case. Overtraining will not add to your muscle mass at all, instead it will create tired, overworked and broken muscle tissue that will requireall the energy you’re giving your body to simply keep it alive.

Knowing how often to work out is essential if you’re really serious about your muscle gain, and should not be overlooked. In this report I will give you the guidelines that tells you how often I recommend you to work out and also how long your sessions should be each time.

First: How often?

You want to make sure that each muscle group you are working out gets enough rest in between each work-out session. Make it a minimum of 72 hours as a rule and stick to it, then you’ll make sure that your muscles get the amount of time they need to fully repair.

Why is it that you shouldn’t train more often?

Most people don’t get it that you don’t gain muscles while you’re at the gym working out. The muscles grow afterwards when you are resting. If you work out the muscles too often, they get stressed, won’t be able to build new muscle tissue (which is want you want for muscle growth) and you’ll end up with little or no improvement.

You have to wait until the muscles are fully repaired and then you can give them a new work out which will add to what you gained since your last session. By giving the muscles a good workout at the gym and then letting them recover, you’ll ensure that your body adds the extra muscle tissues.

If you have set your mind on increasing your muscle mass

If you are aiming for big muscles and fast growth, do fewer reps with heavier weights. To do 6-8 reps with high weights stimulates the muscles much more than doing 10 with medium weights. I learned some valuable secrets from a buddy of mine who won the Canadian Natural Bodybuilding Championship a few years back. He told me that if I want to get big, I needed to do 3 sets with 6-8 reps once a week for each muscle group. Once a week?! I thought, but decided to try it and was very pleased with the results.

Another thing to look at is to check whether you are increasing the weight in a good pace. Within 10 days of training you should be able to put on more weight. If that is not the case, you are simply not putting in enough effort.

If you think that spending a lot of time in the gym is the way to get muscles, think again. The best way is to do short, intense workouts. Do 3 sets of 6-8 reps on each muscle group you want to train, and don’t rest longer than one minute between each rep. To work the mucles as much as possible in a certain period of time is how you make them grow the most.

And one of the most important things that can not be overlooked; don’t miss out on the resting in between workout sessions. The combination of hard workouts and good rest, including a good nights sleep is essential. The muscles grow the most at night while you are asleep, and without rest you will only give yourself a week and tired body. Have at least two days off a week. This will make it easier for you to work harder when you actually are at the gym and when you are resting your body adjust to the new conditions it’s facing.

To aid the muscle growth you can also try changing you diet. Since the muscles are built up by protein, you should increase your intake of high-protein food, or compliment your diet with protein-shakes inbetween meals. Even though protein is what makes the muscles grow, you also have to give the cells the energy they need to be able to renew themselves and increase in number. Therefore a balanced diet with carbohydrates and fat in good proportion to protein is the right way to go.

By following this guidelines you will be surprised to see how fast the results can come to you.