Muscle growth and development is a popular goal for athletes or anyone who is conscious of their well-being.
From making you feel or look better, to helping you function in everyday life, muscle mass and strength are important components of overall health. Unfortunately, muscle tissue takes time to develop, and with a combination of diet and consistent routine, an average of 0.5-2.0 lbs of growth can be measured per month. Keep reading for our tips for developing muscle mass, and be sure to discuss your fitness goals with your doctor before beginning any new routines.
Choosing the amount of weight. There’s benefits to weight training, whether you like to use light weights for high reps, or heavy weights with a low rep count. The latter is important for improving muscle strength, but increasing muscle size can happen with either approach. When working with heavy weights or lots of resistance, aim for 10 reps with the ability to barely complete the final rep. Resistance products like the StrechCordz® Modular Set allow you to easily change the resistance level for a variety of exercises, allowing you to find the weight load and repetition count that works for you. Try working single muscle groups with this kit — bicep curls, hamstring curls, leg extensions, rows, tricep extensions, and so many more!
Choosing exercises. Speaking of biceps, isolating movements (like a bicep curl) are a great place to start if your goal is just that, building bigger biceps. These targeted movements allow beginners the opportunity to dial in their movements, and focus only on one muscle group. Compound movements can also be effective for muscle growth, especially as it relates to functioning in everyday life. Compound movements build balance as well as strength by working multiple muscle groups at one time. These types of movements can also be more challenging to perform especially as your body becomes tired. Switching to isolated movements towards the end of workouts can help edge past the fatigue for just a few additional reps.
Avoid Overtraining. If you’ve ever felt unusual muscle soreness, found yourself on a fitness plateau, or had a hard time keeping up with your normal routine, you might have overtrained. A good rule of thumb for formatting movements is to perform 3 sets of 3-5 compound movements with heavier resistance, then 3 sets of 1-2 isolation movements with lighter resistance. The TurfCodz® Squat Cordz can be used with or without a step bench to perform several compound movements working the legs, core and shoulders. Using a step bench, place the Squat Cordz centered under the bench. Stand on the bench or block, and grab the handles. You can perform squats, pistol squats, step forward or back while maintaining that squat position, or try a compound movement like a squat to an upright row.
Include recovery time. Increases in muscle mass are made up of two components, the damaging of muscle fibers (usually through exercise) and the repair of that damage. The repair happens best when your body is at rest, even when you’re sleeping! Make sure you’re eating balanced, nutrient and vitamin dense meals to give your body the resources it needs to repair and recover after training.
The loss of flexibility, and even mobility in some cases, can also be an issue as muscle mass grows.
Without stretching and working to lengthen those newly repaired muscles, flexibility and range of motion can suffer. Not only can this affect your athletic performance, but it can also affect your movements in everyday life by making it harder to bend down and pick something up, or difficult to reach behind you and put on a coat sleeve. Stretch out those leg muscles with the MediCordz® Stretch Strap to avoid losing mobility while building muscle. Lay on your back and let the Stretch Strap pulley do the work! Attach the loop around your ankle, and use the handle to pull down, lifting your leg into the air. Lift and lower a few times before holding a static stretch, seeing if you can stretch further the longer you’re holding and lengthening your muscles.
