Solving The Five Greatest Myths Behind Building Lean Muscle
By Russ Hollywood
Today we shall be solving some of the myths surrounding how to build muscle safely and effectively. There are many common misconceptions when it comes to weight training and supplementation, so today we'll get to the bottom of the top five.
Should women lift weights? Are supplements good or bad for you in the long-term? These are all questions which will be answered for you. Sadly, many people get so lost in all of the myths out there that they convince themselves building a better body is too confusing for them to succeed. That needn't be the case.
If your goal is to build lean muscle and obtain a toned physique you can begin by getting rid of some of the most popular fitness myths which stand in your way. These myths prevent thousands of potentially great physical specimens from reaching their goals and can be rectified very easily. []
1) Is it okay for girls to lift weights?
This is a commonly asked question and dates back over 30 years. Resistance training is perfectly safe for females, but most are terrified by old myths that they will get big and bulky. Females do not have the necessary testosterone levels to achieve such growth, so fearing it doesn't make sense. If you want to get the type of body displayed by Jessica Ennis and other Olympic athletes in London last year then resistance training is crucial.
2) Do you need to use supplements?
Another hotly contested area, the importance of supplement is greatly overplayed in the media. Particularly in fitness magazines, who make a great deal of their income by recommending certain brands and products to readers. The key word, of course, is 'supplement'. It's there to help you reach your goal, not to replace food. You should never get to the stage where you feel like you are living out of tubs and packets, unless you are in space working within a NASA crew!
3) Which workout frequency is best for results?
The answer to this question depends on your current fitness level. If you are still new to the gym then you can get great results with a two-to-three day split, working the full body in each session. However, when you get more experienced and need to do more work on a muscle group to stimulate new growth it would be wise to use a split routine. This means working one or two muscle groups per session over the course of the week. Even with this type of split, you could get fantastic results with 3-4 workouts each week. There is no need to go to the gym every day.
4) Is your diet important?
If you diet but you don't train, you will find it more difficult to lose body fat and you'll struggle to look any better. If you train but don't diet, you'll enjoy your time in the gym but never see the results your hard efforts deserve because you'll always have stubborn layers of fat covering them up. It's a partnership, not a competition. One aspect is not more important than the other.
5) What number of calories should you consume to reach your goals?
When it comes to calories there are two common mistakes made. Either you are eating too many or too few. Most people who eat too few are doing so because they want to lose weight, but they don't realize that they are forcing their body into starvation mode. Basically, it is hanging onto every gram of fat it can in order to feed itself because it's not getting enough nutrition. A good system for those who want to build muscle is to multiply your goal body weight (in pounds) by 15. Those who want to tone up should multiply by 12 and those looking to drop weight quickly and effectively should multiply by 10. This will give a good ball park figure to aim for each day with regards to each individual goal.
Many people continue to buy into these myths on a daily basis and it's not uncommon to see folks who believe all of the things we have shown you today, despite the mountains of proof which is widely available to them. Knowing how to build muscle is as simple as keeping things down to the basic, proven methods and staying consistent with your efforts.
Should women lift weights? Are supplements good or bad for you in the long-term? These are all questions which will be answered for you. Sadly, many people get so lost in all of the myths out there that they convince themselves building a better body is too confusing for them to succeed. That needn't be the case.
If your goal is to build lean muscle and obtain a toned physique you can begin by getting rid of some of the most popular fitness myths which stand in your way. These myths prevent thousands of potentially great physical specimens from reaching their goals and can be rectified very easily. []
1) Is it okay for girls to lift weights?
This is a commonly asked question and dates back over 30 years. Resistance training is perfectly safe for females, but most are terrified by old myths that they will get big and bulky. Females do not have the necessary testosterone levels to achieve such growth, so fearing it doesn't make sense. If you want to get the type of body displayed by Jessica Ennis and other Olympic athletes in London last year then resistance training is crucial.
2) Do you need to use supplements?
Another hotly contested area, the importance of supplement is greatly overplayed in the media. Particularly in fitness magazines, who make a great deal of their income by recommending certain brands and products to readers. The key word, of course, is 'supplement'. It's there to help you reach your goal, not to replace food. You should never get to the stage where you feel like you are living out of tubs and packets, unless you are in space working within a NASA crew!
3) Which workout frequency is best for results?
The answer to this question depends on your current fitness level. If you are still new to the gym then you can get great results with a two-to-three day split, working the full body in each session. However, when you get more experienced and need to do more work on a muscle group to stimulate new growth it would be wise to use a split routine. This means working one or two muscle groups per session over the course of the week. Even with this type of split, you could get fantastic results with 3-4 workouts each week. There is no need to go to the gym every day.
4) Is your diet important?
If you diet but you don't train, you will find it more difficult to lose body fat and you'll struggle to look any better. If you train but don't diet, you'll enjoy your time in the gym but never see the results your hard efforts deserve because you'll always have stubborn layers of fat covering them up. It's a partnership, not a competition. One aspect is not more important than the other.
5) What number of calories should you consume to reach your goals?
When it comes to calories there are two common mistakes made. Either you are eating too many or too few. Most people who eat too few are doing so because they want to lose weight, but they don't realize that they are forcing their body into starvation mode. Basically, it is hanging onto every gram of fat it can in order to feed itself because it's not getting enough nutrition. A good system for those who want to build muscle is to multiply your goal body weight (in pounds) by 15. Those who want to tone up should multiply by 12 and those looking to drop weight quickly and effectively should multiply by 10. This will give a good ball park figure to aim for each day with regards to each individual goal.
Many people continue to buy into these myths on a daily basis and it's not uncommon to see folks who believe all of the things we have shown you today, despite the mountains of proof which is widely available to them. Knowing how to build muscle is as simple as keeping things down to the basic, proven methods and staying consistent with your efforts.
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Next Step: You can see how to build muscle with Russ Howe PTI's free, proven guides. Answer topics including should women lift weights with the latest scientific research and remove myths from your fitness routine.