Health Articles for Bodybuilding

The body's primary advantage is its ability to adapt to its environment. When related to lifting weights, progressively increasing resistance equates to large muscles with striated definition.

Benefits of Resistance Training

Anaerobic exercise, weight lifting, is the best way to lose weight. Its fat-burning and metabolism-raising effects put it on a completely different level than cardiovascular exercise.

The muscle-building benefits which result from weight training extend beyond metabolism.

New-found size and muscular definition tends to produce a desirable physique, and can therefore lead to higher confidence levels. Whether or not it's politically correct, people view somebody who is fit differently from those who are not.

Resistance training increases energy levels, and the endorphins released by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus help manage pain while increasing morale.

Bone density and muscle mass, which typically decrease with age, are better retained when a person lifts weights. The short-term benefits of sex-appeal couple with long-term vitality to make resistance training a worthwhile life strategy.

Weightlifting Routines

Almost anything can be used as weights; however, free weights and barbells help to maintain correct form and avoid injury. Machines are often specifically designed around proper form and muscle isolation.

Free weights, such as dumbbells and kettlebells, allow for a much wider range of motion and therefore help in developing supportive tissues. Barbells have an advantage in that they generally utilize both hemispheres of the body at once.

To build muscle fast, two sets of eight reps should be performed. Two sets of 15-25 reps, at a lower weight, can be used for toning the body and extending endurance.

When starting a routine, using compound exercises is the best practice because it calls upon many muscle groups at once. This leads to faster fatigue, a good thing, and it raises the body's metabolism faster.

Once a comfortable level is reached, specific muscles can be exercised to bring out a muscle group's character. Along with regularly rotating the order in which muscle groups are worked, isolation exercises can be used to break through plateaus.

Many people who lift weights supplement with protein and creatine. These two supplements in particular can dramatically increase the rate at which muscle growth occurs.

Weightlifting Safety

Muscles require rest in order to grow. This may seem obvious, but many people overwork their body and then fall victim to injury. If a muscle is worked after it is injured, long-term dehabilitation can occur. It's easier, better for the body, and more effective for muscle growth when a group is only exercised a few times per week.

Warm-up and cool-down routines also help keep the body in peak condition. Stretching, light weights, and cardiovascular exercise fill this role nicely.

Lifting enough weights to slightly damage the muscle is essential to maximizing growth, but lifting more weight than the body is ready for will throw off form. Overexertion and improper form are two of the most common causes of injury.

Changing the body's composition takes time, but it is well-worth the effort. As well as potentially prolonging a person's lifespan, it can maintain youthful levels in their quality of life.