Many Unproven Myths About Beefing Up Muscles

If you are looking for the most effective way to bulk up your body muscles, then it is time you discarded the old bodybuilding advice and started using tried and proven scientific methods of bodybuilding. There are many unproven myths about beefing up muscles, the biggest one being the belief that you need to lift as much weight as you can in every training session to become Mr. Universe.

How much weight do you need to lift to bulk up?

According to a study done at Canada’s McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, by a team led by Stuart Philips, lifting too much weight in every training session is not the most effective way to build muscles. Philips and his team suggest a slow and steady approach in your iron-pumping sessions as the best way to get bulkier muscles.

In the study, Philips had men in their early 20s lift 30 to 90 percent of the maximum weight they could lift using their legs. He analyzed their leg muscle biopsies before and after each session and found that those who lifted relatively lighter weights (30% of their maximum) had greater production of new muscles than those who lifted heavier weights. The study showed that the common belief about lifting heavier weights in an effort to bulk up is actually false. The right way to build muscles is by lifting manageable weights until you feel too tired to carry on.

Can lost muscle be rebuilt after you had stopped training for some time?

You’ve probably heard about the concept of “muscle memory” in reference to people who take long breaks between workouts. The muscle memory theory holds it that once you have achieved a certain level of fitness after training, you’ll still find it easier to reach the same level again even after you’ve allowed your muscles to die off over a long period of time.

Well, it may come as a surprise you to learn that the muscle memory idea is actually true, as proven by a scientific study done by Kristian Gundersen in the Norway’s University of Oslo. In a study on developing leg muscles on mice, Gundersen found that after leaving the bulked-up muscles to go to waste for a period of three months, there was still a significant amount of muscle nuclei in the muscle fibers. The presence of nuclei in muscle fiber is responsible for producing new muscle protein. So when you reach the peak of your muscle fitness and stop training, do not worry because you can still achieve the same level of fitness when you resume training.

Do steroids and diet help?

Anabolic steroids help to build muscles by increasing the amount of muscle cell nuclei. There is a wide variety of steroids and supplements on the market today. You can even save a lot on supplement costs using a bodybuilding coupon code.

Your diet matters too. You need enough protein and carbohydrates in your diet. The energy you use when training comes carbohydrates broken down to glucose and converted to form glycogen. A body builder’s diet should ideally be made up of 55 to 60 percent carbohydrates. You need to reduce fat in your diet but not completely because eliminating fat from your diet will diminish circulating levels of testosterone which helps in boosting limb strength and muscle mass.