Being healthy is a lifestyle choice, and building muscles also requires major lifestyle changes. But, where do you begin? The following checklist is just an example of some ways to build muscle. Glance over them, and think about how you can increase the size of your muscles.

Be sure that you complete the necessary amount of research on how to build muscles properly. Different exercises work on different parts of the body, and can either build muscle mass or tone your muscles. You should use a variety of exercises that target different groups of muscles.

You must warm up properly before starting any exercise. As muscles strengthen, they are under additional stress, which may make them more prone to injury. If you warm up, you avoid injuries like these. Before you lift anything heavy, do 5-10 minutes of light cardio, followed by a few light or intermediate sets of your regular exercises.

Lean Proteins

Protein is the foundation of any muscle building diet. Protein is essentially what constitutes muscles. If your body isn’t properly fueled with protein, then you can’t build muscle mass. You should try to eat lean proteins at least 4 times, but preferably five times each day. Two of your meals and two of your snacks should contain lean proteins, with an extra serving of it in a third meal when possible.

As a source of motivation, set goals that are short-termed and reward yourself when each goal is attained. You will need motivation in order to be able to keep going with this because it takes time. Make your rewards coincide with your goal to gain muscle. As an example, get a massage; your blood flow can be improved.

Your diet is especially important on your lifting days. To ensure your body has enough calories and protein to build muscle, have a snack an hour before your workout begins. That is not to say that you should overindulge on exercise days, only that you ought to eat a bit more than usual, if you intend to go to the gym for a workout.

Limit your workouts to no more than 60 minutes. Your body will produce more stress hormone, called cortisol, if you exceed an hour long workout. Extra cortisol may block testosterone and your efforts at muscle building can be wasted. Making sure workouts don’t go over one hour is the perfect way to optimize your fitness plan.

Hydration is an important key to proper muscle building. Not being hydrated means that you could end up hurting yourself. Furthermore, hydration is vital to the process of building and keeping muscle mass, and therefore plays multiple roles.

Push Yourself

Know where your limit is, and push yourself to it. For each set you do, you should really push yourself until you are physically unable to do one more push up or lift your weights one more time. If needed, reduce the time you spend on your sets when you get tired.

Your diet is an important part of your training. You want to cut down on your fat intake and boost your consumption of healthy protein for good muscle building. This does not mean you should eat more food; this means you should have a more balanced diet. Consider using a protein supplement and taking vitamins for faster muscle growth.

Pre-exhaust is one method used to help you with muscles that might not quite be strong enough. For example, when you are doing an exercise where you are working multiple muscles, such as a row, your biceps can sometimes become fatigued before your lats. The solution is to try isolation movements like straight-arm pulldowns, so that the bicep is not the point of emphasis. Your lats will then be pre-exhausted, but when you do your rows, your biceps should not limit you anymore.

Working out muscles has several benefits that can help your life, despite not desiring bulkiness. It can raise your self-esteem, provide your body with greater strength, improve the functioning of your joints, plus strengthen your lungs if it is done in conjunction with some form of light to moderate cardio workout.

Don’t forget the importance of pre-workout stretching. Your muscles should be warmed up prior to exercise, in order to avoid injury. Stretching after exercise can help, too, by relaxing your muscles while the start to recover from the workout. Massages can also help relax and promote muscle recovery, an important part of muscle building.

Try incorporating creatine into your supplement schedule. It allows you to train for longer periods of time at a greater intensity when combined with high protein and carbohydrate intake. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements to ensure that they are right for you.

Know your body and it’s limits. This is a good place to start for establishing your regimen goals. Two of the key factors to look at when making this sort of evaluation are composition and body weight.

If you are trying to build muscle, be diligent when it comes to diet and fluid consumption. Hydration is very important, as water comprises 70% of your total muscle mass. Alcohol can actually hurt your muscle tissue if you drink it in large amounts, so avoid it if you can.

When building muscle, it is important to supplement yourself with creatine. This may help you to have the ability to push yourself more, which will help your muscles to grow. Check for interaction warnings if you use any other medications or supplements. Read the label and follow the directions closely. Do not try to take more than the recommended amount to build muscles more quickly.

Building muscle takes dedication and commitment. Everything else will come together if you have these two things in abundance. Use the strategies in this guide in building muscles and you’ll certainly see the great results when you look at yourself in the mirror.