Resting For Muscle Growth

Aw, yes, rest.

Perhaps nothing is more frustrating to me then trying to convince a beginner that his spending 2 hours in the gym every day without rest won't make him a big man. Rather, he'll likely end up losing muscle.

Tell the beginner that and he'll often just stare back at you with glossy eyes. He'll think you are just underestimating his determination. He'll think you're way to conservative and that you don't understand that he wants big time results and he wants them in a hurry.

I understand the "beginner logic." In virtually all phases of life we are justly rewarded for long, hard work. Study 5 hours a day for a test and you'll get a better grade then the guy who studies just one every other day. Stay after work everyday and you'll be in line for the promotion before the guy who simply clocks out at 5:00 and heads home to watch South Park. Spend every waking moment practicing your PS3 skills and you'll be able to kick all your friend's asses with a joystick.

But bodybuilding can put you in bizarro world. Here you get rewarded for a little intense effort followed by ample relaxation. And you can get punished harshly for too much intense effort in the gym.

It is quite a change from the reality you thought you knew. Suddenly you get rewarded for kicking up the feet and watching South Park? Suddenly you're the one packing on muscle while your over-achieving friend labors for hours on end at the gym with no results? Suddenly you're kicking your friend's asses without the need of a joystick?

The reason this occurs lies in the science behind muscle growth. It's explained rather well and without getting complicated in this article...

A Day of Rest Is A Must For Muscles.

And if you want to hear me rant a little more on the subject, see this article at the site...

Adequate Rest To Avoid Overtraining And Maximize Muscle Gain.

Now, I'm going to check my email and just pray I don't find another one notifying me that they have decided to triple up on one of my sample bodybuilding routines and will let me know the "spectacular" results they get from their ultra-aggressive approach. I already know the results - they'll soon feel weaker, they'll find the only weight they gain will be a little body fat, they'll likely get colds and flus as their immune systems are beaten down, etc.

JP Clifford

Muscle Building "Superfoods"

Here's a pretty good list of "superfoods" for bodybuilding.

Eating For Muscle Gain

The list...

1. Eggs


2. Almonds


3. Salmon


4. Yogurt


5. Beef


6. Olive Oil


7. Water


8. Coffee

Hey, where's chicken and tuna? It's pretty rare that those two don't make these types of lists.

The problem I have with these types of lists is that some people tend to take them to mean that if they just eat these foods, they can expect good sized gains. I'll get emails from people confused as to why they aren't growing even though they eat an egg every morning and a tuna sandwich for lunch.

Always remember, it isn't just the quality of foods you put into your body, it is also the QUANTITY. To support muscle growth, you have to create a caloric surplus -- you have to give the body the raw materials it needs to build muscle above and beyond what it needs to keep you functioning.

The golden rule of muscle building...

If you aren't gaining, you aren't eating enough to gain.

What and how much to eat to build muscle and gain weight?

It is when you eat a quality balanced diet (that includes solid choices like the muscle building superfoods above) and eat that diet in sufficient quantity to supply the body with surplus calories that you really have something.

When you consistently do that and add in a solid weight training program, you build muscle and grow like a weed.

JP Clifford

Top Muscle Building Supplements

You wouldn't ordinarily expect to look to Forbes for good supplement advice, but here it is:

Forbes on Muscle Building Supplements

Kudos to Forbes for not taking the easy route and just going with the "all supplements suck and no one needs them" like a lot of their mainstream counterparts. Looking a little deeper, they found a professor of kinesiology and someone from the Council For Responsible Nutrition who had a little more knowlegeable, rational views.

Truth is, the right muscle building supplements can give trainers a boost. They aren't going to do the work for you, but they can give you a little boost.

Good advice throughout this article. I'd disagree that it is a good idea to get creatine with carbs added (the money the supplement companies charge to add those carbs is ridiculous, you can get the base creatine monohydrate powder and add carbs yourself much, much cheaper) - How To Take Creatine For Maximum Effect.

I also disagree with taking creatine pre-workout, I think it makes more since post-workout - Dr. Franco-Obregón on When To Take Creatine.

But, a good article.

What are the right supplements for muscle building? Check my Effective Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

JP Clifford
http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com

Myostatin and The Buff Bull

Myostatin is a protein that acts as an "off-switch" for muscle growth as noted in the following article. It is the subject of great research due to it's potential to help in the treatment of muscle-wasting diseases. Scientists are studying the Belgian blue bulls which is a breed who has a mutated myostatin gene which doesn't function properly. The result?

Wanna see a bull that deserves an IFBB card? Very Buff Bull.

The article discusses that if (when) science discovers a way to inhibit the myostatin protein in humans, it will almost surely open a black market for bodybuilders. Scary to think that Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler could get even bigger.

And also noted in the article, the bodybuilding supplement companies are desperately trying to cash in producing products that claim to inhibit myostatin production. The products now are just a fantasy but someday...

JP Clifford