Enhance Your Muscle Building Strategy With These Tips

Have you taken an honest look at your muscle building routine? The answer might not be obvious. A lot of people try to bulk up their muscle, but often end up frustrated when they aren't particularly successful. Check out the rest of this article for many great tips to help you in your routine.

Strengthening Exercises

Strength Training (Photo credit: Rtist MrB)

STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE

Appropriate exercise increases the strength and endurance of skeletal muscles. Increases in muscular strength are associated with increases in muscle mass; increases in muscular endurance are associated with improved blood flow to the working muscles. 

These results are achieved by resistance training. Any exercise that causes the muscle to increase its tension, whether or not the muscle actually shortens during contraction, provides an appropriate strength-training stimulus. 

Resistance can be applied to a muscle group by attempting to move an immovable object, by working one muscle group against another, by lifting heavy weights, or by using special strength-training machines and devices. There is a wide selection of strength-training equipment that, when used properly, can increase muscular strength and endurance. 

It is possible that some of the equipment is more efficient in developing maximal performance, which is important for competitive athletes. But for the average individual, who is training to maintain an acceptable level of muscular fitness, any one device or program is probably about as good as another.

Strength and endurance training is done by performing several “reps” (repetitions) of a given exercise, then moving on to another exercise for a different muscle group. Experts generally recommend that exercisers select a resistance that is approximately 65 percent of the maximum they can lift for that particular exercise. This load should allow the completion of 12 reps of that exercise in 24 to 30 seconds. 

Each group of eight to 12 reps is called a set, and two or three sets of a given exercise are recommended for each training session. The average individual should perform strength and endurance training two to three days per week. Super circuit weight training refers to a program in which running or other aerobic exercises are performed between sets; this training produces aerobic as well as strength benefits.

Source:

exercise. (2013). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/197976/exercise

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Physical Activities

Physical activities may include aerobic, strengthening, balance, flexibility and weight-bearing.

Aerobic activities use your large muscle groups and increase your heart rate. They may cause you to breathe harder. You should be able to speak several words in a row while doing aerobic activities, but should not be able to carry on an entire conversation. 

Aerobic Activities- What Counts

Examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities include:

• walking briskly
• water aerobics
• tennis
• housework or gardening
• active play with children or grandchildren
• dancing 

 Strengthening activities require your muscles to use force against a resistance, such as gravity, weights, or exercise bands. 

Strengthening Activities 

Examples of strength training activities include: 

• lifting weights
• household or garden tasks that make you lift or dig
• pushing a lawn mower

 Balance activities typically focus on the muscles of your abdomen, lower back, hips, and legs. They require you to control your body as you move through space to avoid falls. 

 Balance Activities

Examples of balance activities include: 

• walking heel to toe in a straight line
• standing on one foot
• standing up from a chair and sitting down again without using your hands
• Tai Chi
• rising up and down on your toes while standing and holding onto a stable chair or countertop

 Flexibility activities help increase the length of your muscles and improve your range of motion. 

  Flexibility Activities

Examples of flexibility exercises include:

• stretching
• yoga
• Pilates

 Weight-bearing activities require your bones and muscles to work against gravity. They include any activities in which your feet and legs are bearing your total body weight. 

 Weight-bearing Activities

Examples of weight-bearing activities include:

• walking
• tennis
• climbing stairs 

Starting a Physical Activity Routine for Older Adults

To get started, pick an activity you enjoy. Begin with small, specific goals, such as “I will take a 10-minute walk three times this week.” Slowly increase the length of time and the number of days you are active.

You may benefit most from a combination of aerobic, strength, balance, and flexibility activities. Build up to 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity cardiovascular or aerobic activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. Try to incorporate balance and flexibility activities into your daily workout as well. Work toward doing strength exercises on 2 or 3 days a week.

Regular aerobic activity can help you:

• Reduce functional declines associated with aging.
• Lose or maintain your weight by burning calories.
• Lower your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart and lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol.
• Keep your joints moving and reduce your arthritis pain.
• Lower your stress and boost your mood.
• Have more energy.
• Meet new friends by joining a class or walking group.

 Doing strengthening activities regularly may help you:

• Keep your muscles and bones strong as you age.
• Increase your strength and independence.
• Reduce your need for a cane.
• Reduce the risk of bone fractures and other injuries, or recover faster if you are injured.
• Maintain or lose weight because muscle burns more calories than body fat.

 

Doing balance activities regularly may help you:

• Stay steady on your feet.
• Reduce the risk of a fall or injury.

Doing flexibility activities regularly may help you:

• Maintain the movement of your muscles and joints.
• Prevent stiffness as you age.
• Prevent injuries.
• Lower your stress.

Doing weight-bearing activities regularly may help you:

• Build and maintain bone mass.
• Reduce the risk of bone fractures.

 

 
Many activities give you more than just one benefit. For example, doing aqua aerobics using water weights gives you aerobic and strengthening benefits. Yoga combines balance, flexibility, and strengthening benefits. You do not have to do four separate types of activities each week. Choose what you like to do and round out your activities from there. Remember, any amount of physical activity you do is better than none.

Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents

Aerobic, Muscle- and Bone-Strengthening: What Counts?

To get you started, here is a list of possible activities that children and adolescents can do to meet the Guidelines. These activities serve as a guide, so encourage your child to do any of them, as long as they are age-appropriate.

Many of these activities fall under two or three different categories, making it possible for your child do each type of activity – vigorous-intensity aerobic, muscle- and bone-strengthening activity – on at least 3 days each week. Also, some activities, such as bicycling or basketball, can be done at either a moderate- or a vigorous-intensity, depending on your child's level of effort.

	Age Group
Type of Physical Activity	Children	Adolescents
Moderate–intensity aerobic	Active recreation such as hiking, skateboarding, rollerblading Bicycle riding Walking to school	Active recreation, such as canoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing, skateboarding, rollerblading Brisk walking Bicycle riding (stationary or road bike) House and yard work such as sweeping or pushing a lawn mower Playing games that require catching and throwing, such as baseball, softball, basketball and volleyball
Vigorous –intensity aerobic	Active games involving running and chasing, such as tag Bicycle riding Jumping rope Martial arts, such as karate Running Sports such as ice or field hockey, basketball, swimming, tennis or gymnastics	Active games involving running and chasing, such as flag football, soccer Bicycle riding Jumping rope Martial arts such as karate Running Sports such as tennis, ice or field hockey, basketball, swimming Vigorous dancing Aerobics Cheerleading or gymnastics
Muscle-strengthening	Games such as tug of war Modified push-ups (with knees on the floor) Resistance exercises using body weight or resistance bands Rope or tree climbing Sit-ups Swinging on playground equipment/bars Gymnastics	Games such as tug of war Push-ups Resistance exercises with exercise bands, weight machines, hand-held weights Rock climbing Sit-ups Cheerleading or Gymnastics
Bone-strengthening	Games such as hop-scotch Hopping, skipping, jumping Jumping rope Running Sports such as gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, tennis	Hopping, skipping, jumping Jumping rope Running Sports such as gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, tennis

Exercise Guide for Adults

Wondering about how much activity you need each week?
Want to get physically active but not sure where to begin?
Already started a program and would like tips on how to keep it up or step it up?
Then this webpage is for you.

Read how you can fit physical activity into your life—your way.
Decide the number of days, types of activities, and times that fit your schedule.
Written for men and women ages 18 to 64, this webpage is based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What is physical activity?
Physical activity is any form of exercise or movement of the body that uses energy. Some of your daily life activities—doing active chores around the house, yard work, walking the dog—are examples. To get the health benefits of physical activity, include activities that make you breathe harder and make your heart and blood vessels healthier. These aerobic activities include things like brisk walking, running, dancing, swimming, and playing basketball. Also include strengthening activities to make your muscles stronger, like push-ups and lifting weights.

Did you know?
• Some activity is better than none.
• The more you do, the greater the health benefits and the better you’ll feel.

The good news?
People of all types, shapes, sizes, and abilities can benefit from being physically active. If you have a disability, choose activities in this booklet that work for you. Talk with your health care team about the amount and types of activities that are right for your ability or condition.