Thursday, August 22, 2013

How Many Times Per Week Should You Workout To Build Lean Muscle?

By Russ Howe-Pti


There is such confusion in the gym these days that people who want to know how to build muscle are usually too scared to ask for advice because they can't take the science lesson which it usually brings on. One of the biggest areas people face confusion is working out how many gym sessions they need to do each week in order to experience good results. Today we're going to help you answer this all important question for yourself.

Before you visit your local gym there are a few changes you should make at home in order to ensure your workouts are more productive.

Let's start with people who have perhaps never used a gym before. How are you supposed to know when to workout? This is an area which many people get lost in. Don't buy into the fear that you must blast your body every day of the week.

If you can get to the gym two-to-three times per week you should see positive results within the first four weeks. Especially if you combine cardiovascular exercise with regular weight training. That means you too, girls. Don't buy into the incorrect philosophy that weights will make you huge.

With that as a starting point, your body will begin the process of changing.

Once you begin seeing results, however, a different type of situation is upon you and there are different risks to your progress. No longer will you have to worry about hitting the gym regularly enough, because seeing a positive change in the shape of your body will be enough to kick-start your desire to exercise more than ever before.

Many people succumb to the urge of working out every day of the week when they reach this stage, believing that the more exercise they complete the more results they will ultimately see.

On the contrary, when it comes to muscular hypertrophy your body will progress at a slower rate if you blast it too often. Rest is very important.

Hypertrophy cannot occur if you aren't letting your muscles rest after each hard session you complete. This is why most people tend to change their routine to incorporate a split routine instead of hitting all the major muscles during each workout, as this allows them to spend more time on a muscle group as well as letting it recover while they train other body parts in their next session.

You need to rest in order to grow, so don't allow yourself to give in to the temptation of hitting a certain muscle group purely because you enjoy the ego boost it gives. This is known in fitness circles as "Chest and arm syndrome" and usually affects men who like working on their biceps.

If you utilize a split routine there is nothing to stop you from hitting the gym five times a week, however those two extra days should be reserved for rest. One of the most important factors in learning how to build muscle which lasts into the long term is understanding the importance of rest.




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