Do you want to build muscle and give your body optimal support by providing the right sports nutrition during muscle training workouts? If you want to successfully promote muscle growth and maintain existing muscle, then make sure you get the best muscle-building products, such as protein supplements and our popular combination products with protein shakes.

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Muscle-Building – Training, Nutrition, Recovery

Direct introduction to the subject

Muscle Growth

Training

Creating a Training Plan

Training Frequency

Scope of Training

Training Load

Overtraining

Nutrition

Sports Nutrition

Regeneration

Gaining muscle mass is a target shared by many athletes. To optimally support the body in building muscle, it's possible to introduce special nutritional supplements into the diet. Protein is the key element in building muscle. Proteins help to build-up lean muscle mass. Weight Gainers can be taken to specifically target build-up of muscle mass.

Athletes can build lean muscle mass by means of the high-quality nutritional sports products by Body Attack.

What to consider when building muscle?

• Beside a regular, intense training programme, if you want to boost muscle growth, then you need to pay attention to nutrition.
• Having a balanced choice of foods with an adequate supply of protein is important This is because the muscle cells have to be supplied with nutrients if muscle mass is to be increased.
• Protein shakes and other nutritional supplements can effectively boost muscle gain.
• Certain amino acids, e.g. BCAAs (basic building blocks of protein), are particularly important when it comes to building muscle.
• Creatine is one of the most popular nutritional supplements used by fitness athletes. Creatine increases physical performance in the course of brief and intense workouts during plyometrics (with 3 g creatine per day).

Muscle-Building means enlargement of the muscles through exercise. Simply put, muscle-building is the reaction of the body to sporting activities. This reaction takes place in two stages. Firstly, the previously worked muscle regenerates after exercise. Actual muscle growth takes place in the second stage. The muscle prepares itself by increasing in size and strength.

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Muscle-Building – Muscle Growth

Everybody dreams about having a really great muscle mass. But all too often this still remains a pipe dream despite the intense amount of training. Why is this? Is it training, is it diet, is it recovery or is it discipline? There are many factors involved in maximising muscle gain.

Muscle-building means increasing the size of the body's own musculature. Muscle-building is a reaction of the body whereby it adapts to a given stress. Muscle growth generally unfolds in two stages. The muscles are stimulated during intense power loads, causing fine tears to occur within the muscle fibres. In the first instance, these stressed muscle fibres will regenerate. Meaning, they repair themselves again. Then, the muscle adapts to the previous load and strengthens these muscle fibres.

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Muscle-Building – Training

There's a maxim you should keep in mind to help you train effectively.

The best results are obtained with as much work as possible in the shortest time possible.

It is the intensity of training that is important, not the length of training. To boost performance and gain muscle you have to have the right kind of training stimulus. This means weights need to be selected so that by the last two repetitions the limit of the muscle's capacity has been reached and the muscle is fatigued. This sends a signal to the body that it must adapt to a greater muscle load. And this is when muscle build-up starts.

As a rule, workouts shouldn't take longer than 45 minutes (3 - 4 times per week). Otherwise the maximum rate of Muscle-Building Training will be exceeded. Another important aspect is to vary training when building muscle. Training plans should be changed every seven to twelve weeks so that the muscles are given new stimulus.

Generally speaking, you need to keep three factors in mind for muscle build-up to be effective:

• The right nutrition before and after a training session


• Intensity and scope of each training session


• Sufficient recovery times between the training days

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Muscle-Building – Creating a Training Plan

It's essential to create a training plan or start a training journal if you want to specifically gain muscle and strength.

This should record which muscle groups or body parts are to be worked. And should also list the number of exercises, sets and repetitions.

The result will be effective training sessions. There's no need for athletes to think about the training process. Exercises can be performed with greater concentration. Training motivation is increased. Muscles can be trained for longer and harder.

The training journal is also a great way to track performance. As soon as weight or repetitions start to stagnate, it's time to change the training programme. The journal and recordings track personal progress and any weaknesses can be caught at a very early stage indicating the right time to swap over to a new training strategy.

This strategy might be longer breaks, different muscle groups, new exercises, more weight, less repetitions or more sets – but the main thing is that the muscles are given new training stimulus for growth at the right time.

Choose your own personal training plan from our programme. Whether a 3- or 4-way split or circuit training – put together your own plan.

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Muscle-Building – Training Frequency

Many athletes go to the studio and workout with heavy weights the entire week without taking a single day's break. The only thing they can think of are their achievements and hope to improve these in the next training session.

But gaining strength and muscle is not just determined by training alone – having sufficient recovery times is also important.

Let's explain. During training, a particular muscle group moves the weight which then leads to small tears in the muscles. These small muscle injuries are what signals the body to begin the repair and growth processes.

Which is why it's impossible to exactly state the amount of time needed for muscle recovery. However, there are rough guidelines which say to plan a minimum three days recovery between individual training sessions for the respective muscle groups. Plan the week's training so that each muscle group is trained once a week.

At the same time, plan a break of at least one day between the training days, whereby training on the following day does not include the same body parts. It makes sense to split upper and lower body workouts over two training days so that the muscles can recover completely.

The body and muscles then have enough time to gather the energy and strength for training.

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Muscle-Building – Scope of Training

Beginners – and sometimes even the more advanced – often tend to do a lot of exercises, sets and repetitions when training. Training frequently takes over an hour, the result being a barely perceptible improvement in performance.

The muscles are easily able to do any number of repetitions at the start of training. The moment muscles fail for the first time in training is when the body has almost depleted its energy reserves. If training is pushed further, the body makes use of other methods by using its emergency reserves as a source of energy.

To do this, the body calls on its helpers, the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which take proteins from the muscles.

This places the body in a metabolic state causing intense muscle breakdown whilst also reducing testosterone levels. It is essential to have a constantly raised level of testosterone in order for the body to build strong, solid muscle. Therefore, organise the training duration so that the targetedmuscles are not worked for longer than 45 minutes.

This accelerates recovery. The way to more muscle growth is by working the muscles at high loads for short intervals.

The body and muscles react to the high loads and quickly adapt to them. This strengthens the musculature sufficiently so it is able to work with heavier weights at the next training session or perform more repetitions.

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Muscle-Building – Training Load

Sports studios are still debating which training load is the best method for building muscle. Heavy weights with a few repetitions and light weights with a lot of repetitions are two opposing schools of thought.

In powerlifting, workouts mainly involve heavy weights with a low amount of repetitions of about 1 to 5. The aim in this case is to master a heavier training weight by using correct technique and good body posture. Basic exercises which work the large and stabilising muscle groups are selected to do this. The main muscle groups here are chest, back and legs. Stabilising muscles involve the smaller muscles e.g. arms, shoulders, back extensor, which ensure greater support during training sessions and in body movements.

Heavy weight training initially leads to an increase in strength, which in turn is linked to muscle growth.

Light and heavy weights are used in bodybuilding. The number of repetitions varies between 1 and 20.

This ensures the muscles are repeatedly given new training stimuli to encourage muscle growth. In this case, basic exercises and isolation exercises are used in training to achieve a perfectly symmetrical body. Isolation exercises (e.g. back extensor, side lifts) are used to strengthen muscles that are less defined using special exercises.

However, the larger muscle groups are worked before the smaller muscle groups in training sessions so that training performance isn't diminished. If the smaller muscle groups were to be trained first, this could lead to the larger muscle groups not being completely exhausted.

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Muscle-Building – Overtraining

Overtraining (Overreaching) can easily occur if training volume and intensity exceed the ability to regenerate. There are two types of overreaching: Sympathetic overtraining is found in fast sports and powerlifting. A warning sign for this is a lack of interest in training and a noticeable drop in performance. Further symptoms could be:

• increased susceptibility to infection
• irritability, moodiness up to depression
• headaches
• increased susceptibility to injury
• diminished appetite up to weight loss
• trouble sleeping
• raised resting and workout pulse

A parasympathetic overtraining is often not even noticed as many athletes know some of the symptoms. It is, however, more common in endurance athletes who are subjected to very long physical strains of a lesser intensity. Symptoms can be:

• reluctance to train
• inactivity, lack of energy
• lower heart rate under stress
• diminished resilience and rapid fatigue
• no weight loss
• rarely any trouble sleeping
• normal appetite

Rest is the key to success in this instance depending upon the degree of overtraining. After an intense training session, it is essential to take a long period of recovery lasting at least 36 hours for it to be truly effective. At best, give yourself a two-day break, some athletes even take a whole week off. This not only regenerates the body, it also regenerates the soul. Switch off completely and give your body back what it needs.

Nutrition also plays a major role here too. Particularly during the recovery period, nutrition should contain plenty of carbohydrates (approx. 5 g per kilogramme bodyweight, good fats (1.2 g per kilogramme bodyweight) and sufficient quantities of proteins (2 g per kilogramme bodyweight). The minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and vitamins B, C and E are also important during the recovery period. Meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products are especially good sources.

In lighter cases of overtraining it's enough to simply reduce the volume or intensity. Instead of five, three cleanly-executed sets at a lower intensity are also enough. Take care of your muscles by modifying your training plan. Also plan endurance sessions in addition to powerlifting.

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Muscle-Building – Nutrition

When it comes to building muscle effectively, the body also needs more building material - proteins, but also carbohydrates, good fats as well as minerals and vitamins can all generally be important for the body. Therefore, nutrition plays a major role besides training and the recovery process. Muscles have to be supplied with proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins in order to ensure maximum protein synthesis. A powerlifter has the following requirements:

Powerlifters	Requirements	Total
Carbohydrates	4 -5 g per kg BW	50 % TAE (total amount of energy)
Protein	2 g per kg BW	15 - 24 % TAE
Fat	1.2g per kg BW	25 - 34 % TAE

The diet should be exceedingly rich in vitamins and minerals through fruit, vegetables and salads. Long-chained carbohydrates with roughage from rice, pasta or potatoes refill depleted energy stores. If these are totally exhausted, the body needs seven days for these to be completely refilled. Therefore, it is also important to ensure adequate intake of carbohydrates when powerlifting. If it is only possible to consume small amounts of carbohydrates because of time constraints, then carbohydrate powder is a good supplement.

Valuable proteins from fish, meat or good whey or milk protein support development of the muscle. Approx. 1.5 - 2 g protein should be consumed per kg bodyweight. Counteract loss of fluids with sodium-containing water. Normal water requirements are 1 ml per calorie energy consumption (e.g. 3 l at 3,000 kg per day). Plus, additional water requirements when performing sports. A good sports drink contains around 30 - 80 g carbohydrates per litre. When drinking mineral water, it should contain more than 50 mg sodium and have a good balance of calcium-magnesium (2:1). For example, 200 mg calcium and 100 mg magnesium.

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Muscle-Building - Sport Nutrition

Body Attack sport nutrition is not a substitute for a balanced and varied diet, instead it should serve as a supplement. If it's not possible to have regular, protein-rich meals because of time constraints, then sport nutrition can help replace proteins, amino acids or even carbohydrates.

Protein shakes, for example, can help build muscle and mass. Protein also helps maintain normal healthy bone.

With sport nutrition, it is especially important to research exactly which supplements are really needed. What should be boosted, muscle build-up or dynamic strength? What do I really need?

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Muscle-Building – Recovery

Many powerlifters have a tendency to underestimate this last point. It's essential to have sufficient breaks between training sessions to effectively build muscle mass. This is because the musculature can only develop further when muscles are in the recovery phase. Therefore, there should be one day's break between the weekly training sessions, if possible, to give the muscles sufficient time to recover and attain the greatest possible muscle build-up.

The right nutrition is important for successful recovery

The right nutrition is of vital importance for building muscle. The body is only able to respond to the training load if it has an adequate supply of nutrients. Every time our bodies go through a punishing training session, small tears and damage occur in the muscle fibres. To repair the damage caused, it's necessary to have a balanced food choice with sufficient amounts of protein, these are available from our Fitness Shop. Because protein is the most important element for muscle cells and essential in building muscle. People who regularly take protein after muscle-building training in the form of protein shakes, for example, experience effective muscle build-up and mass gain.

Muscles need time to grow and they get this during the recovery phase. Through the increased loads, the metabolic equilibrium needs to be rebalanced. Fuels, such as glycogen, fats or amino acids are lost at a higher rate when training and with the losses in mineral metabolism this leads to a disturbance in the metabolic equilibrium. Increased loads and lactate production can also decrease the pH value which, therefore, has a negative impact on the metabolic equilibrium. Lactate has to be broken down via the kidneys, otherwise this may lead to poor performance. Minerals, particularly sodium and potassium, are lost through increased sweat production. Calcium and magnesium are depleted through the energy metabolism. Iron helps the normal flow of oxygen through the body. All these minerals need to be replenished in order for the body to perform efficiently again.

The body needs to repair, rebuild and strengthen small tears in the muscle fibres and degraded cell membranes. The muscle adapts to the increased load by means of so-called super-compensation.

If a recovery time is missed or is too short, the body is exhausted, and this can hinder muscle build-up. Over the long-term, this leads to a dip in performance, deficiency symptoms, illnesses or even injuries.

There are two kinds of recovery: With local recovery, the trained muscle recovers. For example, a chest workout performed on one day shouldn't be followed by another chest workout the next day. The muscle can be helped to quickly recover by means of heat, massage or light stretching exercises. Many bodybuilders only know this kind of recovery. But a substantial recovery also includes a different kind.

Central recovery relates to the whole body. This includes the nervous system, the metabolism and the psyche because it is not just the muscle that needs to recuperate. Central recovery includes relaxation techniques, massages, sauna, balanced meals and supplements.

The recovery period depends upon the training conditions, age and metabolic state. As a general rule, women recover faster than men this way. A key element for adequate recovery is own body awareness. A good night's sleep, a positive attitude, wanting to workout and a healthy appetite are signs of a good recovery. If you feel your performance has increased the next time you workout, then the recovery phase was complete. Every athlete needs to be aware of his own body's needs when considering how much recovery it needs. If you still feel tired, moody, lack energy, are aggressive or have stiff muscles, then you should take another day to recuperate. Beginners need on average 2 - 3 days recovery. Advanced athletes usually only need 1 - 2 days.

You can help the recovery process by having the right diet, enough relaxation and helpful supplements by Body Attack.

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Image sources: Shutterstock (mast3r/Pakhnyushcha/PaulPaladin/Kjpargeter/Sebastian Kaulitzki/picamaniac)

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