Avoiding Losing Lean Muscle Mass

While muscle soreness is not a direct factor in muscular growth, it is an indication that you have trained the muscle hard enough to cause the adaptations needed for size gains. In this sense, some temporary soreness is good. However, if you're constantly sore, you're getting too much of a good thing. Soreness results from microscopic tears in the muscle fibers and other factors. This damage at the cellular level is repaired as the muscle grows. Yet, if you exercise so much that your body is always sore, you never give your muscles the time they need to recuperate and grow – and you may have lean muscle mass.

Using Adequate Rest To Help You Gain Lean Muscle Mass…

Never exercise a bodypart until it has not been sore for at least a day. If this role gets in the way of your current workout program, try stretching out your training schedule. Some athletes have changed from the traditional two- or three-day division of bodyparts to a four-day division of bodyparts. Others have added rest days between or during each bodypart rotation. Both of these variations lengthen the period between training sessions for a particular bodypart and increase the time available for recuperation. So, be creative since there are several ways to get bigger muscles.

Another option is to cut down on the number of sets for each bodypart. This way there is less stress on the muscle from each exercise session and less time needed for recovery. If you lift a few sets at your maximum weight and then find that the weights you can use keep dropping and dropping, you're better off stopping your bodypart workout right there. You're not going to grow from a few more sets at lighter weight. On the contrary, these extra sets will just increase the amount of recovery needed. Try experimenting with the number of sets to see how your muscles recuperate. You may find that they grow more with fewer sets.

Building Lean Muscle Mass Using The "Wave Method"…

A third option is to utilize what powerlifting coach Kurt Elder calls the "wave method." "Your body can't give 100 percent all of the time. Your muscles, joints and tendons need time to recuperate before your body can grow. Reduce the intensity and volume of your training periodically so you can form a solid foundation for future growth. It may seem like a step back, but in the final analysis you will accomplish your goals sooner than you would otherwise." This technique is also known as periodization.

No matter how many ways to get bigger muscles you try, always keep in touch with your body. It will send you signals when it needs recuperation. Listen to them. Athletes often ignore these signals, figuring that they have to force the body to grow. Nothing could be further from the truth. By working with your body and giving it the recuperation it seeks, you will achieve the quickest muscle growth.