Doing full body exercises, getting enough sleep, and managing your diet are ways to increase muscle strength.
Building lean muscle can protect your bones, maintain muscle mass, and boost your energy. Many people think that the only way to build muscle is to strength train by lifting weights, but that's not the only factor. Here are 5 ways to promote muscle growth outside the gym.
Full body workout
Full-body exercises like squats, lunges, burpees, walking lunges, and pull-ups help build muscle without using weights. According to fitness experts, working multiple body parts at once during a workout can promote muscle growth. A 2008 study from Aarhus University in Denmark found that people who did squats and burpees developed 6% more muscle than those who did standard weight training.
Squat is an exercise that uses many muscle groups such as the glutes, thighs, and hips. Photo: Freepik
Sleep more
Deep sleep allows REM (rapid eye movement) cycles to take effect and optimize testosterone release while the muscles can truly rest. Therefore, everyone should sleep 7-8 hours per night to recover and increase energy for high-intensity exercise.
Diet management
Muscles need the right amount of nutrients to grow, including protein (chicken, eggs, red meat and fish), complex carbs (like sweet potatoes, brown rice) and healthy fats (avocados, coconut oil, nuts). According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine , everyone should aim for 0.7g of protein for every 0.5kg of body weight. Avoid going over this amount as it may not be able to promote muscle building.
Eating more carbohydrates at breakfast and immediately after your workout can also maximize muscle recovery. Combine carbs and protein to replenish glycogen stores within an hour or two of your workout, and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Rest
Muscles need time to recover from the damage that occurs during activity. Not getting enough rest increases the risk of overuse injuries, leading to poor sleep, loss of energy, and a weakened immune system.
For strength training, the general rule is to work each major muscle group 2-3 times a week, ideally with 48 hours between workouts. On rest days, light activities such as yoga or foam rolling can help with recovery, stretching, and muscle rebuilding.
Huyen My (According to Huffington Post, Shape )
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