General Facts About Muscle Building

Whether or not you decide to undertake a Strength Training Diet, there are things that you should know about your muscles. In this short section, I will go over some basics about this essential part of the body.

Diamonds are forever-But muscles are not
After your 35 years old, your muscles start to degrade. But thats not all. For every pound you lose of muscle (And you lose half a pound a year), your body turns it into 3 pounds of fat. By the time you reach 80 years old (which we all hope to reach), you've lost a third of your younger self's muscles! However there is a cure. By exercising your muscles (eg. Strength Training), you can slow, stop and possibly reverse this process.

Building Blocks
Your muscles are made up of tissue, which in turn is made up of proteins and amino acids. And how does your body acquire the amino acids to make the protein for the muscles? It has to receive them from an outside source. In other words, eating. A large protein intake is critical for growing teens, and anyone else interested in gaining muscle mass. There are certain specific protein drinks (muscle milk), and while these are useful and convient, there are other healthy, more rounded options like eggs and fish, which give you other nutrients as well. On average, you should be eating .5-.7 grams of protein for every pound you weigh, everyday!

Repair Bill
When you work out, you are breaking down the muscles, and the quicker they recover, the quicker you can get back to your exercise, which means quicker results. This is essentially how steroids work, they dont just give you insta-muscles, they rebuild your muscles quicker and bigger. So, asides from steroid use (Never do this!), you need to get proteins and carbs back to your muscles and soon! The recommended time is once 30min after the workout, and again 2hrs after. A common item used is Muscle Milk, which can be bought at your nearest GNC (There's one downstairs Ala Moana).

If you are interested in Muscles, check out these sites for more information:
http://espn.go.com/trainingroom/s/2000/0225/380656.html
http://www.healthcastle.com/sports_nutrition_strength_training_diet.shtml

-Colin