4 Harmful Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered
If you're serious about making a solid commitment
to a muscle-building program, you need to be very
careful of who you take advice from. Bodybuilding
and fitness is literally a multi-billion dollar
industry with new websites popping up every single
day. Many of the so-called "experts" out there
really don't have a clue of what they're talking
about and are only motivated by pushing expensive
pills, powders and "miracle programs" on you that
you don't really need. If you don't watch your
step you may end up falling for some fatal muscle-building
pitfalls that will literally destroy your gains
and prevent you from ever achieving the impressive,
muscular physique you desire. In this article
I'm going to expose 4 very common muscle-building
myths in order to keep you on the proper path
to the mind-blowing muscle and strength gains
you deserve.
Myth 1: In order to build muscle, you
must achieve a "pump" during your workout. The
greater the pump you achieve, the more muscle
you will build.For those of you who are just starting
out, a "pump" is the feeling that you get as blood
becomes trapped inside the muscle tissue when
you train with weights. The muscles will swell
up and leave your body feeling bigger, tighter,
stronger and more powerful. While a pump does
feel fantastic, it has very little, if anything
to do with properly stimulating your muscles to
grow. A pump is simply the result of increased
bloodflow to the muscle tissue and is certainly
not indicative of a successful workout.A successful
workout should only be gauged by the concept of
progression. If you were able to lift more weight
or perform more reps than you did in the previous
week, then you did your job.
Myth 2: Building muscle will cause you
to become slower and less flexible.This one goes
back to the old days when people described bodybuilders
as being "muscle bound" and "bulky". Contrary
to what you may think, building a significant
amount of lean muscle mass will actually speed
you up rather than slow you down. Muscles are
responsible for every movement that your body
makes, from running to jumping to throwing. The
bottom line is that the stronger a muscle is,
the more force it can apply. Having stronger,
more muscular legs means increased foot speed,
just as having stronger and more muscular shoulders
means the ability to throw farther. Strong muscles
are able muscles, not the other way around.
Myth 3: You must always use perfect, textbook
form on all exercises.While using good form in
the gym is always important, obsessing over perfect
form is an entirely different matter. If you are
always attempting to perform every exercise using
flawless, textbook form, you will actually increase
your chances of injury and simultaneously decrease
the total amount of muscle stimulation you can
achieve. Remember, we are not robots! It's very
important that you always move naturally when
you exercise. This could mean adding a very slight
sway in your back when you perform bicep curls,
or using a tiny bit of body momentum when executing
barbell rows. Loosen yourself up a bit and move
the way your body was meant to be moved. Obsessing
over perfect form will actually work against you
rather than for you.
Myth 4: If you want your muscles to grow
you must "feel the burn!"This is another huge
misconception in the gym. The "burning" sensation
that results from intense weight training is simply
the result of lactic acid (a metabolic waste product)
that is secreted inside the muscle tissue as you
exercise. Increased levels of lactic acid have
nothing to do with muscle growth and may actually
slow down your gains rather than speed them up.
You can limit lactic acid production by training
in a lower rep range of 5-7, rather than the traditional
range of 10 and above.About The AuthorSean Nalewanyj
is a bodybuilding expert and writer of top-selling
Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth About
Building Muscle.
| 
