Bodybuilding is a sport where recovery time is just as important as the actual time spent in the gym. Building muscle mass requires plenty of rest, sleep, and a good nutritional bodybuilding diet. When someone on bodybuilding program does not see good results, they often blame the workout, but this may not be cause. Let me explain why...

 

 

Often beginner bodybuilders think that doing a workout of say 6 days a week for 2 hours a session will naturally increase muscle mass. However, if you do bodybuilding training too often and for too long, it will often cause negative affects to your muscle size and overall health.  This is because you will not be giving your body enough time to recover.

 

When we stress our muscles lifting heavy weights the muscle fibres are actually being damaged with tiny tears. Our muscle fibres are broken down during intense weight training sessions and this is partly one of the reasons that we get post-workout muscle aches and pains that can often last several days.

 

Put simply, a bodybuilding program that involves too much time in the gym will not help in building muscle mass because you are not giving yourself enough time for your muscles to recover.

 

 

The body is a very clever self-repairing biological system that uses the nutrients from the food we eat to re-generate the muscle we've "damaged" in the gym.

 

The body is so clever in fact that not only does it just regenerate the muscle, but actually over-compensates and will repair the muscle slightly better each time.

This is how we actually build muscle mass and explains why we get stronger over time lifting heavy weights. You're body also adapts and gets used to the bodybuilding exercises you perform in the gym, so it is very wise to change your workout routines often.

 

When you sleep your body works overtime in repairing itself. Think of sleep as a kind of fast-forward recovery mode in which everything is repaired much quicker than when you are awake.

 

A good night's sleep is therefore essential for building muscle mass and post workout recovery, also in conjunction with a quality bodybuilding diet.

If you are suffering from muscle pains several days after a training session, my advice is to:

With these points in mind, building muscle mass will be much easier, plus these steps can also help prevent you from having injuries through over-training.

 

More articles like this on bodybuilding and building muscle mass can be found at Adding Muscle Mass. You can also view my video about my free blank exercise log sheet.