Uncovering 4 Negative Muscle-Building Myths

Uncovering 4 Negative Muscle-Building Myths

You need to be very selective about who you listen to for advise if you're serious about committing to a muscle-building regimen. A genuine multi-billion dollar industry, bodybuilding and fitness sees the launch of new websites daily. There are many alleged "experts" out there who actually have no idea what they're talking about and are solely interested in selling you pricey supplements, powders, and "miracle plans" that you don't actually need.

 You risk literally destroying your gains and never developing the magnificent, muscular physique you so desperately want if you don't watch your step and avoid these dangerous muscle-building errors. In order to keep you on the right track to the mind-blowing muscle and strength gains you deserve, I'm going to dispel 4 very popular muscle-building myths in this post.

Myth 1: You need to have a "pump" throughout your workout in order to gain muscle. The more pump you get, the more muscle you'll put on.

For those of you who are just beginning out, a "pump" is the sensation you have when working out with weights because blood becomes trapped inside the muscle tissue. Your body will feel bigger, tighter, stronger, and more powerful as the muscles expand up. While a pump feels great, it does little to nothing to effectively stimulate the growth of your muscles.

 A pump does not indicate a successful workout; it is just the result of increased blood flow to the muscular tissue. Only the idea of advancement should be used to determine whether a workout was successful. Your job was accomplished if you were able to lift greater weight or complete more repetitions than the previous week.

Myth #2: Increasing your muscular mass will make you slower and less flexible.

This one dates back to the days when people used the terms "muscle bound" and "bulky" to describe bodybuilders. Contrary to popular belief, increasing your lean muscle mass significantly will increase your speed rather than slow it down. Every movement your body does, including running, jumping, and throwing, is controlled by muscles. The bottom line is that a muscle can exert greater force the stronger it is.

 Increased foot speed is a result of stronger, more muscular legs, just as greater throwing distance is a result of stronger, more muscular shoulders. Instead of the other way around, muscles that are strong are also able.

Myth #3: You must always perform each exercise with textbook-perfect form.

When maintaining proper form while working out is always vital, stressing over flawless form is something else entirely. Your risk of injury will actually increase if you always strive to complete every exercise with perfect, textbook form, which will also reduce the overall amount of muscle activation you can obtain. Recall that we are not machines! It's crucial that you workout in a natural method at all times.

 This could entail using a tiny bit of body momentum when performing barbell rows or adding a very slight swing to your back when performing bicep curls. Relax a little and move your body the way it was intended to be moved. The opposite of what you want will happen if you become fixated on having flawless form.

Myth #4: You must "feel the burn" if you want your muscles to expand.

Another major misunderstanding about the gym is this one. Lactic acid, a metabolic waste product, is simply released into the muscle tissue while you workout, which is the cause of the "burning" sensation that follows intense weight training.

 Increased lactic acid levels have nothing to do with muscle building and can even make your gains slower rather than faster. By training in a smaller rep range of 5-7 as opposed to the conventional range of 10 and beyond, you can reduce the amount of lactic acid produced.