Chicago Training Core - Personal Trainer

Hello muscle builders. Welcome to “How to build muscle part 2″. This is the second and arguably the most important phase of muscle building,  because this is the “Hypertrophy” or “Growth phase”. The human body works on the S.A.I.D. principle, “Specific Adaptation to Implied Demand”. it means, that your body will get used to what you put it through. For instance, if you train a particular part of your body say only your arms, they will recruit more muscle fibers {see how to build muscle: part 1} than any other parts of your body. Aside from looking funny, you will have trained your arms to adapt to the demand you placed on them, and they will no longer respond to training, if you continue to do the same routine day in & out, that is why you MUST progress! So let’s begin phase 2.

If you have followed the instruction given in “How To Build Muscle: Part 1″ and are able to do 3 sets of at least 15 repetitions of 8 to 10 exercises, and able to hold a conversation while doing so, then you are prepared to move on, or progress.

In this phase you will increase the resistance or weight to about 80%- 85% of your maximum ability. This will force your muscles to adapt to the new demands. Perform 8 to no more than 12 repetitions with 30-90 seconds rest between sets. For best results, start off with 8 repetitions, doing 8 to 10 exercises. If you are truly performing at 80%-85% you shouldn’t be able to do 12 right away. When you are successfully able to perform 2 workouts back to back {all muscle groups} it is time to progress, DO NOT ADD MORE WEIGHT. Instead, add to more repetitions! Then repeat the previous step. When you get to 12 reps & successfully complete 2 back to back workouts {all muscle groups} add 2 to 5lbs and start from the beginning with 8 reps, and repeat the cycle.

Now let’s talk about a critical aspect of muscle growth. Stretching! Most of us overlook the importance of stretching, especially men! It seems like a waste of time for sure, however.. stretching aids in many aspects of muscle building & overall health. For our purposes stretching will help increase the cross sectional area of the muscle, allowing more muscle fiber to be recruited to the area, making the muscle bigger! So you see, as much of a hassle it seems to be, it is worth the extra 5 minutes to do it!

So there you have it! Phase 2 of muscle building. Keep in mind, this is part of a formula! You will still have to adhere to it, if you want to gain muscle mass, so be sure to check back soon to learn more about building muscle.

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.

Many of us want to build muscle but really are not sure how to do it. Just like anything else there is a systematic approach. Think about it this way; if you were preparing to take a test to become a mathematician you wouldn’t start out by studying calculus would you? The first & foremost thing to consider is that the Human body has 4 systems that each play a role in every aspect of our daily lives. They are; the musculoskeletal, Nervous, Cardiovascular, & Endocrine or{Hormonal} Systems. You need to first prepare the muscle properly, & train each system to adapt to muscle building. Next you need to know there are several types of muscle fibers. The human body will recruit these fibers the way you tell it to.

Muscles use oxygen. Thinner muscle fibers are more resistant to oxygen depletion than thicker muscle fibers. It is for that reason that it is easier to lift a lighter weight than it is to lift a heavier weight over time. When muscles burn oxygen it produces a by-product called Lactic Acid, its the burning sensation you feel just before you decide “NO MORE” this product impedes the ability to efficiently use oxygen, and it is very hard to overcome. The good news is you can train your body to tolerate its effects for longer periods of time. Let’s start with the thinner muscle fibers or type 2a first, since they can sustain longer periods of action they are somewhat easier to train.

We will first begin in the Endurance phase. As I mentioned early on you must follow a formula unless you happen to have many hours to spend a day muscle training, like say in certain Institutions. When training in the Endurance mode you will familiarize the body with the motion of exercise or for others teach the body how to exercise, you do this by starting out with 50%-55% of your maximum ability, so if your max bench press is 20lbs you’ll want to start off with 10lbs-12.5lbs and do 13 or more repetitions. Remember to breathe in when you are working WITH gravity & out when you are working AGAINST gravity. NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH. You can do as many as you care to but keep in mind you will want to do more than 1 set so don’t over do it. Perform no more than 3 sets when operating in this mode. If you’re like most you’ll want to do anywhere from 13-20 reps, the way you know you are progressing is to increase the reps by 2 for your next training session, and maintain the extra 2 through the entire workout up to about 30 reps or so, then its time to move on. DO NOT ADD EXTRA WEIGHT! For exercise ideas visit http://www.chicagotrainingcore.com go to ‘Client sign in’ & click the link under “enter site” there you will find exercise pics with detailed instruction on how to perform proper exercise. Good luck & have fun!

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.