Weight Lifting, Weight Training, Bench Press & Bodybuilding
October 15, 2024
Ways To Build Muscle: To Build Muscle, Get A Tan!
by Shawn Lebrun

ways to build muscle If you're looking to build lean muscle, I want you to first work on getting a tan. (Although that may be tough for us living here in the frigid northeast!)

I can see it now, people are going to be lined up at their local tanning salon, telling the clerk they need to start building some muscle.

Well, let me save you from stares of confusion from the salon owners.

You're not going to build muscle from sun tanning.

But the cause and effect relationship between the sun and tanning perfectly illustrates a point I want to make about working out too much.

I must get 3 or 4 emails each day from people wanting to know why they're not building muscle as fast as they'd like. They tell me that they're working each muscle group as often as possible.

Well, the thing is, there's no law in weight lifting that says if you double your time, you double your results. Usually, if you double the amount of time you lift, you actually lessen your results.

It's because weight lifting is closer to the "Less is More" theory than the "The More The Better" one.

So I want to show you how getting a tan actually answers why you do not want to weight train a muscle group more than once each week.

Getting a sun tan is a cause and effect relationship.

The sun is the cause and the tan is the effect.

In other words, the sun is the stimulus and the tan is the result.

When you get a tan, what is actually happening is that your melanocytes are producing melanin pigment in reaction to ultraviolet light in sunlight.

Ultraviolet light stimulates melanin production.

The pigment has the effect of absorbing the UV radiation in sunlight, so it protects the cells from UV damage.

You have to expose yourself to UV for a short period of time to activate the melanocytes. By repeating this process over 5 to 7 days pigment builds up in your cells to a level that is protective.

But what happens when you get too much sun? That's right, you get a sun burn, something you do not want to happen.

Too much of the stimulus leads to a negative result.

So the key is to find the right amount of sun for the desired effect. Too little sun results in no tan and too much sun results in a sun burn.

So, how does this relate to building muscle?

Muscle growth happens by overloading a muscle with heavy weight and then allowing it to rest and recuperate.

So in this case, the lifting of heavy weight is the stimulus and, if the environment is properly set up, the result is lean muscle growth.

The proper "environment" for muscle growth is rest and proper nutrition (high protein, moderate carbs, plenty of water).

If you train a muscle group (biceps, triceps, etc) more than once each week, it does not get a chance to recuperate and will not grow or become stronger.

It's like going back out in the sun too much. Overexposure to the sun leads to a burn.

Overexposure to lifting leads to overtraining. When overtraining occurs, muscle growth and strength gains come to a screeching halt.

So to maximize muscle growth and keep that "anabolic window of opportunity" intact, you definitely want to train a muscle group once each week.

Too much weight training (stimulus) will produce negative results. If you do not allow your muscles to rest, recover, and get ready for the next workout, you're doing the same thing as if you went back out into the sun too much.

Too much of something can produce negative results as much as too little of something.

So if you want to start building more muscle, start working on your tan ;-)


Simple Steps to Get Huge and ShreddedSimple Steps to Get Huge and Shredded
Here's how you can pack on more muscle mass, shed more body fat, and skyrocket your strength in less time. Competitive bodybuilder and Personal Trainer Shawn LeBrun offers you a step-by-step program to add muscle, lose body fat, and increase strength in all of your lifts.

Shawn is personal trainer and bodybuilder published throughout the net on various bodybuilding sites. Here he offers you a proven and powerful workout and nutrition routine you can use, regardless of whether you're a beginner or an experienced lifter looking to get the edge. "Simple Steps to Get Huge and Shredded" is a 139 page PDF "recipe" you can follow to cut out all the trial and error.
More information.....

 

Return to the Mega Workout Articles Section

 





Natural Bodybuilding | Growth Factor-1 | Discount Bodybuilding Supplements | Gain Weight Fast | Big Arms | How To Get Ripped
Weight Lifting Programs | Weight Lifting Equipment | Weight Training Articles | Weight Lifting Workouts | Workout Routines
Bench Press Routine | Bench Press Workout | Increase Bench Press | Bench Press Records | Bench Press Chart
Lean Body Mass | How To Run Faster | Bodybuilding Tips | Athlete Celebrity Interviews | Muscle Growth Stories
Muscular System | Healthy Bodybuilding Recipes | Muscle Man | Female Bodybuilders | Weight Lifting Exercises
Powerlifting | Dumbbell Exercise | Muscle Bodybuilding T Shirts | Vince Gironda | Vince Delmonte | Jennifer Nicole Lee
Weight Lifting Accessory | Football Strength Workout | Weight Lifting Belts | Mike Geary
Bench Press | Fitness Links | How To Gain Weight Fast | Strength Blog | Build Muscle Fast | Workout Reviews | Workout Videos
Weight Lifting & Weight Training Tips For Building Muscle Strength
 
Fitness Models | Strongman | Muscle Building Nutrition | Muscle Growth | Muscle Building Experts

Supplements: Testosterone Booster | Super Fat Burner | Beta Alanine | Creatine Caps | Nitric Oxide NO2 | Muscle Building Supplements | Post Workout Supplement

Articles: Bench Press Tips | Supplement Reviews | Muscular Strength | Bodybuilding Nutrition | Fitness Health | Muscle Building
Fat Loss Tips