We all want something bigger, faster, and stronger, everything from houses, cars and internet speed all the way down to extra strength, headache pills and energy drinks. We’ve also become impatient, we want change, and we want it now. We want to see immediate effects, and results. The same goes for building muscles and having six-packs. The desire to build a strong muscular body is in most of us, but we often get demotivated because the muscle gain comes too slow and requires too much effort. We want shortcuts to achieving that perfect body _ it’d be awesome if we could just wake up one morning with six-packs, effortlessly. Are there any shortcuts?
DO OUR MUSCLES AGE?
Yes, like all our body parts, they do. Age-related muscle loss is known as sarcopenia, which translates as vanishing flesh. Starting in your 40s and speeding up in your 50s, muscle mass declines and so does its ability to function. While the precise causes of sarcopenia aren’t fully understood, hormonal changes, lack of exercise, poor nutrition and inflammation are all potential reasons. The good news is that we can work on it. If the cause is hormonal imbalance, we first treat that before we can start building muscles. To help your muscles grow, you require three things. You need to exercise to make the muscles work, use energy and cause microscopic damage to the fibres. You need nutrition because after an intense workout the muscles need to replenish their stores of fuel. And you also need sufficient rest as it is during the rest period that the muscles recover and repair the microscopic damages and grow.
ARE THERE ANY ALTERNATIVES TO EXERCISE, DIET AND REST?
With the development these days, you can easily use the help of technologies to get muscles. Which technology offers the best results depends on the proportion of fat to muscles of body. If you’ve got fat, we use radio frequency technology to melt it away before we use the electro stimulation to help build muscles. Electronic muscle stimulation works by mimicking muscle contraction and this is caused by delivering electric impulses to the muscles. The impulses are delivered through terminals or electrodes to the skin, directly on the muscles to be stimulated. For those with more fat, Body Tite may be a more effective way to get rid of it. Body Tite uses radio-frequency assisted liposuction to burn and melt fat before removing it. The best feature for this machine is its ability to perform liposuction and tighten your skin simultaneously.
HOW LONG DO THE RESULTS LAST, AND HOW CAN IT BE PROLONGED?
How many sessions you require depends on the amount of fat. If you do not have or have very little fat, then you could just opt for the electro stimulation therapy to get muscles in the area you wish. You may need about 10 sessions, done every alternate day or as convenient for you. It may take up to three months to see the results at its best. Results are permanent, until you trash it with an unhealthy lifestyle, which gets fat back into the body. So a lot of effective options and alternatives are available, however, after you’ve achieved your results, it’s best to follow the three things, exercise, diet and rest, to permanently maintain it.
WHAT FOODS CAN SUPPLEMENT AND CATALYSE THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSCLES?
To build muscles and lose fat, you need to consume a variety of proteins, veggies, fruits, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Carbohydrates give you the energy for the gym. Eating protein not only helps build and maintain muscle, it also helps fat loss. Aim for 100g of quality protein, like fish, chicken, soy, or dairy products, three times a day, to maximise muscle growth. Consuming good fats also helps fat loss: your body holds fat if you don’t eat fats.
And you’ll need fruits and vegetables as these contain vitamins and minerals that help you recover from your workouts. To give you a better idea, here are some of the foods to add to your diet _ lots of water, whole eggs, flaxseeds, yoghurt, berries, red meat, mixed nuts, spinach and broccoli. Did I mention lots of water? Keep in mind that muscles are 80% water.
COULD YOU ALSO GIVE US SOME TIPS ON EXERCISING TECHNIQUES?
Personally, I’d rank “enjoying your workout” as the most important, as it’ll keep you motivated in the long term. When you enjoy your workout session, you’re likely to get good bodybuilding results, because you’ll be fully engaged. So do whatever it takes, choose a good atmosphere, ambiance, music or even invite friends to make the session more fun. Also try adding new or rotating exercises to really mix things up, this will not just add to the fun, but will make sure you hit every muscle from more angles.
You could also try fully exhausting the muscle at the end of your workouts. Let’s say, if you were doing an average of eight to 10 repetitions per set, drop the weight down to the point where you can do double or even triple that amount of repetitions. This will fully exhaust the muscle and give you a little more satisfaction before calling it a day.
However, this is only recommended for the end of your workout session. And on the days you can’t make it to the gym, just use your own body weight to exercise the muscles from home.
