Friday, September 9, 2011

Building Muscles

I posted earlier that I have set a new goal for myself - I want to add some lean muscle mass. So with that goal in mind, I have changed my workout routine to go heavy and hard. I am doing a 5 day training split that looks like this:
Mon: Chest and Biceps
Tue: Back and Triceps
Wed: Shoulders and Glutes
Thurs.: Legs
Fri: Back and Abs
Sat. Shoulders and Glutes
Sun. Rest

While building muscle, I will keep cardio to a minimum of 20 minutes, 2-3 times a week, of interval sessions. I will perform 18-20 sets, with reps of 10, per major muscles. Smaller muscles, such as Biceps, Triceps, and Calves will be 6-9 sets.
Pre and Post workout nutrition is important when trying to build muscle. You need to clean, nutritious foods to supply fuel for your body.
About 30-60 minutes before your workout, have a meal of protein and complex carbs, such as 3oz. of chicken, with 25 grams of brown rice or yams, along with veggies or an apple.
Within 30 minutes after your workout, the goal is to supply the body immediate sources of protein and carbohydrates to begin repairing, refueling and rebuilding broken down muscle tissue. Carbs that are quick ingesting, such as fruit juice or chocolate milk, restore your glycogen levels the quickest. Whey protein serves as the best source of amino acids for tissue repair post-workout. Whey has a 100 percent bioavailability. In other words, 100 percent of what is consumed is used.
My favorite post workout meal is a
Green Smoothie.
4 oz skim milk
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (20grm protein)
Handful of fresh, raw baby spinach
¼ cup frozen blueberries
½ large or 1 small banana sliced

Put all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

About 90min. – 2 hours after this shake, I will eat a normal meal such as eggs or chicken, which will provide protein that is absorbed by the body more slowly.

Stay tuned….I’ll be posting workouts and progress reports!




Life As I See It [Fitness, Health and Happiness]

11 comments:

fancy nancy said...

You just described my breakfast in your smoothie!! I need to do more strength...it is just hard mentally for me to pair down my cardio! I know it will pay off in the end!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

That smoothie sounds delicious! I have been loving the fresh blueberries this year -- with a little yogurt -- YUM! But yours is good year round! I need to go make one of those!

Lisa J said...

only 20-30 min of cardio- man i'd go crazy (running is my stress reliever) are you going to get BF% checked or get measured so you can see your progress?

~Dinah said...

Glad to see someone else hasn't given up milk either. ;) Some people make me feel so guilty for that.

I am looking to really get at weight training this fall/winter. Speaking of BF%, what is the standard most doctors measure by? I'm so confused by all this. I had mine done about 15 months ago (at my heaviest) at the Mayo clinic, and I've used some of the online calculators (which I know aren't exact) just to see what kind of progress I might be making and then they spit out 3 or 4 different percentages according to different calculators...some of those make it seem like I'm still overweight (which I'm not anymore). It all just confuses me. :)

getfitchick said...

Dinah, most body fat testers aren't completely accurate. The most accurate would be a hydrostatic weighing, but it is expensive. The bodyfat test calculators you find online are hughely unreliable. I use a handhel bioelectrical measurer. There is margin for error, but it is consistent enough from me to gauge bodyfat loss. 30% bodyfat is considered to be obese. Use one source as your guide, and guage how you look in the mirror also. When you start to lose bodyfat and lean out, you'll see it!

Elle said...

That green smoothie is one I make too..the berries make it purple!

I am working on building my lean muscle mass too.

I wish you well.

Unknown said...

Good luck with your muscle building! I've gotta be honest, I haven't yet been able to try a green smoothie. I hear great things about them but I just can't bring myself to try one yet.

I found you from the Fitness Friday blog hop.

Amy said...

Love smoothies for breakfast! Good luck on building muscle! That's the hardest part for me!

jillconyers said...

Sounds like a great [and intense] plan. Good luck with your goal. You'll do great!

Building muscle mass was a goal of mine last Oct. Keep at it! It has made a huge difference in my strength, endurance and my appearance.

Happily strength training since oct of 2010 :)

Elle said...

Thanks for the follow at eatrunsail.blogspot.com

I will be visiting you regularly too!

Jennifer said...

sounds good! Good luck with your goals! :)