I think that listening to loud, upbeat music (my favorite workout music is classic rock) makes it easier to get and stay motivated in the gym. However, I am not talking about music when I refer to “Heavy Metal.” I am talking about lifting progressively heavier weights.
One of the keys to stimulating muscle growth is by lifting heavy weights. What is heavy for one person is not going to be heavy for another. The important thing, though, is that an individual keeps pushing themselves to lift heavier weights or increasing the tension in the machines that they are using.
A primary reason why people do not see any progress from their workouts is that they are not forcing themselves to get stronger. People get stronger when they push themselves to lift heavier. No one should be lifting the same amount of weight that they were lifting six months ago unless they are recovering from an injury.
Muscles only grow when they are forced to work. They are not really working if you choose a weight that is too light. As one expert says in an excellent article, “This only works if you’re using enough weight to stimulate that muscle growth. In other words, if you can lift the weights you’ve chosen (for most exercises) more than 16-20 times, you might not see the kind of fat loss you would if you increased your weight.” Make your muscles work and you will see your muscles grow and your body will burn more fat.
What does this look like in practical application?
A good rule of thumb is that when you are able to hit eight repeitions of an exercise with an amount of weight consistently, it is time to add more weight. Adding five pounds becomes the new normal. After this weight is mastered, it will be time to add five more pounds. A good way to track this is by keeping a training diary. A training diary makes it easy to keep up with how you are progressing.
A weight training workout is not supposed to be easy. I am not saying to hurt yourself, but if you want to see real progress, you have force yourself to go where you have not gone before. Try working on lifting heavier over the next couple of months and see what happens!
What is your favorite tip to stimulate muscle growth?
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