10 tips to build muscle throughout the day

Building muscle is an all day process.  Working out in the gym is just the catalyst to muscle growth.  Here are 10 tips on how to provide the body what it needs for proper muscle growth.

1. Drink plenty of water-  Water is the most important to proper nutrient absorption.
2. Keep moving throughout the day – Moving encourages blood flow which helps in muscle recovery.  This is especially important for people who sit a desk all day.
3. Schedule your workout – Your body has a rhythm.  Working out at the same time daily conditions it to be ready for exercise.
4. Eat lots of protein – You need to eat at least 1 gram of protein per your body weight.  Many body builders and athletes target 2-3 grams per pound.  An average chicken breast is about 30 grams of protein.  Most people underestimate their protein intake for building muscle.
5. Take a mid-day nap – A quick 15 minute nap can re-energize you and puts your body in a great state for building muscle and burning fat.
6. Stretch – When muscles repair and grow they will do this in their shortest state.  If you are too tight, when working out, you will lose form and increase the potential for injury.  An injury will impact the ability for the muscle to grow.
7. Avoid the pain killer – Muscle soreness and fatigue are natural effects in a muscle building workout.  It is a stimulus to the body to repair itself to be stronger and more adapted to the work out.  Inhibiting this with pain killers, inhibits this stimulus.
8. Increase your Vitamin D – Vitamin D has been linked to increases in testosterone levels.  Testosterone is an important hormone released by the body that increases muscle growth.
9. Drink a protein shake for a snack and at bedtime – Like we said, get more protein in your diet.  For the average 150 lb. person to gain muscle mass they would need to eat the equivalent of 5-10 chicken breasts per day to properly feed the body for muscle growth.  Protein shakes are loaded with up to 40 grams per serving.  Drinking a shake before bed provides the nutrients for the body’s muscle to grow.
10. Sleep – Muscles grow during rest, then sleep is the most important thing you can do to grow muscle.  Shoot for at least 8 hours per night.