How best can you build muscle in a short amount of time? This is not always easily answered. You do not need a trainer to gain muscle mass but it can help. Continue on for some helpful tips and you just might find something that you have never tried before.

Learn as much as possible about selecting the best routines for building muscle mass. Different exercises target different things; some may work on bodybuilding or toning. Make sure you are using weight training techniques and have a wide variety of exercises to work on the different muscle groups.

Remember the main three exercises and include them in your routine. Bench presses, squats and dead lifts help build bulk. These exercises will condition your body, build strength, and add muscle mass. For best results, include these exercises in each day’s workout.

Don’t attempt to build muscles when you are preparing for a marathon or tackling other extreme cardio workouts. If you engage in too much cardio, it may hurt your ability to gain muscle. If your goal is gaining muscle, you should do strength training more often than cardio.

A 60 minute workout is the optimum length for maximum results. When exceeding 60 minutes, your body will begin to increase its amount of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. The cortisol can block testosterone and waste the efforts you are putting toward your weight training. Making sure workouts don’t go over one hour is the perfect way to optimize your fitness plan.

If you are trying to build up muscle mass, be sure to get plenty of protein in your diet. Protein is essential for building muscle, and if you don’t get enough of it, it can actually make you lose muscle. Daily you should eat up to 1 gram of protein for each pound you weigh.

Drink water before, during and after a workout. When you are poorly hydrated, you increase your chances of getting injured. Hydration is also a key factor in your ability to increase and maintain muscle mass.

Don’t rely on your “limits” to know when to stop a set, instead allow your body to physically be exhausted. Once your are more able to recognize the limits of your muscles, try to work them to exhaustion. If necessary, you can use a pyramid system and decrease the number of reps as you fatigue.

Plyometric Exercises

Try plyometric exercises. Plyometric exercises help your body have better fast twitch fibers that also help muscles grow. When you do plyometrics, they are like ballistics moves because of the acceleration they require. For example, when you do push-ups that are plyometric, your hands leave the floor, propelling your body upward.

Schedule your workouts intelligently, as this will maximize muscle growth while minimizing the risk of injury. You should start with two workouts a week and build up to three times when you feel that you have a handle on your routine.

Make sure your diet fits in with your training routine. In order to build muscle mass, you will want to make sure you are taking in more protein and less fat. This doesn’t mean that you need to consume more food; this means that you need to have a balanced diet. Vitamins and protein supplements may also help you to boost your results.

In order to build up your muscles, whether you want to focus on their strength or their size, you need techniques that have proven effective. If you follow the suggestions that were given in this article, you will achieve success when building your muscles. With the proper advice, you can reach any bodybuilding goal you may have.