Body Building

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The Science of Body Building

The process of optimizing muscle hypertrophy, the growth of a muscle as a combined result of an increase in the size of muscle fibers and an increase in blood supply to the muscle, is termed as body building. And people who engage in muscle-building are called body builders. Purely a male domain until the middle of the 20th century, body building is now pursued by women as well and competitions are held for women in physique-exhibition events to assess fitness and figure. It is slightly different from male bodybuilding competitions, with the emphasis being more on muscle tone than muscle size.

How To Build Your Muscles

The key approach to body building is through strength training, specialized nutrition and adequate rest.

Strength training involves workouts using weights or resistance. These exercises cause micro tears in the muscle (called micro trauma) and manifests as soreness or ache after the exercise. The repair of this micro trauma is what contributes to muscle growth, and with the passage of time the muscle gets adapted to the exercise routine and overcomes the feeling of soreness.

Body building requires a high calorie and a high protein diet to increase muscle mass and also burn out the body fat through cardiovascular exercises. Ideally, low-glycemic or slow-digesting carbohydrates, which release energy in a sustained fashion, are required by bodybuilders. Proteins, by virtue of their capacity for tissue building and tissue repair, are perhaps the most important class of food required for body building. Generally, proteins of high biological value like whey proteins are highly recommended as also poultry, beef, pork, fish, dairy products, lentils and nuts. The process of muscle building and losing fat requires a variety of dietary supplements. These supplements boost muscle size, improve joint health and prevent nutritional deficiencies. One of the most commonly used supplements is creatine, which produces an extra phosphorus molecule for the regeneration of ATP (the energy currency of the cell), and this serves as a sustained energy source during intense workouts.

The body needs adequate rest and sleep between workouts to enable it to recuperate. About eight hours of night sleep and a daytime nap is believed to enhance the body's anabolic phase. Insufficient sleep and a high intensity workout for extended periods can stimulate the central nervous system and interfere with sleep patterns.

Don'ts Of Body Building

Overtraining is counter-productive in body building. This occurs when a body builder's workload exceeds his recovery capacity and should be definitely avoided. The use of drugs, such as anabolic steroids and growth hormones to increase muscle hypertrophy, are detrimental to health and could also be grounds for disqualification in competitive body building.