Why injury prevention is a must in a muscle building program

If only he had taken the time to learn about injury prevention, he would have saved himself some major headaches. Who am I talking about? I’m talking about a bodybuilding friend of mine who recently visited a chiropractor to get an evaluation for his injuries. He had been struggling with various symptoms in his right arm for at least several weeks, and he finally realized he could not continue with any kind of weight training until he resolved those issues. He had tried to rest his arms for a while hoping that it would take care of all the problems. Alas, that was not enough, and several weeks later he was still in pain and had a sense of weakness and tightness in his arm.

The good news is that he has found a promising therapy from a reputable chiropractor who performed a thorough examination. The bad news is that the treatment will end up costing several thousand dollars over the next year or so, and even worse, he will not be able to participate in strength training until his injuries have healed or at least improved significantly.

Can you imagine not being able to lift weights for several weeks, months, or more? Can you imagine having to pay a nice chunk of your paycheck each month to a doctor or therapist? These are certainly not pleasant thoughts, but the truth is that many, if not all, of these injuries can be prevented if the training begins his program on the right foot. Correcting posture problems and muscle imbalances is crucial to minimizing the risk of injuries down the road. Likewise, using proper technique during weightlifting and including stretching in your daily routine can help ward off problems. If you’re serious about gaining muscle, make sure you follow a comprehensive program that includes instructions on minimizing your chances of injury.

If you would like to learn more about how tobuild lean muscle, visit Jon Cardozo's Web site at http://maximum-muscle-gain.com. Learn the secrets to building a muscular physique and avoid the myths of the bodybuilding industry. Brought to you by Jcardozium.

I'm back

I can't believe it's been this long since I last posted! Well, I hope none of you are giving up on your muscle building efforts. I'll try to post more often to this blog. In the meantime, think about this: simply adding protein and overall calories to your diet, even if it’s a lot of protein and calories, will not build muscle if you don’t combine this with weight training.

The other day a friend of mine told me a story about protein shakes which I thought was pretty funny. Well, I thought it was pretty funny, but I don’t think he was very amused by the whole situation. You see a few months ago he had decided to start his own weight gain program because he wanted to look more muscular. True, there’s nothing wrong with trying to put on a little muscle or even quite a bit of muscle, but you have to go about it the right way.

That’s where the story gets a little humorous and a bit sad at the same time. My friend thought he could simply add lots of calories and protein to his diet and then sit back and watch the muscle magically appear on his body. His frame would become more muscular by the day, and all he needed to accomplish this was a hearty protein shake every morning. Yeah right!

You have to follow a comprehensive program that includes progressive overload and an adequate muscle gaining diet. In other words, if you don't do weight training and just eat more, don't expect to build lean muscle mass