Skeletal muscles are striated muscles which are a collection of muscle fibres connected to the bones by tendons. These muscles are what provides an upright shape to our body and hold the bones in place.
These muscle fibres break and regenerate rapidly everything we exercise to form a new set of stronger muscles. However, improper ways of exercising can lead to muscle strain and atrophy. Muscles do not grow simply by exercising until you run out of breath. Instead, they require special treatment before, after and during the workout to help them build the right way.
Here are the seven crucial steps which you must actuate in your routine to improve your muscle growth:
Stretch Sessions
It is the easiest yet vital part of any exercise. Stretching involves holding a specific section of the body constant for around 30 seconds to increase its flexibility. This helps your body reach its full range of motion before a workout and helps relax the muscles after an intense workout.
Warm-Up & Cool-Down sessions:
It is important to warm up the muscles before straining them with any form of exercise. Especially the ones that will be under most strain for any specific exercise. For example, a short 15-minute jogging or light weight lifting session will prepare your muscles for a long sprint or heavy weight lifting workout.
Similarly, stopping long heavy workout abruptly doesn’t allow the freshly broken muscles to recover and may lead to loss of muscle fibres. Hence, a short 15-minute cool-down session where you perform less straining exercises to help the muscles recover is equally important.
Workout Session
Any exercise that works your body against the gravity breaks down muscles. However, you need to research on what specific exercises can help you either bulk up or trim down your muscles. Increased muscle mass boosts your metabolism and helps your body in burning more fat molecules when at rest. It also adds to the strength of the joints they surround and helps in sustaining severe injuries.
Hydration
Other than comprising about 60% of the body, water also helps in muscle growth.
Water contains the electrolytes that are essential for muscle strength and control. It also cleanses the muscles by removing the toxins and bacteria.
The amount of water intake varies from body to body, so a handy rule is to keep a check on your urine colour. The yellower is the urine, the more water to need to drink.
Diet
The results of your workout depend less on the exercises you do and more on your diet. A healthy diet helps your muscles strengthen, repair, and function properly. Hence, it is vital to switch to a diet that includes a majority of:
Proteins: as it is the building block of the muscles
Carbohydrates: as they fuel our body to generate energy for performing the exercises
Unsaturated Fats: as they help in muscle recovery.
Massage
Massage is a powerful therapy for muscle pain. It also improves muscle recovery, elasticity, and maintaining muscle tone by helping in transmitting heat and oxygen to muscle tissues.
Following a proper workout plan can definitely help you improve your lifestyle. However, you may sometimes suffer from unforeseen injuries to the muscles and bones in the process, which are quite common.
If you’re facing from any of such injuries and need to see an orthopaedic surgeon in Pune, then Alpha Hospital is one of the best options for you. Employing highly skilled surgeons for trauma and fractures, Alpha hospital has become the most recommended orthopaedic hospital in Wakad and around the Pune city. Visit their website to learn more about their treatment options.