How to Get More Muscle!

I've said this before and I'll say it again: Your muscles aren't actually made in the gym. Instead, they're made while you're at rest. That's because lifting heavy weights creates microscopic tears in your muscles, which your body needs to repair. Your body repairs these muscles while you're resting. This is referred to as your recovery period.
Here's what you need to know about resting:
Take at least one full day off per week
. You should do at least three weight training sessions per week. Depending on how much fat you need to lose, you can do about three cardio sessions. That's six days of training, which leaves one full day to rest. Be sure to use it, which means you shouldn't even do something fun like hiking, because that sort of strenuous activity doesn't allow your muscles to rest and recover properly.
Don't do similar muscle groups back to back
. You'll recall from previous lessons that some muscle groups are worked when you do exercises targeted at other muscle groups. For examples, your shoulders get worked when you do certain back exercises. And your triceps get worked when you do chest exercises.
So here's the thing:
Don't create routines where you use these muscles on back-to-back days. For example, don't do shoulders on Tuesday and then do your back on Wednesday. Instead, be sure to space these sessions out at least one full day.
Take a week off from time to time
. Every few months you should take a full rest to let your body completely recover. That means taking about one week off from weight training. You may do a couple light cardio sessions during this week, however.
Get enough sleep each night
. Everyone needs a different amount of sleep. However, most people need from eight to ten hours - especially when you're weight training. If you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, you're probably not getting enough sleep. Or if you find yourself wanting to take a nap during the day (which is OK if you do it), here again you're probably not getting enough sleep.
Try to get to bed earlier and/or get up later and see if you don't feel better and enjoy better results. If you're a night owl who has troubles getting to sleep earlier, then you may need to try one or more of these tricks to fall asleep faster:
• Create a bedtime routine. This means doing the same thing every night, such as brushing your teeth, putting on your PJs, etc. If you create a routine, your body will prepare to sleep even as you're still going through your routine.
• Take a warm bath right before bed. Not only does a warm bath feel good on the muscles, it also helps you relax.
• Don't take any work into the bedroom. For example, don't lie in bed with your laptop. You may also want to avoid exciting books, movies and video games, all of which may make you too excited to sleep.
• Don't drink caffeine in the afternoons. How soon you should cut off your caffeine depends on how sensitive you are to its effects. Start by cutting it off four hours before bed. If that doesn't work, then try five or more hours.
Don't exercise within a few hours before bed. At the very least, you should finish your workout two hours before bed. But the more hours you can put between your workout and bedtime, the better.