Muscle is good stuff! Aside from the obvious benefits such as looking great and performing better in your sport, there are other benefits to gaining some muscle. Gaining muscle does not necessarily mean getting massive like a heavyweight bodybuilder, that’s not for everyone. You can adjust your training and sports nutrition plan to achieve lean muscle and look like a cover model, or you can go all out and bulk up like a bodybuilder. It all depends what you are looking for.
Muscle is the furnace that burns fat! Fat does not come out of sweat glands or disappear into thin air. Fat gets burnt up as energy inside muscle cells, so the more muscle you carry, and the denser it is, the easier you will find it to burn fat. Girls, don’t panic, this does not mean you have to build massive muscle to lose fat. Muscle density (tone) will have the same effect, so you can include weight training in your exercise plan and train for density rather than size.
Skinny sometimes means fat! Have you ever noticed that so many skinny people are actually fat? Look carefully at the average skinny guy’s waistline next time you’re on the beach. You’ll probably notice a roll of lard around his waist, along with a pair of stick like arms and no shoulders, the dreaded pear shape - not particularly attractive. This doesn’t only apply to men. The best looking female physiques are not those of some skinny catwalk models, who actually look ill, but those of healthy women who have some flesh on them and all the curves that make women beautiful. The fact of the matter is that you need some decent muscle on your body if you want to look good.
Muscle means energy! Another benefit to building muscle is that you have more energy. Muscle tissue is the most metabolically active of all tissue. Take a fully conditioned race horse for example and compare it to the horse that is ridden once a week for recreation. The race horse bristles with vibrancy and energy. You can feel its power and dominance just by being near it. It wants to get out there and perform. The horse that hangs out on the farm grazing all day, bless it, seems half asleep and lifeless. Do you want to go through life missing opportunities by being half asleep, or make the most of it with loads of energy?
So whether you are after a toned beach body, or you are an athlete and require strength, power and size to perform, or just want to pack on loads of muscle mass, there are ways to make gaining muscle easier. Sci-MX Nutrition® has an arsenal of specialised muscle building agents, each one proven to help build muscle when combined with resistance training. Have a look at pages 18 and 19 to find out about how some stack together for even more effect, or combine with products from other categories.
