The PowerHowse Challenge – Do you have what it takes?
I’ll admit it. There’s so much info out there that it’s hard at times to sift through the bullshit and find what really works. To simplify things just a bit, I’m going to talk about 2 steps you should be taking in order to build lean muscle mass. Here they are:
There are 2 steps to building lean muscle mass that you first have to understand before you can move on to anything else. First, you have to be getting the most out of your workouts in the shortest amount of time. Second you have to then understand how to recover from those intense workouts.
Neither step can be done blindly. You don’t just head into a gym, work your muscle until it hurts, then head home and sleep. No, there’s a little more to it than that. But effectively breaking down the muscle, putting it through as much stress and “pain” as you can in a relatively brief period using the right exercises and tempos, then pumping it full of the right nutrients and the proper amount of calories, combined with effective resting will produce the desired results.
Pain can be a good thing
Pain can be your best friend in the fight to build lean muscle mass.
Far too often in our training we reach the point where our muscles are burning, and the blood is pumping to the right areas, and we rest. We allow our bodies to cool down, and our muscles to deflate. Then we try to build up to that sensation once again, but it isn’t quite the same. We have missed our opportunity.
That “peak” is what we want to reach as fast as possible, and prolong. We want to take advantage of the blood-flow and the good damage being done to our muscles so we can then allow them to recover and repair when we leave the gym.
How to Recovery Properly
So we’ve talked about how to break down our muscles – step 1. Step 2 is helping them recover quickly, and effectively. Without step 1, there isn’t a step 2. The same can be said for the opposite. If all you’re doing is breaking down your muscle, and not allowing it to recover properly, you WON’T see the results that you should be seeing.
Recovery is a science. You need the right amount of nutrients, at the right times, as well as the right amount of calories and rest.
These are the two biggest biggest pieces of the puzzle. If you’re not gaining lean muscle mass, odds are you aren’t training intense enough with the right system, or you aren’t allowing your body to actually see the benefits from the training that you’re doing.
I was there, training 6 times a week, working my ass off but yielding now results. For one, I was working long hours, not short, intense sessions. Second, I was working long hours far too often and not allowing my body to recover.
3 Recovery Tips to Implement Immediately
1. Sugar during your workouts.
I’ll sip on a mixture of gatorade, protein powder and L-glutamin throughout my workout. This gives our bodies something to feed on besides muscle. If you’re doing the PowerHowse Challenge – or an intense workout – you need to be fuelling your body even in the midst of training.
2. Take Advantage of Raises Insulin Levels.
We’ve been feeding our bodies sugars and proteins during our workout like I just mentioned. This is going to help raise insulin levels when combined with high intensity training. This means our absorption is increased, so we’ll have a window to give our body the nutrients it craves.
Make sure your post workout meal at least covers the basics:
1 portion slow carbs – brown rice, oatmeal
1 portion vegetables – high in nutrients needed for a healthy body
1 portion lean protein – turkey, chicken, lean beef
Some say the window is an hour to an hour and a half. Just make sure you’re eating within 1.5 hours, and make sure it’s a GOOD sized meal with the previous sources covered.
3. Cold Shower.
Intense exercise like there is in the PowerHowse Challenge fills our muscles with lactic acid and glycogen: things we want to get out of there as fast as possible. That’s what a cold shower or ice bath does. It helps flush our bodies of the glycogen that actually eats away at the muscle.
You’ll see athletes after a big game sitting in an ice bath or riding the bike. Both have the same effect. Both with help speed up the recovery process. Neither are fun, but they’re effective if you’re looking for optimal results.
Are you tired of the same cookie cutter programs and are ready for a challenge?
See How I Gained 32 Pounds of Lean, Athletic Muscle in 32 Weeks
