The arrival of summer means that more people are concerned with muscle shaping than they are with becoming bulky. These seven tips will help you better define your muscles so that you look better at the beach.
#1. Perform HIIT Training
High Intensity Interval Training is ideal for cutting, as it will help you shed fat without losing muscle. An example of a HIIT workout would be jogging for one minute followed by sprinting for 20 to 30 seconds, or burpees followed by walking push ups. For muscle shaping, many trainers recommend HIIT training three times each week on non-lifting days, followed by a protein shake. As an alternative, consider adding cardio at the end of your weight lifting sessions to burn more calories.
#2. Perform Supersets
Supersets consist of two exercises that are performed consecutively without any rest between them. This encourages the release of testosterone, thereby making it easy to build and shape the muscles. You should perform supersets on antagonistic pairs of muscles. Antagonistic pairs are ones in which one muscle contracts while the other relaxes, such as the biceps and triceps.
#3. Do High-Reps of Isolation Exercises
High repetitions results in glycogen being depleted from the muscles. Your body then increases the amount of glycogen so that next time you are able to perform more reps. Ultimately, this will lead to an increase in size as well as better definition.
#4. Add Drop Sets to your Workout
Drop sets can enhance your muscle shaping efforts by forcing you to work out harder than you had intended. To do a drop set, perform as many repetitions of an exercise as you can, then drop down to a lower weight and do another set. It’s also important to have less rest here between sets than if you were performing regular sets.
#5. Increase the Amount of Time Under Tension
When it comes to muscle shaping, it’s not always how much weight you press or the number of reps you do. Increasing the amount of time your muscles spend under tension increases the amount of fluid surrounding them, thereby resulting in better definition. To increase time under tension, perform reps at a slower pace. Also remember to use negative reps, which basically means on the returning part of the exercise take your time so you’re still using the muscle.
#6. Consider Creatine and Taurine Before a Workout
When taken before a workout, creatine supplies your body with the phosphate it needs to fuel activity. An added benefit of creatine is that it also results in greater muscle volume, and can therefore make you appear fuller. Taurine can improve your performance and strength by affecting the contractile function of the muscles.
#7 Don’t Forget About Recovery
In their quest for better definition, many people forego the recovery period. Muscle fibers require rest in order to grow, so if you find yourself struggling to perform a workout, odds are you may be overtraining. Listen to your body and adjust your workouts accordingly to ensure you do not do yourself more harm than good.
These muscle shaping tips will have you ready for summer in no time. Include them in your workout, and you will feel much better showing off your well-defined muscles in a swimsuit.
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