Australian Men\'s Fitness - 09.2019

64 MEN’S FITNESS SEPTEMBER 2019

OUR BODIES DO THE MOST AMOUNT OF REPAIRING WHEN WE’RE ASLEEP. IF YOU DON’T SLEEP ENOUGH, YOU DON’T GROW.

FIVE

Prioritise

protein

■Not only does

your body need

calories to build

muscle, it also

needs protein.

Our body breaks

the protein down

into amino acids

during digestion

and these are

then used as the

building blocks to

repair and regrow

the muscles. Many

recent studies

have shown that

for those who are

regularly weight

training, 1.5-2g

of protein per kg

of body weight is

what we should be

aiming for. Let’s

say you weigh

80kg: you would

need to aim for

between 120g and

160g of protein per

day. An average-

sized chicken

breast contains

30g of protein,

while a portion

of kidney beans

contains 9g.

So while you’re

tracking your

calories, make

sure you’re also

tracking your

protein intake to

avoid missing out

on vital muscle-

building nutrients.

■ Working in a

gym, I’ve seen

how much of an

epidemic mobile

phone use has

become. Not only

is it incredibly

frustrating when

you’re waiting for

a machine that

some guy is just

sitting on, checking

his Facebook feed,

it’s also a detriment

to your workout

because you are

more likely to

become distracted.

Studies show that

rest periods of one

to two minutes

between sets give

a greater release of

anabolic hormones

• by resting any
  longer, you’re
  missing out on
  optimum muscle
  building. To avoid
  getting distracted
  by your phone
  while you’re
  training, the
  solution is all too
  simple: leave it in
  the changing room.

■ Our bodies do

the most amount

of repairing and

regrowing when

we’re asleep. Even

if you’re getting

the training right

and eating well, if

you’re not sleeping

enough, you are

missing out on vital

muscle-building

time. You may have

heard that our body

has four stages

of sleep, and it’s in

stages three and

four that our body

produces large

amounts of human

growth hormone.

This increases

the rate of muscle

growth, as more

oxygen goes to the

muscles – helping

to remove lactic

acid – and recovery-

boosting prolactins

are released. More

obviously, when

you wake up the

next day feeling

refreshed, you’re

going to have way

more energy to put

in a good workout.

Studies recommend

seven to nine hours

of uninterrupted

sleep is necessary

for adults. Before

bed, steer clear of

screens as much as

possible, and keep

your room as dark

as possible – black-

out blinds are a good

investment. If you

have a thermostat,

set it at between

18 and 22 degrees

• the perfect temp
  for quality shut-eye.

EIGHT

Lock it up

SEVEN

Sleep soundly

SIX

Train with

intent

■ These points are

all well and good, but

they hide one simple

truth: if you want

to make changes

in muscle size, you

need to work HARD.

Pushing our

muscles to limits

that they’ve never

experienced is

what provides the

stimulus for them to

grow. But remember:

use it appropriately.

Failure when lifting

generally also

means CNS (central

nervous system)

fatigue, which

can take several

minutes to recover

from, and a

reduction in the

number of reps

you’re able to do. Say

you did 10 reps to

failure, then had 90

seconds rest, then

did another set – you

would probably only

be able to do four or

five reps. If on the

first set you only

did nine reps, you’d

likely be able to do

eight or nine reps on

the second set, so

this would be more

conducive to muscle

growth. Therefore,

look to only work to

failure on the last

set of each exercise.

Weight train?

You need 1.5-2g

protein per kilo

of body weight.

2g