Please provide some do's and don'ts when it comes to gaining muscle.

Do: Do eat a good amount of protein rich food each day.

Do: Do get started in a program and don't quit because you missed a day or ate too much.

Do: Do have a program set up by a trainer, be persistant, get proper hydration and protein intake.

Don't: Don't expect to get in shape during the season by playing, must get in shape prior to season.

Avoid: Avoid stress which breaks down muscle and use graduated exercise to increase muscle mass.

During: During in season strengthening focus on high weight low rep activity to maintain.

For: For muscle hypertrophy, it takes a minimum of 6 weeks of regular resistance exercise.

Lose: Lose body fat by getting adequate sleep of 8-9 hours a day.

Most: Most body builders do multiple sets of medium weight to build type 1 fibers, endurance fibers.

Only: Only by reaching muscle failure do you stimulate your muscle to grow stronger.

Avoid: Avoid alcohol, tobacco, insufficient sleep, and do eat healthy, unprocessed balanced food.

People: In some cases, people are obese because they eat too much and move too little.

Improving: Improving abdominal muscle tone may help lower back pain.

Too: Too much diet and exercise can metabolize muscle. Need adequate protein intake to avoid this.

Do: Do listen to your body -- it will usually tell you when you are doing too much.

More: More protein, less carbs. Fewer reps, but more resistance. A 7/5/3 set is better than 10/8/5 set!

Eat: Eat a healthy diet high in protein and low in fat. Your exercise should include strenth training.

Eat: Eat more protein. Do fewer reps at higher resistance while weight training.

Resistance: Resistance exercise (weights) with fewer reps, ie 7/5/3 set versus 20/15/10. Eat protein at 1gm/lb!

Start: Start lifting weights after puberty, when rising hgh & testosterone are high. Can't catch up later!

If: If you lift weights daily, exercise opposing groups of muscle. You'll make faster gains!

Climb: Climb stairs! do pushups (20-30) less than two minutes. 30 situps-2 min or less. Simple activites!

Cardio: Cardio burns fat but can also decrease muscle mass, try rowing or a rowing machine, as it can give you the best of both worlds!

Have: Have you seen a muscular endurance runner? Not really. You need weight training over cardio!

Weight: Weight training three times per week for short periods beats long once weekly sessions!

Eating: Eating more does not equal more muscle. You must exercise the muscles in order for them to grow.

Do: Do lift weights and be sure h2o and protein intake is adequate. Set up a program with a certified athletic trainer.

Don't: Don't use steroids. Health risks far outweigh any "perceived" benefit!

Heavier: Heavier weights doing 3 sets of ten with longer rest periods builds big muscles.

Regular: Regular moderate intensity exercise 3 times a week will maintain fitness.

It: It is important to obtain proper sleep, adequate protein intake, and a good multivitamin.

Adequate: Adequate protein intake, multivitamin and sleep. Exercise with low reps and heavier weights.

Myth: Myth: only protein will promote more muscle mass. Truth: non-protein calories must be maintained.

Eat: Eat more meat. Do some weight lifting & exercise. Protein/ creatine may help if your kidneys are fine.

Do: Do exercises that you think are fun. Best way to begin an exercise program for health and strength.

Have: Have a goal. Do you want large muscles, improved strength or power. This will determine the program.

Weight: Weight lifting won't limit your flexibility. Actually, proper lifting and stretching can improve it.

Don't: Don't stop exercising. Inactivity results in loss of that hard gained muscle. Use it or lose it!

Lifting: Lifting smart with good form will ultimately lead to better results and prevent injury.

The: The most important step is proper eating. Eating frequent and smart is the first step.

Eggs: Eggs are a great source of protein but resist the urge to eat raw. They can harbor salmonella bacteria!

One: 1 or 2 eggs in a day won't cause heart disease but more than 7 eggs/week might. Mix up your protein sources well!

MYTH:: Myth: you need to exercise a muscle daily. Fact: hard-work muscles need over 24 hours to recover.

Don't: Don't workout the same muscle daily. To build it, give it a day off between workouts.

Do: Do hydrate when you increase protein intake.

Don't: Don't increase weights more than 10% per week. This will limit muscle tears.

Give: Give your muscles time to recover after working out. Overtraining can lead to no progress and injury.

DHEA: Dhea can help males. Take 100mg/day!

Don't: Don't use supplements. Do regular diet and exercise. No one-trick diets and supplements.

Don't: Don't overtrain. You won't gain muscle if you don't have healing and recovery time. Every other day!

To: To optimally gain muscle, do the following rms!10/7/3. Sets of 5/3/1 marginally better, injury risk!

Don't: Don't sacrifice form to lift heavier weights. Use safe body mechanics.

Focus: Focus on compound exercises (work multiple muscle groups) in your training.

Don't: Don't train through worsening pain-get it checked out, rest/rehab/recover, then resume training.

If: If you are a beginner, learn how to strength train from someone who is not (such as a trainer).

Using: Using weights you can lift 10-15 times, gives a nice balance of muscle growth and safety.

Lower: Lower repetitions and greater weight/resistance. 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight!

Push: Push your muscles to the max. That will help stimulate them to grow.

Resistance: Resistance exercise and adequate protein, up to 1gram per pound of body weight. 3 times a week.

Lifting: Lifting weights is especially beneficial since calories are still being burned even after lifting.

Seniors: Seniors should do some on-going weight lifting to maintain muscle and bone stability.

Give: Give you muscles time to grow. Wait 48 hours before exercising the same muscles.

Proper: Proper form during strength training is essential to injury prevention.

When: When doing the bench press, don't place the arms out too far since this could injure the shoulders.

Various: Various beans provide both fiber and seem to control blood sugar surges.

Wearing: Wearing weight gloves with wrist support wraps is highly recommended.

Light: Light activity without weights can help with soreness between workouts.

Protein: Protein drinks are critical before and after lifting.

Don't: Don't use anabolics. They will shrink testes, lower sperm count to zero, and increase violence!

After: After several weeks of hard effort, take three days off to heal muscle and consolidate gains!

Do: Do vary your workouts. They will be/seem more interesting!

Alter: Alter the sequence of workouts every other week. Injuries will occur less often with variability!

To: To gain muscle you must eat lean, high protein foods such as chicken, fish, dairy products, beans.

Strenuous: Strenuous outdoor labor can work well. Chopping wood, digging, etc. Don't shy away from it!

A: A polyurethane hand gripper can do a job on building forearm muscles. Keep one in your car!

Do: Do use a seated squat machine for simultaneous quad, glut, and calve gains! safest of all!

Don't: Don't work out the "show" muscles (biceps & pecs) disproportionately! back & triceps more important!

Do: Do learn to lift to failure. You'll have lactate, "burn, " but gain muscle faster!

Chest: Chest dips are a great exercise for your pectorals, triceps & trapezius muscles.

With: With high intensity weight training and 3g/kg of protein intake, 17 lb of muscle gained in 40d!

Get: Get a personal trainer. We spend money on what we really want. How bad do you want this?

Increase: Increase protein intake, fish, chicken breast, lean meat, tuna fish, beans, ... Now exercise!

For: For large muscles you need to use medium resistance many reps, many sets with little rest.

More: More important to slowly emphasize the return after quick lift up. Called negative! but is positive!

There: There is a type of strength that comes to a muscle that doesn't also mean it gets bigger. Reps!

Do:: Do: reps of 12 -15 per set for the first 6 weeks in order to strengthen tendons and prevent injury.

Do: Do use a spotter when lifting heavy free weights.

Keep: Keep your elbows at your sides, slightly in front of you when you do bicep curls.

Do: Do constantly vary your routine and types of training methods- "muscle confusion" yields rapid gains.

Don't: Don't overtrain, you can actually see losses in strength & muscle mass. Rest and high protein diet.

Don't: Don't listen to music. Focus on proper form. Do reps slowly. Stay hydrated. Work muscle to failure.

Never: Never too old to gain muscle. Work of dr. Walter frontera demonstrates exercise equals muscle.

Slower: Slower controlled movements to keep your muscles under stress for a longer ammount of time.

Stressing: Stressing a muscle with more than it can do, varying speed ; weight will determine size ; endurance.

Do: Do strength training with increasing weight to gain muscle mass.

Do: Do exercise ; do weigh training ; protein supplements, ; good diet. Protein alone no good alone.