Recuperation

Recuperation to me is probably the greatest factor in achieving maximum growth. Contrary to popular belief, you aren't building your muscles while you work out. In fact, you're tearing them down. It's while you're resting that your muscles rebuild themselves. In addition to that, they prepare themselves for the next time they might need to handle such a workload. They do this by building more muscle. Many people think that simply piling sets to a workout will make them grow larger faster. Given the training programs that most people are using, the opposite is probably true. When you look at the actual workout, you may actually be surprised by the low amount of sets I recommend. That is exactly what you need to create an environment conducive to muscular growth. The bottom line is: in order for your muscles to grow, they have to heal.

Other things that I recommend to improve your recuperative abilities:

Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
Having a well rested body also insures you get a good workout.
Avoid prolonged aerobic activities.
No more of those pickup basketball games all day Saturday.
Keep your personal stress levels low.
Cut out heavy binge drinking.

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