How recordkeeping will help you build muscle

When it comes to building muscle as efficiently as possible, there are some often overlooked factors that you need to consider. Most of us know that we need to increase our calories and lift gradually heavier weights.

You have probably heard this many times before, yet it may not be so simple. How exactly are you supposed to know if your program is working out or not? So many people don't take the time to satisfy a basic requirement of weightlifting and just about any other goals you want to achieve. If you want to succeed, you'll need to begin to write things down, including how much you're lifting and what you're eating every single day.

This may seem difficult and even annoying at first, but it should become second nature pretty soon. Gradually you'll get to know how many calories a particular food contains or how many grams of protein or fat you're eating. When you think about it, most foods that you buy at the grocery store already have this kind of information available, so this should make your job that much easier.

Writing things down in this way is a great way to keep track of your progress, because if things don't seem to be going the way you intended you simply go back to your record. Chances are you did something wrong either with your diet or with your workouts.

There will be times when you're not even sure if you're making progress all. There are some tips to keep in mind however, such as trying to gain a pound each week. This is one example of a goal you can shoot for that can help you track your progress along the way (as long as you also measure body fat percentage).

As for weightlifting exercises, your record keeping is just as important here. Your goal should be to gradually lift more weight from week to week, and you'll easily be able to see if you've met this requirement by writing things down.

It really is necessary to write things down because you're simply not going to remember later on. Having this set of records will help you change things as necessary.

Simply put, record keeping is an essential part of a comprehensive muscle building program.

By Jon Cardozo