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Muscles need protein to grow. The body, therefore, needs protein from food to build muscle. Researchers are now answering whether the protein source plays a role in this: When it comes to building muscle, it doesn’t matter whether the protein is of animal or vegetable origin.

Protein is necessary to build muscle. Many recreational athletes drink protein shakes after exercise and eat mainly quark and lean meat. They want to build up as much muscle mass as quickly as possible. But what about vegetarians, vegans, and those who just don’t want to eat as much meat or dairy?

Protein source plays no role in muscle building

Whether you consume animal protein from meat, for example, or vegetable protein from legumes, for example, makes no difference to muscle building. This is what researchers from the University of Massachusetts and the Hebrew Senior Life Institute found. A higher protein intake promotes muscle and strength gains, regardless of the source of the protein.

More protein, more muscle

Participants in a study were asked about their eating habits and divided into six food categories: fast food and high-fat diets, fish, red meat, chicken, milk, and legumes. At the same time, the muscle values ​​were recorded.

The result shows higher protein intake – more muscles and strength. However, no difference was found between the individual food categories with regard to muscle building. It is, therefore, possible to build muscle mass from animal protein in the same way as from vegetable protein.

Even if the protein source plays no role in muscle building, it does affect bone density. This is what another study found. People who eat more red, processed meat, therefore, have lower bone density and therefore a higher risk of osteoporosis.

Good news for non-meat eaters

The results prove: that muscle building is also possible with meatless diets. When it comes to building muscle, vegetarians and vegans have the same options and opportunities as meat-eaters. When it comes to muscle building, the primary factor is the amount of protein and not the protein source.

Weight training has many positive effects on the body. With the right diet, you can quickly see changes in your body and muscles. But you should note a few things.

Avoid the 8 biggest mistakes when weight training

#1 Training without a plan

Your training should be structured through. A training plan can help. Because strength training is only about fun, mainly about building muscle. A training plan will help you to train all muscle groups with different, varying exercises.

If you do the exercises from the stomach, they will always be the same ones that are easy for you. In order to achieve results, however, some effort and, above all, variety are required. You can have a training plan drawn up in your gym.

#2 No warm up

Do you shy away from warming up because it’s warm outside anyway or don’t have time? You should change that. With a warm-up, the body pumps more blood through the circulatory system and your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints are prepared for the effort to come.

This also makes you less prone to injury and more enduring. So use a cardio machine of your choice for eight to ten minutes before every strength training session and cycle, step or run at a moderate pace.

#3 Quantity instead of quality

Only if you pay attention to the technique during training will you also use your target muscles and consequently grow faster. Even if you might be able to lift a few kilos less as a result.

Improper exercise also increases the risk of injury. So always pay attention and ask a trainer if you are unsure.

#4 Wrong training weight

Nobody needs show-offs in the gym. Therefore: only take as much weight as you can really handle and not as much as your neighbor can lift. Excessive training weight can lead to overload or even injuries. Your exercise execution suffers as well.

How do I know my training weight? Legs can move more weight than shoulders. The last reps of a set should be difficult for you. If you can’t do your exercise correctly, the weight is too heavy. If you can move the weight with ease, it’s too light.

#5 No rest between sets

Taking a break between each set is important, even if you feel pressed for time. Because during this break, your muscles fill up their energy stores. This allows you to last longer. But if the breaks are too long, your body cools down again.

#6 No increase in load

Your muscles build up with the training and get used to the strain. So that your progress does not stagnate, you should regularly look for new challenges and set new stimuli.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to increase the weights. You can also do more reps per set, switch to free exercises, or add additional exercises.

#7 No cool down

Cool down is the opposite of warm up. They show the body that the stress phase is over and that it can cool down. The heart and breathing rate can be easily regulated during a leisurely ride on the bicycle ergometer or when rolling out on the foam roller.

#8 No recovery period

More is not necessarily more! Give your body a break between workouts to recover. If you train too often, there is not only a higher risk of injury, you also train less effectively and persistently, which in the long run leads to stagnation of your muscle growth.

Quick and easy to your own insect hotel. Are you bored with your garden? – No problem, with a self-built insect hotel you can not only beautify the property but at the same time get to know the biodiversity of the insect world better. Tips and tricks for building your own insect hotel are given in the following lines.

The materials and tools for construction

For the construction of the hotel, you need several small wooden boards, thin bamboo tubes, a wooden box as a frame, and simple, straight wooden sticks. You will also need a small amount of straw and fine wire mesh.

The tools you need are a drill with an 8mm wood drill, a file, wood glue, scissors, and a saw.

The building instructions

Set up your finished wooden frame and drill an 8mm hole in each corner of the wooden frame where screws will then be attached as brackets.

Now start with the individual hotel rooms for the insects. Glue the small wooden boards into the wooden frame step by step as floors, keeping a height difference of 10 cm. Depending on the frame size, you can choose the number of floors you like. Once the individual floors are glued in and dry, you can start equipping the floors. Place the straw on the bottom tier and attach the fine wire mesh in front of it to provide protection from birds.

The thin bamboo tubes are pushed onto the second floor so that the entire floor is full and the bamboo holes lookout to the front. You can glue these in place with wood glue. For the third floor, you need wooden sticks, which must be inserted in such a way that small gaps and slots form. Attach them with wood glue. Now let you’re almost finished insect hotel dry and, after briefly sanding down the wooden edges with a file, secure it in a suitable place in your garden.

Tips and Tricks

  • Pay attention to the stability.
  • Fix the hotel to a weatherproof wall.
  • Place bait at the hotel to attract more insects.
  • Protect the hotel from birds and other predators.
  • Use simple materials, the type of wood used does not matter.
  • Keep the minimum distance between floors to give the insects enough space.

If you still have difficulties building the hotel, you can click on this video link, which explains the construction of an insect hotel in more detail, to get an even better insight.

Units of measurement and sizes for construction

  • Wooden frame: 40x30x10cm
  • Floorboards: 30x10cm
  • Distance between floors: min. 10cm
  • Minimum height to hang hotel: 100cm
  • Bamboo cane length: 10cm
  • Length of the wooden sticks: 10cm
  • Fine wire grid size: 10x30cm

If you have done everything correctly and your insect hotel has been fixed in a suitable place, you can watch the insects move in at any time. The types of insects that have moved into the floors vary greatly, from cockchafers to simple fly larvae.

Helpful tips for financing your own home. Because for the dream of your own house you can fall back on various financing options. Here we explain the difference between building savings and mortgage lending. We also give tips that you should definitely consider.

Finance your home

Owning your own home is the dream of many families. Because it is usually much nicer to live on your own four walls. But the topic of “house building” becomes more complicated when only one person in the household earns money. So that it still works to finance your own home, we have collected the most important tips for building savings and building financing for you.

How does building savings work?

A home loan and savings contract usually accompanies you throughout your life and can be concluded simply by visiting the bank branch. The phases of the contract, on the other hand, are staggered into different stages: the conclusion of the contract, the savings phase, the rest phase, and then the loan phase. This means that at the beginning you conclude a contract for a certain building savings sum. For example, 100,000 euros.

Depending on the contract, you must now save a certain minimum amount over a certain period of time in monthly installments or voluntary special payments during the savings phase. If you have reached the minimum savings amount and have waited a certain period of time, the savings will be paid out. In addition, the difference in the savings amount is paid as a loan. Consequently, this means for you that you save 50,000 euros, for example. You will then receive the remaining 50,000 euros as a loan. Finally, the loan is paid off in monthly installments over the following years.

Difference between home savings and mortgage lending

While building savings is a longer process, building finance is possible in different ways. You can either finance your own home with equity, your own contribution, or borrowed capital. In the latter case, a loan is usually taken out from the bank. A contract is then concluded in which the term, interest, and land charge are usually stipulated. After the loan approval, you get the money to finance your home relatively quickly. The loan amount is quite high and the term is also quite long. The loan is paid off monthly.

Tips for building savings

Depending on your individual needs and circumstances, either building society savings or mortgage lending may be an option for you. After you have decided, you should heed the following tips to make building savings a success:

1) Compare Bauspar providers

If you want to get a good contract, you should not rashly decide on a provider. Because there are numerous special options, special cases, and little things that can turn your home savings contract upside down. But usually, you only notice this afterward, when it is too late. Therefore, make sure you read the contract properly beforehand. Consequently, carry out a savings compared with a comparison calculator. There you can enter all the conditions you want from your contract. This will give you a good overview and avoid future problems.

2) Plan the savings phase well

You should also think carefully about whether you and your family can pay off the monthly installments. Because it is precisely in the savings phase that you face high costs. Especially if you don’t want to wait too long to build. Conveniently, there are more and more providers who have specialized in families with housewives and therefore non-profitable work. Building savings makes sense here in particular because the installments and interest rates are usually low. In addition, read how you can finance your home furnishings.

3) Choose a fixed interest rate

An important criterion for your home savings contract is a fixed interest rate. This means that the interest sum must not fluctuate over the years, but must always be fixed. Because then you can count on an amount that will not change anymore when planning and building the house later. It is also important that the loan interest rate at the time of conclusion is lower than the interest rates on the open market. And you buy that by receiving less credit interest on the money you save. This means that although you pay less interest, you also receive less in the end. So count on it beforehand. Also, note tips for saving electricity so that you have more money to save on construction.

4) Save taxes with little interest

Although a high-interest rate is tempting, think about the taxes. Because if you only receive a small amount of interest per year, you save on taxes. This is especially the case in the later years since your credit then usually exceeds the annual tax allowance. If you still have a high credit interest rate, this is reflected in increased taxes. Therefore, it is better to forgo high credit interest rates in favor of lower loan interest rates. Also, note tricks for saving taxes in the household.

5) Benefit from government funding

Surely you are wondering why you should sign a home savings contract when you can save an amount yourself every month? Unfortunately, the reality is a little different. Because the money saved shrinks from month to month until you end up saving nothing more. But it is different with a home savings contract. Because this literally forces you to save something, since you are contractually obliged to save a certain amount every month. Of course, you cannot make any deposits for a certain period of time. But then your dream of owning your own home becomes a thing of the past. For this reason, building savings makes sense. Incidentally, you can receive government grants if you are below a certain income limit. And this is mostly the case with housewives.

6) Increase savings goal

If you or your family are earning well, you can increase your savings goal. For example, from 100,000 to 150,000 euros. But be careful, because as soon as you increase the contract, it is blocked for at least one year. Then you cannot cancel it or change anything about it. In addition, note other tips for saving.

Eating right is just as important to building muscle as exercise: it depends on what you eat and when. You can read here what else you should pay attention to when it comes to your diet.

Muscle building through diet: Eating healthy is important

Muscles grow when you challenge them in training. However, it is also important to eat a diet that provides the body with sufficient energy and the necessary material. Otherwise he cannot build new muscles.

To build muscle through nutrition, you need the following nutrients in particular:
Proteins: The amino acids in the proteins are the building blocks of the muscle cells.
The minerals zinc and magnesium: They support the development of muscles.
In order for your body to be able to complete the training workload, it needs energy and all the essential vitamins and minerals:

Carbohydrates: They provide the energy for driving the body.
Minerals and water: Do you sweat out when you are physically active? Your water and mineral balance should always be balanced.
Vitamins and fats: They round off a healthy diet and ensure that you feel good in your body.
Scientists advise amateur athletes to eat a balanced and varied diet: it should be rich in carbohydrates but low in fat. Whenever possible, use food from organic farming and from your region. They are not only healthier and free of pesticides – you also contribute to climate protection by supporting short transport routes.

A healthy diet supports muscle building: It creates resilient muscles that can fulfill their natural tasks. Well-trained muscles are not only a visual stimulus, but also important for your health, for example for the trunk muscles. By building muscle, you prevent back pain and reduce postural damage to the shoulders and neck. These complaints are widespread today: Anyone who has to sit for a long time, for example at a desk in front of the computer, neglects their core muscles and needs a balance.

Building muscle with a high-protein diet

Proteins contain essential amino acids that you need to build muscle. However, the following formula does not apply here: A lot of material also helps a lot. The Apotheken-Umschau explains that a protein-rich diet only helps to build muscle if you train at the same time. During training, the body has an increased need for proteins and also uses them to build muscles. Without training, he excretes the excess proteins unused.

According to a study, the protein requirement for active athletes is between 1.2 and 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight. With intensive weight training, the value can rise to 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. In comparison: the average daily protein requirement is around 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

Do you need animal protein to build muscle?

According to nutritionists, it is not the pure mass of the proteins that is decisive for building muscle, but their biological value. The biological value states how high the proportion of proteins from food is that the human body can actually utilize.

In this respect, the proteins of livestock are ahead – but meat and sausage often contain saturated fatty acids that put a strain on the body. Experts therefore generally recommend a mixed diet of vegetable proteins and animal foods that contain little fat. These include dairy products, lean meat or eggs.

At PETA, vegan nutritionists have their say. For them, plant-based protein sources have an advantage because they provide a nutrient combination of carbohydrates and fiber. For example, legumes such as beans, lentils and peas contain all the important nutrients for muscle building. This makes them a power food for athletes.

Other plant-based protein sources include:
Soybeans, including tofu, soy drinks or seitan and tempeh
Nuts such as Brazil nuts, peanuts, almonds or cashew nuts
Whole grains and pseudo-cereals like hemp and amaranth

Minerals also play a role in building muscle through nutrition

In order for the body to be able to process the amino acids from the proteins, it needs zinc and magnesium.

Zinc: Is directly involved in building muscle cells.

According to the medical portal Onmeda, the recommended requirement for men is 11 to 17 milligrams per day. For women it is slightly lower, at 7 to 10 milligrams per day.
Your body gets new zinc from dark meat (e.g. lean beef), dairy products or eggs.
It’s also vegan: legumes, tofu, nuts and whole grains also contain zinc. Attention: In some cases, the body is less able to absorb zinc from plant sources. Fruit acids and the fermentation or roasting of food help him to do this.
Magnesium: Ensures that the muscles can work optimally. It is also involved in energy metabolism and the body needs it to process protein. Magnesium is therefore indispensable for building muscle through nutrition.

According to Onmeda, the daily requirement for men is about 350 milligrams. Women get by with 300 milligrams.
Magnesium is abundant in plant foods. These include whole grain products, oatmeal, nuts, sunflower seeds, legumes and green vegetables.