by Bryan Kernan author of Bodybuilding Supplement Secrets

Two of the biggest things that can get in the way of your bodybuilding progress are injuries and illnesses. Either of these can keep you out of the gym for a while and you will either make no progress or even lose strength and size. So avoided these are one of the keys to continued gains.

Avoiding injuries is mostly a matter of using good form and paying attention to what you are doing while you are doing it, as most injuries occur when you are distracted and not concentrating on what you are doing.

Avoiding illnesses is a bit more complicated. Many think this is simply a matter of avoiding germs, staying away from sick people, etc. But, the truth is that if comes down to your immune system, when it is working at optimum efficiency you can be exposed to germs and viruses and still not get sick.

So, let’s look at four ways to improve your immune system and how this will benefit your bodybuilding efforts.

1) Controlling Physical Stress

The physical stress of weight training itself can weaken your immune system so you need to train smarter rather then just harder. When I first started working out I tried to train with all out intensity all the time, taking every set to complete muscle failure, I thought this was the key to getting big fast. What would happen is I would make great progress for 6 weeks of so and then I would end up getting a cold, or some other illness and I would have to stop working out for a week or so and would lose ground. This happened over and over until I finally learned how to cycle my training so it wasn’t all out all the time. I recommend going hard for 3 to 4 weeks and then back off for 2 weeks or so doing your sets a few reps short of failure, this will keep your body fresher, allow you better recovery and keep your immune system from getting compromised.

2) Avoiding Mental stress

It’s not only physical stress that can weaken your immune system but psychological stress has negative effects on the immune system this includes such things as such things as mental anguish, loss, etc.

But the biggest and most avoidable source of mental stress comes from negative people, these people will constantly seek to upset others and are sometimes hard to spot because it may be done in a passive/aggressive way.

Bad news, subtle insults, outright criticism, insulting jokes, correcting you, arguing with you, and in many other ways these types of people will cause you untold problems, upsets, stress, worries, etc. such people can make you sick – literally!

The News and social media websites/apps are platforms for such people that can talk about all the bad things in the world, correct or argue with you, put you or others down and generally spread their negativity.

But also it could be a closer connection such as a co-worker, friend or family member.

My advice is turn off the news, keep social media to a minimum and learn how to spot negative people and avoid them, you will be healthier and happier as a result.

3) Get More Sleep

Some effects of too little sleep are fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, muscle size and strength loss and fat gain. It can also weaken your immune system and make you more likely to get sick.

Getting 7 to hour hours of quality sleep each night will not only help you recover and grow after your workouts but will also keep you healthy.

4) Take Immunity Boosting Supplements

Besides eating a healthy balanced diet taking supplements such as Glutamine will help strengthen your immune system.

Glutamine is considered by many the most important amino acid to take. Glutamine helps you recover faster from your intense workouts, it helps to increase strength, improve stamina and build lean muscle.

Taking a high quality Glutamine supplement such as 4Life® NanoFactor® Glutamine Prime® which contains L-glutamine, l-argine, n-acetyl l-cysteine, alpha lipoic acid, and l-alanyl-glutamine and NanoFactor® – A proprietary concentrate of nano-filtered cow colostrum can not only help your bodybuilding gains, but also support your immune system, enhance overall wellness and even improve digestive health.