Lately there has been a lot of discussion about building muscle and losing fat. There are many miracle diets and workouts on the market today. Most bodybuilders are confused and bewildered on what to do. Whether you are getting ready for a show or if you just want to look your best for the beach, there are steps necessary to insure you success!
Rule One... Train for strength, Muscle!
Rule Two... Eat for definition!
Rule Three... Prepare in advance!
The first thing necessary is to determine what kind of shape you are in today and where you want to be when you walk on stage or on the beach!
Use the mirror, it will never lie! When I was competing I knew that I was in shape when just below my belly button, the skin was transparent, meaning, no fat. If I was holding body fat there, I knew I was not lean enough.
The second thing is to start way ahead of time in your contest preparation. I actually would start dieting, depending on what shape I was in, weeks out, sometimes 16 weeks or more, so that I could reach my lowest body fat level a month out from the show. I would then eat my way up to my best shape at which I would compete. The advantage here is to do away with the stress of being on an extremely low calorie diet. I would walk on stage looking health and energetic.
The third thing is NEVER add aerobics unless it is absolutely necessary. Remember, your goal is to go into the show the biggest and hardest you can be. If you are doing aerobics you will not come in at your biggest and best, as now you are cross training. Start weeks ahead of time so that you are not panicked while doing tons of aerobics last minute to shed the residue of fat left. This will burn muscle and fat, the opposite of what you want. Walking is OK at a leisurely pace.
The fourth thing is to train for strength. High Intensity Training folks! Intense, brief and infrequent! The stronger you are the bigger and more muscular you will be. I was at my strongest a couple weeks before the show, always! Forget the light weight and high rep nonsense! We are all anatomy charts underneath the blanket of fat we wear on our bodies, no matter how much or how little that is. I left the last couple of week to back off of training and perfect my posing routine.
Rule One... Train for strength, Muscle!
Rule Two... Eat for definition!
Rule Three... Prepare in advance!
The first thing necessary is to determine what kind of shape you are in today and where you want to be when you walk on stage or on the beach!
Use the mirror, it will never lie! When I was competing I knew that I was in shape when just below my belly button, the skin was transparent, meaning, no fat. If I was holding body fat there, I knew I was not lean enough.
The second thing is to start way ahead of time in your contest preparation. I actually would start dieting, depending on what shape I was in, weeks out, sometimes 16 weeks or more, so that I could reach my lowest body fat level a month out from the show. I would then eat my way up to my best shape at which I would compete. The advantage here is to do away with the stress of being on an extremely low calorie diet. I would walk on stage looking health and energetic.
The third thing is NEVER add aerobics unless it is absolutely necessary. Remember, your goal is to go into the show the biggest and hardest you can be. If you are doing aerobics you will not come in at your biggest and best, as now you are cross training. Start weeks ahead of time so that you are not panicked while doing tons of aerobics last minute to shed the residue of fat left. This will burn muscle and fat, the opposite of what you want. Walking is OK at a leisurely pace.
The fourth thing is to train for strength. High Intensity Training folks! Intense, brief and infrequent! The stronger you are the bigger and more muscular you will be. I was at my strongest a couple weeks before the show, always! Forget the light weight and high rep nonsense! We are all anatomy charts underneath the blanket of fat we wear on our bodies, no matter how much or how little that is. I left the last couple of week to back off of training and perfect my posing routine.
No comments:
Post a Comment