90 Day Personal Growth Boot Camp: Day 25 - Weight Lifting :

Let's talk about maximizing health with exercise and five of the greatest myths and principles.

1. Weight lifting is for everyone. Many women believe that if they lift weights they would take on a masculine physique; this is simply not so unless you take massive hormone treatments, which are often illegal. Lifting weights will tone your body and bring out your sex appeal, not make you muscular like a man.

2. You don't grow in the gym. This is a common myth that has lasted probably as long as men have competed against one another in challenges of strength. In reality, your body grows while it repairs itself during sleep. Whether your body is recovering from the flu or a hard workout, it is during rest that it builds itself back up, and muscle is gained. The key is plenty of rest, so train a muscle no more than twice a week. Indeed, there are some bodybuilders that train for one day and rest for six. They are genetically inclined to this growth, most need to hit the gym 3 to 5 times a week. The point is simply, growth happens during sleep and rest, so give your body both.

3. You need protein to maximize your results. Protein is what your body uses to repair and build muscle, so you need it daily. The challenge is most don't get enough in their diets. You should have one gram per pound of body weight. So someone who weighs 150 pounds should daily consume 150 grams of protein. The secret? Use protein shakes; you can get 30 to 50 grams of protein in one shake. I find MHP to be the best.

4. Train correctly. Injuries happen in the gym when someone uses improper form. There are thousands of excellent books and trainers to help you with a plan for transforming your body in a safe manner, use them extensively.

5. Train the right muscles more often. This may be the biggest error people miss in working out. Go into any gym and you will see people working on their arms and chest. These are the more glamorous muscles so they get a lot of focus along with abs. However, as Stuart McRobert shares in his seminal work Beyond Brawn, your legs and your back are your body's largest muscle groups, so train them twice as often as you do your arms and chest. Most people have this sorely reversed. Don't do what everyone else does, do what works.

Save yourself the time of trying to learn by trial and error. Incorporate these five principles into your exercise routine whether you have been working out for years or plan to start tomorrow. If you are healthy then you are already wealthy, maintain that health so you have energy each day to create your dreams.