More Is Not Always Better
The days of the three to four hour, marathon workouts are long gone. At least these kinds of workouts are gone for the bodybuilders who have stayed in touch with the new, more effective cutting edge training philosophies. Workouts of two or more body parts in a single session, while utilizing 15 to 20 sets for each of those body parts, is way out-of-date. Today’s bodybuilders have evolved with the advancements in training methods understand that brief, intense workouts are all that’s necessary for stimulating substantial muscle growth.
A common belief among many people training in the gyms today is that “the more you do the better.” People in general feel as though the more volume of work they can pump out, the better the outcome will be. It’s logical for a person to think this way. Isn’t that how most accomplishments in life work? The more you toil at something, the better you’ll be at it, right?
But when it come to building muscle, this is not true. If you want to generate muscle growth, adopting this mistaken belief will force you to settle for gains that are substandard to what you’re truly capable of accomplishing.
As difficult as it may be for you to grasp this statement right now, you must integrate it into your belief structure if you want to effectively add muscle mass to your physique.
Less is more sometimes!
When done with the right amount of passion and intensity, training the different muscle groups with less volume and less frequently, rather than with more work more frequently, is a far more effective way to build muscle.
5 Exercise Tips for Beginners
1) Just get Dressed
If you find yourself not wanting to work out, start with baby steps. Make a deal with yourself to just put on your workout clothes (or even just get them together). Tell yourself if you’re just going to put them on. Chances are if you put them on, you will at least be able to talk yourself into the next step, which is to work out for five minutes. Again, the chances are that if you can talk yourself into working out for five minutes, you will probably go ahead and finish the workout anyway. If you are bored with your routine, get a personal trainer to mix things up. A good personal trainer should be able to keep coming up with new workouts to keep things fun.
2) Running Shoes
You should have at least two pairs of running shoes. Let’s call them pair A and pair B. If you wear pair A today, next time wear pair B. Giving the shoes a day off can help keep their cushioning ability from breaking down so quick. Most running shoes should only be kept until you’ve put about 500 miles on them. That means if you have two pairs of shoes, and you are running 15 to 20 miles per week, replace them about once per year. And stagger that too. For example, replace one pair in April and the other in September. The shoes may still feel good, but trust me, the cushioning ability only lasts about 500 miles. Before you throw them away, show them to your personal trainer. A good personal trainer should be able to examine the wear patterns of the shoe and make recommendations that can prevent injuries.
3) Protect your Tendons
If you are just beginning to lift weights, don’t go too heavy too soon. It is common to be able to lift much heavier weights in a very short time. For example, it is not uncommon for someone who has trouble bench presseing 100 pounds on the first workout to be able to lift 130 or 140 within month or two. The fact is their muscles didn’t grow enough yet to get that much stronger. What happens first is that the nervous system gets better at firing the muscles, so when your brain says lift, your nervous system learns to fire all of those muscles now better. The tendons don’t get strong quickly. It’s wise to not do any one rep max lifts for the first couple of months. Olympic lifts are even harder on your tendons (Olympic lifts are done explosively, where the weight is violently jerked off the floor, as in the clean and jerk). Work up to them slowly. Never attempt Olympic lifts unless a qualified personal trainer has taught you all of the safety points.
4) Exercising Outside
If you are going to exercise outside, you need to make sure you are prepared for the heat or cold. If it’s hot out, dress in clothes that are made of a light colored, breathable fabric that wicks the moisture away. Wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunblock as necessary. Drink enough water to stay well hydrated. If it’s cold, dress in layers that you can easily remove. Be careful of running on slippery surfaces like ice and snow. It’s best to start out slow. Keep your first outdoor workouts to 10 minutes or so. Gradually add a few more minutes each workout, as your body gets used to the conditions. And have fun!
5) Make some Adjustments
If you are working with weight machines, don’t forget to adjust the machine to fit you. Have a good personal trainer show you how to set up the machine so that all of the alignments are biomechanically correct. If you work with a personal trainer, here is a test to see if your trainer is any good. If your personal trainer doesn’t adjust the machine’s seat, backrest, etc to fit you before asking you to perform the lift, run away! That person is a bad personal trainer.
Arnold, The Education of a Bodybuilder
From The Back Cover:
Five-time Mr. Universe, Seven-time Mr. Olympia, and Mr. World, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the name in bodybuilding.
Here is the classic bestselling autobiography which explains how the “Austrian Oak” came to the sport of bodybuilding and aspired to be the star he has become.
“I still remember that first visit ;to the bodybuilding gym. I had never seen anyone lifting weights before. Those guys were huge and brutal….The weight lifters shone with sweat; they were powerful looking, Herculean, And there it was before me-my live, the answer I’d been seeking. It clicked. It was something I suddenly just seemed to reach out and find, as if I’d been crossing a suspended bridge and finally stepped off onto solid ground.”
–Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold shares his fitness and training secrets-demonstrating with a comprehensive step-by-step program and dietary hints how to use bodybuilding for better health. His program includes a special four-day regimen of specific exercises to develop individual muscle groups-each exercise illustrated with photos of Arnold in action.
For fans and would-be bodybuilders, this is Arnold in his own words.
My Take on the Book:
This book takes you through Arnold’s life and shows you what he went through to get to be a number one bodybuilder. His exploits in bodybuilding and his mental attitude towards bodybuilding. It is the greatest bodybuilding biography.I read this book serveral times. It is inspiring.
Lifting Weights and Training Over 30
I’m a 45 year old bodybuilder and here are some things you should think about when training.
If your over 30 to 40 years old and you work out with weights, I would recommend being a little more cautious and training smarter. Were not teenagers any longer and we shouldn’t throw around weight and lift weights without warming up. Our joints can no longer handle that. Here are some recommendations that I want to share with the over 30 lifters:
• Use The Right Training Routine: a well thought out periodized training routine that alternates between periods of higher volume and higher repetition (10-15 reps) lifting with periods of lower repetition and heavier weights (5-8 reps) will provide the best gains. You should have active recovery phases where training volume is dramatically reduced. Your training routine should not be more than 60 minutes long and frequency of body part training will depend upon your individual recovery. Teens and those in their twenties can train a bodypart every 48-72 hours (or twice a week). When your thirty and older you should be training once every five to seven days to get the most benefits.
• Warming up: Warming up is very important, and it becomes more important as we get older. Make sure you thoroughly warm up before working out. Get on the treadmill for 5 to 10 minutes to raise your core temperature. Do the first set of each exercise with 80% or less of your max so that you can used to the weight and properly warm up the muscles to be worked. Make sure you wear warm clothing if you are in a cold climate.
• Perform The Right Exercise Techniques With The Proper Weight at the right speed: Proper execution of each exercise and proper lifting speed is crucial. Don’t sacrifice exercise form to add more weight. If you lift with extremely heavy weights without the proper form you will eventually hurt yourself. You don’t want to stimulate the muscles the wrong way by tearing a muscle or by hurting your joints. Always choose a weight that allows for full control of the weight. Make sure that your lifting speed is steady and controlled on the way up and slower on the way down. Contract your muscles at the top position. Contracting helps to give your muscles maximum stimulation without having to use extremely heavy weights.
• Ensure Your Rotator Cuff Health: A most common injury in weight training is the rotator cuff. Be careful when training your shoulders because you can really mess them up if you go too heavy on them.
The Benefits of Being Hydrated
Water is your life source and you couldn’t live without it.
- You should drink at least 2 liters (6-8 glasses) a day. More in hot weather or after exercise
- Being dehydrated by even 3-4% can affect your physical and mental performance up to 30% or more! Your brain is made up of 85% water
- Water can boost metabolism which increases weight loss
- Water flushes out the bad toxins in our body making us feel better
- Water keeps your skin, hair and nails looking good and healthy
- Water helps lubricate your joints
- Water can help suppress appetite which is useful on a diet, it makes you feel fuller
- In cooler temperatures, a loss of 25% of your body weight in water will probably be the end of you. At a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit and if you are at 15% dehydration you probably won’t survive either.
