Fitness Exposé

Bodybuilding Secrets Exposed

You are here: Home / Archives for Experiment of One

Scale Weight or Inches: What to Look At?

By 1 Comment

scale-inches

Is the scale weight more important or the way my clothing fits?

I hear the question all the time. Clients wanting to know which is more important, scale weight or the inches around their midsection. The answer is simple, but apparently not that obvious to most people.

I am a strong believer in the need to train with weights no matter what your fitness goals. Most people want to “lose weight” or “cut fat” and weight training assists with both goals. By adding muscle to your frame you are adding metabolic tissue that will help burn fat and take the weight off. The issue is that muscles weigh more than fat. Thus, as you are dropping fat and adding muscle you are likely to see an increase on the scale. This scares some people because they see the scale weight going up.

The true test of your success is how your clothing fits. What does the tape measure say? If you are losing inches then you are heading in the right direction. The tighter you get the less fat you are carrying around. It is natural to worry because the scale weight is increasing, but ignore that issue.

As an example, I point to myself. In September 2011 I weighed 240 lbs. and was 30% body fat. That means I had 168 lbs. of lean body mass on me. In September 2013 I weighed 255 lbs. and was 15% body fat. That means I had 217 lbs. of lean body mass. That is a 49 lb. increase in lean body mass. The scale went up 15 lbs. yet I am in much better shape. My clothing fits better. I feel better.

Pay attention to the inches and not the scale weight and you will be feeling great.

Related Posts:

How an Old Guy Uses Rest for Bigger Gains

By 1 Comment

rest-gains

A lot of people carry around the erroneous belief that in order to grow you must never take any time off from training. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is important to rest for bigger gains.

Weekly Rest Days

Each week you have a training schedule (or should have a training schedule). One of the scheduled days should be for resting. That means no cardio and no weight training. Hiking or biking would be OK, but no weights and no extreme cardio on your off days. This is very important for your body to grow.

A Week Off Every 12 Weeks

Most training cycles last 12 weeks in length. Once you complete a 12 week training cycle it is important to take an entire week off from training. It is OK to do some light cardio, but absolutely no weight training during this week off. Many people are afraid to take time off like this because they think they will lose their gains. This is patently false. I have personally found that my strength actually increases after a week off. The body needs to recover and after a period of continuous weight training your recovery slows way down. The week off gives your body that much needed recovery time that will enable you to make bigger gains.

Listen to Your Body

While 1 day off a week and 1 week off every 12 weeks is the basic formula, it is more important to actually listen to your body. Sometimes your weekly recovery just isn't happening. Perhaps you need some extra days off during the week? I've personally experienced this issue when doing High Intensity Training. I was lifting full body 3 days a week. The second to last exercise of each session was deadlifts. After 3 weeks of this I began to dread the deadlifts. After speaking to my mentor, I was told to cut back to 2 days a week instead of 3 days a week. I was shocked, but listened to the advice. All of my lifts increased with the added rest.

Additionally, some people require a week off after every 6 or 8 weeks of training. 12 weeks is merely a guideline, not a rule. If your body says it needs a week off, take that week off.

Resting Brings Bigger Gains

We don't really grow in the gym, we grow outside the gym. Getting enough sleep, taking enough rest days during the week and taking an entire week off every so often are the keys to getting the rest you need to bring bigger gains. It may not make sense, but it is a proven principle. How often do you take a week off?

Related Posts:

Get the Mental Edge

By 1 Comment

mental-edge

In any sport, including bodybuilding, the mental edge is something that can make the difference between success and failure. People spend a lot of time working on their skills or training their bodies, but they don't usually spend enough time working on getting the mental edge.

Mental Edge

My friend, Shawn Goodsell, has a company called Mental Edge and he specializes in teaching athletes the mental aspect of their chosen sport. Speaking with Shawn you quickly realize how much he knows about the mental aspect of sports. Shawn has created some audio programs that help you with the mental edge aspect.

Consistency Yields Results

My oldest son used Shawn's audio program as well as one called “The Goalie's Mind” to work on his mental edge before every game and practice. As an ice hockey goaltender he was able to play better and more consistently as a result of these programs. My youngest daughter used Shawn's audio programs to sharpen up her mind before soccer games and practices. It worked very well for her as well.

Consistent use of these audio programs yields awesome results. Being mentally tough means you have confidence going into a game or practice. You will possess a clarity that you never had before. You will see your own mistakes and be able to correct them.

Any Sport Will Benefit

Shawn has a long list of sports he has created audio programs for. This approach (the 5 Performance Keys) is extremely effective. By teaching you to deal with The Control Game, The Focus Game, The Expectations Game, The Disappointment Game, and The Composure Game Shawn gets you handling all possible issues that might come up that would hinder your mental edge.  This works for all sports.

As someone into the sport of bodybuilding I find these tools invaluable. The lessons I've learned from reading Shawn's blog have taught me to overcome a lack of desire to train on a given day or week as well as many other obstacles.

I highly recommend Shawn and his products.

Related Posts:

How the Goal Changes the Approach

By 1 Comment

goal-approachHaving a goal is essential to making things happen with your body. The actual goal itself will make a huge difference in the road map you follow to achieve success. The goal determines the path you will take.

I began to seriously think about this when reading a Facebook post by NPC Bikini competitor Katrina McLellan. Essentially she stated that her's is a lifestyle that has nothing whatsoever to do with a competition preparation. While I understand what she is saying, as I contemplated the comment she made I realized that it has a lot of depth to it.

The Approach for Getting Fit

Many people want to “get in shape” or “just tone up.” While both things seem to be about losing weight (and likely they are), they are about fitness in general. A person who makes these two comments really just wants to improve their overall fitness levels. How that is done varies dramatically from other goals like bodybuilding or contest preparation.

Getting fit involves making some changes to how you eat along with some changes to your fitness program. Notice that I did not make any representation as to how drastic those changes need to be. The extreme nature of the changes will depend upon how far you have to go to get fit. For some people it will just be a matter of actually exercising. For other people it will be a matter of completely overhauling their nutrition and exercise programs. Which approach is used will depend upon the goal and the situation at the time the goal is attacked.

The Approach for Getting Ripped

Many people want “a six-pack” or they want to “be ripped” and those goals require very different approaches from the “Getting Fit” crowd. These people are going to rely heavily on the food they eat. They will be very struct with their eating. They will have very few cheat days because to get shredded you have to eat right. You cannot and will not out train a bad diet. I suggest that if you are someone who wants to get ripped you should own a copy of “Getting to Shredded” by Chris Albert.

The Approach for Stepping on Stage

Some people decide at some point that they want to step on stage and present the best physique they possibly can. For these people the approach will be a focused and intense combination of diet and exercise. Both things need to be completely dialed in for there to be success. Stepping on stage requires muscular definition and size. These things are achieved by eating right and working out with extreme intensity. Contest preparation is not for the faint of heart. In the end you will have a combination of the first two approaches–you will be fit and you will be ripped.

Conclusion

Be sure to attach your approach to the goal you are attempting to achieve. By matching your approach to your goal you will give yourself a better chance at success. Think it through and choose the right approach. That's my advice.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

How an Old Guy Stays Focused While Training

By Leave a Comment

focus-little-thing

Focus. It is one of the must underrated aspects of training. Most people don't think about the ultimate importance of focus when lifting weights.

I was taught the approach I use by my friend and mentor, Carlos DeJesus. He follows what he calls N.I.T. — Natural Instinctive Training. The concept will likely blow your mind. I hope to be able to share more N.I.T. nuggets with you in the coming months, but for now here is a preview.

My approach is to use my mind and muscle connection to the maximum benefit. The inner speak that you hear when lifting is going to change the results you get. I don't count repetitions because that distracts me and takes away from my concentration. I talk to my muscles and tell them that I want them to grow. I tell my muscles exactly what I want from them during the exercise.

By talking to the muscles and telling them what we want from them we can no longer count repetitions. This means our training will be more intense and more concentrated. It enables us to get more from less. What matters to you–repetitions or results? I am personally looking for results.

Call this whatever you want: focus, concentration, inner speak control. The end result is that your body is going to respond. You avoid pushing a muscle beyond what it can handle, yet at the same time you avoid stopping short. This approach focuses on maximal stimulation of the muscle. That's the goal of any bodybuilder. It is also the major goal of N.I.T.

I want to implore you to give this a chance. The next time you hit the gym, no matter what the muscle group, focus on that muscle. Feel it moving. Feel it contracting. Talk to it and tell it what you want from it. Try this for a few weeks and see what happens. I am certain you won't be sorry.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts

New eBook!