The Importance Of Goal Setting When Working Out

How often do you here these types of quotes from your peers?

‘ I’m so out of shape, I will lose weight and be real skinny someday’

‘ I hope I can build my body up one day, I am just so scrawny’

How often do you see these individuals succeed in their statements?
I probably know the answer, but I’ll let you answer that.

Then you may have peers that state quotes like,

‘ I’m so out of shape, I really need to get fit within the next 6 months for that wedding, I can’t have people seeing me look like this’

‘ Christmas was really good this year, but damn, I have put on some serious weight. I’m gonna be dancing at Rio carnival in 3 months time, this puppy fat has to go’

Now how often and how many of your peers do you know that follow that through? I’m guessing you know a lot that try and a few that succeed. (Sometimes continuously succeed)

The difference between both sets of individuals is that one was specific and detailed about what they wanted to achieve and set time limits in which to do so, while the other was vague, gave them self ‘an out’, and didn’t!

A goal without a time limit is no goal

The bottom line is that if you want to start achieving in your workouts, start setting time limits to achieve them by. Once a time limit is set, you have no choice but to take action and do what ever it takes for those actions to be translated into completed goals.

Questions I get asked all the time are,

‘ How long will it take till I get a 6 Pac’?
‘ How long until I lose weight’

If the human body were a processed computer with strict rules, those questions would have a valid answer. But we are not, and the answer is variable and dependable upon how hard you work and the energy you put in. And the answer to those questions would be,

‘What are your goals?’ and ‘Do you have a time limit to achieve them by?’

Setting goals and dates to complete them by

Realistically, the first few goals you set might fail; it could be due to reasons like,

- I didn’t eat right
- It was a half hearted attempt

THAT’S OK!

It could be that you didn’t reach it because of self inflicted injury.

THAT’S OK!

You might have nearly got there and done almost everything right, but still didn’t get there.

THAT’S OK TOO!

Why?

All of the things that you would have learned above would have taught you what did/ didn’t work, will allow you to analyze everything and lead to more frequent successful goal setting and achieving them when you do. All of it is failure, but it’s all necessary and for you to get into that process to start achieving.

If you do reach your work out goals, whether you are losing or gaining weight, and even before the time frame that you set, you will feel great!

‘SUCCESS’

You will feel great and on top of the world, and you will no doubt flaunt your body in front of any and everyone (rightfully so, you worked you’re a** off to get there). But don’t brag too much (unless you are the arrogant type that just knows they are better than everyone )

Be humble about it and focus on what you want to achieve next and be proud to boast about the failure aspect of the whole process (because we all know you faced hurdles and failed … right? )

We all know how difficult it can be to obtain optimum results when working out. But to give yourself a fighting chance in achieving them, start setting some goals already.

What goals have you set and how far did you get in achieving them?

See you in the comments.

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Will Working Out Affect My Tattoos?

The answer to that question is yes! See you in the comments…

Ok, now that would have been pretty boring. Let’s look deeper into it.

I have always thought that tattoos look great when done well, and when it is on the body of a toned or muscular person. I am yet to get a tattoo as of now, although I had always planned to get one. It could be that I just love my natural skin too much? Well… probably not.

The main reason I haven’t yet got one is because of this ridiculous fear that I’ll one day get loads of free time, eat tones of great food, get a dedicated personal trainer and start to develop monster size muscles!

All of which will affect my tattoo if i get it before that happens.

In some way I do plan and hope that will actually happen (To an extent), but it probably won’t, as I’m more of a ‘maintain muscle’ type of guy.

Either way, If you decide to get a tattoo and you are certain that most of your life will evolve around fitness and exercise, then it would be a good idea to plan before hand what it is you want to do with your body in the long run. Yes, life can be unpredictable and plans will probably change due to issues regarding,

• Change in metabolism
• Pregnancy
• Genetics

But you still need to have an initial plan. One good thing to do would be to analyze the last 5-10 years of your life and note any natural changes your body had faced. That will give you a rough idea of what to plan for and when to get a tattoo.

Will my tattoo stretch?

A general rule of tattooing is that if the underlying muscle gets bigger, the skin has to stretch to cover it. The tattoo is in the skin, therefore, it has to stretch as well. So yes, it will stretch. But lets look at some body types and the way it affects both.

Low metabolism types

If you have a tattoo and you are one those who come into this category, then overtime your tattoo is more likely to stretch as it is very likely that your body weight will fluctuate over the next 5-10 years. Realistically you cannot state a 5-10 year plan when you first get your tattoo, life just doesn’t work that way. But if you do notice it starting to look bad, all you need to do is get a ‘touch-up’ and it will be fine.

High metabolism types

If you decide that you are going to develop a body builder body within 1-2 years and know that you will follow through with that, then it’s a good idea to wait and see how your body develops. If you get impatient and get your tattoo before you do, your tattoo will stretch.  If so, again you can just get a ‘touch-up’. But that’s not too cool after a while.

Where not to get a tattoo?

Area’s to avoid would be,

• Lower back (for ladies)
• Stretch mark areas

The reason why ladies should avoid getting a tattoo here is because of issues to do with pregnancy. The weight around this area is likely to change and when it does, so will your tattoo, so it’s a no go tattoo area.

If you’ve ever seen those guys that get tattoos early on in life, around the front shoulder areas and then start to workout, you will know that those lovely tattoos they once had don’t look so lovely any more!

Get a tattoo in a low affected area

If you are like me, have a ridiculous fear of getting a tattoo before becoming magically muscular, but want to get one, get one in a good tattoo area that is less likely to be affected by body weight changes. Key areas would be,

• Upper back
• Hands
• Feet

If you do get one in these places, be warned, once you have one tattoo you will become an addict and want more. And if you have a plan outlined like I stated that you should, then you’ll probably change your plan and build your tattoo filled body regardless.

Consult with the artist

Consult with a professional tattoo artist on the design and placement.

(There will be expectations of the ink spreading with age and changes in body size that will have to be accounted for to keep the tattoo distinguishable for life).

Design and placement is actually a big part of getting a good tattoo… something that flows with your muscles. Avoid designs that require white or yellow colours, as they are quick to fade and could require touch ups every five years or so.

To sum it up, if you want to get a tattoo, get one! Unless you have a drastic change in body weight and size, most of you won’t get big enough or loose enough weight for it to affect a tattoo.

Have your body weight changes affected your tattoos?

See you in the comments.

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Help! I Can Barely Lift My Own Body Weight, How Do I Start?

When I first began to get serious about working out and improving my body strength, I was still a student. I wasn’t entirely broke like most students are, but paying for a gym membership would definitely sting my bank account every month. Even so, I didn’t let that stop me and I at least wanted to make a start.

My plan was to initially use my own body weight to increase my strength and size by doing the following,

• Push-ups
• Dips
• Pull-ups
• Squats
• Lunges

After about a week of getting into the routine I realised that I had one slight problem.

I could barely lift my own body weight!

I WAS WEAK!

This was especially noticeable with pull-ups. I would do,

3 sets

Reps
1. 10
2. 5
3. 2
(To failure!!!)

In my view that was just simply pathetic strength endurance for a young and generally fit guy, almost embarrassing. Not to mention that these were ordinary pull-ups too, no wide/ close grip, which is where most people initially struggle.

With that said, things did improve over time, but that was with the assistance of weight training.

The key thing to take home here is that using your own body weight for exercising (Functional training) is still the no.1 method for increasing your strength, balance, flexibility, and natural muscle development. Below I’ll outlay some methods of how this can be done.

Green fitness Exercises

Before you even decide to start increasing your strength from doing bodyweight exercises, you may want to start doing these first, especially if you are as weak as I was. This would include taking up activities such as sprinting, riding, climbing, hiking or yoga. All of these activates will improve your functional strength, strength that you would use performing real world activities.

Start with the basics

Once you have a routine in place, then you may begin to consider starting to use your own body weight to increase strength. Earlier I mentioned that I started with,

• Push-ups
• Dips
• Pull-ups
• Squats
• Lunges

These are a great set of body weight exercises to start with. I would recommend that you structure your sets ‘To failure’. Which means that you push your self until you can push no more.

Example

Sets 3

Reps
1. 10
2. 8
3. 6

Everyone’s strength levels will be different, so change your sets to suit.

Advance to this

Once you have become quite competent in those exercises, get yourself a dipping belt for your pull up exercises, this will allow you to add weights to your body to increase the difficulty of the exercise. Then add these into the mix,

• One-arm push-ups
• One-legged squats
• Handstand push-ups
• Headstand leg raise
• Mahler Body Blaster
• Knee Jump

All of these exercises can be quite challenging, so I wouldn’t recommend jumping straight into them unless you know that you will be competent at doing them.  If you do then here is a routine to follow,

• Handstand Push-ups – 5-10 Reps
• One-Arm Push-up – 5-10 Reps
• One Legged Squat – 5-10 Reps
• Knee Jump – 5-10 Reps
• Headstand Leg Raise – 5-10 Reps
• Mahler Body Blaster – Work up to 25-50 Reps

If you really want to test your strength and you think you are an expert, try out the exercises in the videos below. If you do manage to perform all of these exercises with no trouble at all, then you must post a link in the comment sections of you doing so. If you do, I will be very impressed. Not even I could do some of these, and I’m quite an animal when it’s time to ANTE UP!

To conclude

Lifting weights will always be a superior way to increase strength and in quick succession. But if you’re a beginner, just want to be strong and have a naturally toned body, then this would be the way to go.

What are your experiences with body weight training?

See you in the comments.

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8 Ways to build great forearms (eliminate chicken limbs)

This is the muscle group I am most passionate about building. I don’t think there are as many chicken-limbed (arms) guys as there are chicken-legged guys, but I do know they exist in numbers.

The forearms and wrists are some of the hardest muscle groups to build muscle on. When I first started working out, it took me months before I started to see any real muscle gain results in my forearms. Unless the rest of your body is well developed or you show your body off often, wearing t-shirts without having strong forearms will lead people to believe that you are part of the (I really do have muscles…can’t you tell) club.

Your grip strength is extremely important and useful in so many ways.  The stronger your grip, the more weight and heavier weight you can lift and the longer you can keep the position. In a good portion of the more heavy pulling exercises, grip strength is the number one limiting factor. Believe it or not, the most effective forearm grip exercises are not the typical wrist curls you will see most guys in the gym do. You do get a real burn from these exercises and you can gain results from doing so. But the real problem with these exercises is that they don’t encourage practical body motions that we perform in our day-to-day lives. (Similar to some machines in the gym)

Below are some alternative techniques you can use to build HULK LIKE looking forearms, while performing movements that will allow your body to respond and  say ‘that movement makes sense… I’ll go with that’.

Bucket Of Sand

Get a bucket, spade and sand, which you can find at a home improvement store.  Fill the bucket with the sand. Then, you want to put your hand down far into the sand where you still have hand movement. Start moving your hand all over and tightening and loosening your fingers, essentially playing with the sand.

A few minutes of this and your will feel all the muscles in your forearm and the small muscles in your hand start to tighten and you will feel the burn.  Alternate hands a few times, doing this about 3 minutes or more per hand.

Tennis Ball

This method is often used by physical therapists and their patients for regaining grip strength after any type of hand, arm or shoulder surgery.  Common sense will tell you that if you are not trying to “regain” strength, you would be adding to the already existing strength you have. This is convenient as well because you can do it while watching TV. (Better than those hand grip things)

Barbell (A fave)

A former body builder I once knew taught me this. Try it… you will feel the burn!

Take your barbell with a moderate weight and set it on the stand just above knee level.  Stand beside the bar and reach down gripping the centre of the bar with one hand and lift the bar then let it go down below the stand and hold this position for as long as you can.  Your resistance is gravity and balancing the bar with one hand.

Weight Walk

Grab a pair of the heaviest dumbbells you can handle in each hand and walk with them until you cannot hold the dumbbells anymore.  You don’t have to limit yourself to dumbbells, you can use any other heavy object (try younger kids… they’ll enjoy the ride) that you can grip with both hands at the same time, say a couple of bags of dog food or something heavier in each hand.  You can also use the EZ curl bars and load them up to the capacity that you can handle.

Thick Bar

This is a common one. You will see most guys in the gym use this to get the grip strength they are looking for.  Using a thicker bar puts a very different kind of stress on the grip and forearms, giving you vast improvement.  There are many types of commercial grips that you can buy to add to your dumbbells even, but to make them thicker, you can wrap them with tape to gain the thickest size for your preference.

Reverse Curls

These are actual reverse barbell curls. This is the exercise that will put your forearms into fatigue mode real quick. Your grip will literally be the only thing keeping the bar from falling to the floor. (I have the power!)

Wrist Straps

I am only including this because this is a huge no-no when you are trying to develop your natural grip strength. As you know, the wrist straps serve as an assistant and this will hinder any progress you might be shooting for. It is okay to use them for the heavier lifts, but if you become dependent on them, you will not gain the grip strength and forearm development that you need.

Hanging

Just hang? Yes… just hang. Sounds easy, but don’t be fooled by this one. You can really only accomplish this as long as you have a chin-up bar (Stick one at the top of the door).  Grab the bar with your hands evenly apart and just hang there until you can no longer hang. What I mean is not just letting go when your hands get fatigued.  I am talking about hanging there until your fingertips are the only things holding you up and you literally fall off the bar because your hands have locked up with lactic acid. This will also accomplish a great upper body stretch.

All of the above exercises are pretty simple to perform. More importantly they encourage natural motion and will definitely catch a ladies attention when she grabs your arm

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Chicken Legs Syndrome (part 2) How to beat it?

Now that you know what chicken leg syndrome is from the previous post, I’ll outline the ways to ACTUALLY get rid of them. The exercises described here are ones that started to work for myself (6′ 2” sky scraper – long legs are hard work) so if you are shorter than that, i am sure your results will start to show a lot quicker than mine did. Just remember, like i’ve said before, it won’t be easy unless you already have a relatively good foundation to already build on. So follow the below and keep at it.

Note: I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but please…STRETCH before you do these exercises. If you don’t, feel free to let me know the outcome.

UPPER LEGS

Muscles

• Quadriceps (the front of the thigh)
• Hamstrings (the back of the thigh)
• Abductors (the butt muscles)
• Adductors (the inner thigh)

Leg extensions

This exercise helped me go from a size 34 to 36 in trouser size (not wearing a belt). This exercise works the quads and can be done using a machine in the gym.

Instruction

Select an appropriate weight and load the machine. If you have not used this machine before, you may have to experiment with the amount of weight selected.

Execution

1. Extend your legs as far as possible, without locking your knees.
2. Keep your ankles and lower leg muscles relaxed (don’t point your toes) when lifting the weight to avoid straining the muscles on the back of the leg. Each leg can also be exercised separately.

Lunges (with dumb bells)

This was a classic ‘give me pain for days’ exercise back in the early training days. I would do lunges (without weights) up to 30-40 metres down a track and by the last 10 metres my legs would seize up. You don’t need a track and you can do these in the gym. This exercise is great for building your butt.

Instruction

Finding some dumb bells. (start with light weights)

Execution

1. Lock the dumb bells to your side (straight armed)
2. Now step forward with one foot with your feet being around 2 feet apart.
3. Make sure to have your front leg flat on the floor with both your set of toes pointing forward.
4. Proceed by bending your legs until both your knees are at 90 degree angles.
5. Now push back up to starting position.
6. Repeat

Barbell Squats

I call this the all rounder ‘trademark’ exercise, as it works most of the muscles in your legs (especially the butt). This exercise used to scare me when i first started out and still does to an extent. I would recommend having some one spot or support you for this (or start with dumb bell squats) because if you fall, it could be real nasty!

Instruction

Lay the bar in front of you.

Execution

1. Lift the bar
2. Rest a barbell on your shoulders (behind your head) with your feet ‘shoulder width’ apart
3. Keep your back straight, bend your knees and lower your body towards the floor. You should go as low as you can without lifting your heels off the floor and without bending forward at the waist.
   

Leg curls (laying down)

I might have joked about the ‘not stretching’ situation earlier. But no playing with this exercise… STRETCH.  If you’ve watched any form of performance sport over the years you may have seen how a hamstring injury has put those individuals out of action for some time. I’ve luckily only suffered from cramp from not stretching. Decrease the levels of salt in your diet. Never the less this is a great exercise for building the back of your legs.

Instruction

Find a machine and lay on your front.

Execution

1. Bend your leg at the knee and curl the weight towards your butt.
2. Keep the upper portion of your leg still and your butt muscles relaxed.
3. Lower your legs to the starting position
4. Repeat
   

LOWER LEGS

Muscles

• Gastrocnemius (The top part of the lower leg. Known to most as ‘The calf ‘)
  
• Soleus (Building this makes the back of your lower leg wider)
  

There are a few calf raise exercises out there and different people will see different results from each type. But out of all the calf raise exercises these are the ones that i saw the best results from.

Standing dumb bell Calf Raise

Instruction

1. Hold dumbbells in one in each hand or one at a time.
2. Position toes and balls of feet on calf block with arches and heels extending off.
3. Place hand on support for balance. Lift other leg to rear by bending knee.

Execution

1. Raise heels by extending ankles as high as possible.
2. Lower heels by bending ankles until calves are stretched. Repeat.
3. Continue with opposite leg.

Machine Calf Raise (standing or seated)

Instruction

1. Select an appropriate weight and load the machine. If you have not used this machine before, you may have to experiment with the amount of weight selected.
2. Understand how the release mechanism works before loading the weights.

Execution

1. Sit on the calf raise machine with feet resting on the foot support.
2. Adjust the bench so that the knees are snug under the pad.
3. Brace the abdominals and remember to breathe out on execution and in on recovery.

All of the above exercises have given me desired results at some point or another, but i would suggest that you mix up the exercises a little week by week/ day by day or which ever suits you best (will leave that till another post). If in doubt when you are at the gym….ASK!

For those that workout at home, I’m not going to bother outline home workout methods for legs. Quite simply because you’re not going to get any real significant body changing results. Now go get that gym membership, follow the above and put some meat on those bones!

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The Chicken Legs Syndrome

This is a thing that affects most men (myself included). You know, legs as wide as your ankles . I may have been blessed in the high metabolism department, but because of that, i grew up suffering from what i call ‘ The chicken legs syndrome’.

What is the chicken legs syndrome?

It may not be as drastic as having legs as wide as your ankles (well it is for him >>), but it is legs that are skinny enough to drive that nagging fear of not wanting to wear shorts in the months leading up to summer, or fear of wearing lycra if you’re an upcoming athlete. Of course some athletes like 100/200m runners get away with it, as a ‘model’ 100/200m runner would have skinny lower legs muscles, but very high and powerful calf muscles (which gives them the very much needed short bursts of energy).

Most guys that do go to the gym won’t have too many problems building their upper body muscles. But the leg muscles are a much larger muscle group than those up above, and they require much more work if you want to increase their size. The majority of people tend to turn away when faced with difficulty in anything that we may face in life, and it’s no different here. Guys would beef up their upper body muscles, forget to work on there legs and end up looking top heavy. Being top heavy is bad because it affects and can cause:

1) Imbalance

2) Unnatural look

3) Performance (especially in a sport)

And it’s very noticeable. Working this muscle group is also essential for developing and maintaining a high metabolism.

So how can we beat chicken leg syndrome?

As i stated, it won’t be easy, but with some persistence, perseverance and by following the basic guidelines below, it won’t be long until you find yourself joining the Fat legged brigade.

Start as you mean to go on

You must start working on your legs from day one. If you fail to do this the results of your upper body workouts will start to surpass the efforts of your lower body workouts. When imbalance does start to occur, it will be hard to catch back up and will start to turn into a game of cat and mouse.

Alternate

Your leg workouts. By doing this you will be working all of the necessary muscles so that none get left behind. So be sure to implement that into your plan.

Keep up the cardio

Cardio exercise and other sports do stimulate your muscles to a certain degree. This usually isn’t enough to result in muscle growth, but it is essential for maintaining muscle activity.

ACT NOW! ….well not just yet. This is just a starter on the menu. Stay tuned for the next post. I’ll be outlining some of the key exercises that started to work for myself.

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Athletic Body Building: Why Your Training Doesn’t Result In An Athletic Body

Ok, so not everyone out there wants to be a muscle bound tough guy with a ‘hard man’ image. Most exercisers want the strong, lean body of an athlete. But sadly most of the workout programs out there are bodybuilding workouts and will never work. Luckily, a lot of trainers have learned that to look like an athlete you need to train like one.

You Are Still Training Like A Bodybuilder

Whether you know it or not, most workout programs are based on bodybuilding type training. If you can rattle off muscles, talk about split workout routines and think your training should only be about building muscle… you have a bodybuilder mentality. If you base your workout program on a bodybuilding program, you probably will fail to reach your athletic body goals.

First, most bodybuilding workouts only concerned with maximizing muscle growth are very long. And unless you have 2-3 hours to spend in the gym every day, you are not going to get the muscle building results like the pro bodybuilders do. And some of you might be thinking that since you are going to do a “similar” workout, but shorter, then you’ll get the “athletic” muscle you want and not the puffed up bodybuilder look. How has that thinking been working out for you so far?

Second, to build an athletic body you need to train more like an athlete, and less like a bodybuilder. Athletes look the way they do because they are fit. So, you need to train to increase your overall fitness level. Plus, you need a nice balance between strong, athletic muscle and low fat. So, you need to build strength and size and lose those performance robbing pounds of fat.

You Need Multiple Workouts To Get The Athletic Body

I wish I could tell you there was one workout that could satisfy every goal. But the truth is, some people need more work in one area than others. For example, some people have a low level of fitness and need to work on that before they can be concerned about building muscle or losing fat. They just don’t have the physical capabilities to get through those type of workouts.

On the other hand, some people are fit and lean, but need to put on muscle (Myself). Or, they put on muscle easily, but need to shed a few pounds of fat to look more like an athlete. But no matter how you look at it… you need to address fitness, fat loss and muscle building at some point to ultimately achieve the athletic look you desire.

You need to rotate between three different kinds of workout with different major goals… Fitness, Fat Loss and Strength & Size. Each of these workouts should be slanted to the specific goal of the workout, but not work against the other goals. For example, when you are doing the fitness workout you could put on muscle and burn fat. When fat loss is your goal you should be burning fat in a way that also increases fitness and builds (or keeps), useful muscle. Same for the strength and size workouts.

So, the key to getting the athletic body you want is to change the way you think about working out. Stop training like a bodybuilder if you don’t want to be one, and start training like an athlete if you want to look like one. Use a variety of workouts designed to build the athletic body you seek, without sabotaging the other performance and appearance goals. I think you find that by approaching your workouts this way… you’ll build the strong, lean, athletically muscular body that not only performs great, but turns heads as well.

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I really do have muscles…Can’t you tell?

This is a topic that has affected me for all of my training life to date. What this means, is that you train like a body builder and have the muscles like a body builder but don’t appear very ‘body builder like’ when fully clothed. For myself this doesn’t bother me one bit……

Who am i kidding, of course it bothers me, as the usual reasons a guy works out is to build muscle, increase strength and look physically healthy (to the opposite sex – Any guy that says different is lying!)

In regards to building muscle, one would assume that increased muscle mass would lead to a ‘perceived’ increase in size on first appearance (when fully clothed). For slim, average build or tall guys this is not always so. Unless you get REALLY BIG in size (body builder big). Then you will always have the appearance of a slim (slightly bigger slim) person. Your frame just doesn’t seem to change. Below are examples of people of both types:

Slim to body builder big

Triple H (WWF – Professional Wrestler)

LL Cool J – (Music Artist/Actor)

Slim to slightly bigger slim (or looks slim when fully clothed)

Ryan Reynolds                          Booker T                                     Christopher Gorham

(Actor)                                         (Wrestler)                                    (Actor)

If people can’t tell from first appearance that you are a muscle scuplted individual underneath all those clothes, it can be both a gift and a curse because:

a) You build muscle to aim for the natural, healthier bulkier look when clothed…but don’t!

b) When that top does come off, peoples perception of you changes ‘for the better’. And that really can be a good feeling.

Women’s bodies are the same. If a woman is of a naturally slim build yet has a fantastic figure, unless she shows it, you would never know she was hiding those wonderful lumps and bumps that she possesses. I’m not sure if the whole ‘showing off’ thing is a problem for a woman. But i know that it is for a man. It is for me, and for the people that i have met over the years, they state that is a problem for them to. Since that is the case, the solution for guys is simple.

IF YOU’VE GOT IT, FLAUNT IT

Yes, we do hear this saying all the time. But not all people follow this through. I guess it all comes down to the individual and what their goals are. But if you do have a well sculpted body and the masses can’t tell that you do. SHOW IT OFF!. Wear clothes that will complement your physique. This especially applies to taller guys, as most tall guys will naturally look long and lanky.

Usain Bolt (world record holder – 100m, 200m)

I wouldn’t suggest wearing clothes that are too tight (unless that’s your kinda thing of course). But stick to fitted t-shirts, fitted shirts, vests and tailor made tops and suits. Avoid the baggy clothes.

Do this and the reactions you’ll get from people will be positive for sure. You will definitely notice a difference. It will also boost your confidence, self esteem and may even lead to good opportunities (cover of Mens Health Magazine anyone?

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The Truth about High Metabolism Types

Now this is something i blogged about in a previous post. But i didn’t really go into specifics. I am one of these high metabolism types and for years people have wondered how i can eat a whole house full of food in a day, yet stay in near perfect shape. Some may turn around and say:

‘ Ah… face it, you probably don’t eat a lot really’

This could be true if i ate my main meals at one specific time of the day, but it is not so! I would usually eat non stop until midnight ( WARNING! Avoid the Midnight feast – i will talk about that in another post)

For most skinny, slim or average build guys, they are probably very active people with very active lives (myself included). So it may appear that they don’t eat much.

People may debate this fact, but i am talking from experience here and this is certainly the case! If you are the same and your metabolism is high i would i say that

YOU ARE TRULY BLESSED!

I dread the day that i may start to get fat from eating a whole house full of food, in quick succession! Why?

BECAUSE I LOVE FOOD!

Most people do. But for the majority who do eat house fulls in quick succession, they will put on weight and probably get fat. Metabolism usually slows with age to, so i am getting all my heavy eating years in there while it lasts. But fear not, for all you low metabolism types, i have your best interests at heart.

Stay tuned for the next post ‘ Ways to increase your metabolism’

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Muscle building from Fat, Muscle building from Bone

Like most great things that are achieved…it will take time, hard work and perseverance (cliche i know! but still relevant). Building muscle, getting toned, ripped, cut or what ever you want to call it can be a thrilling, fulfilling and rewarding experience. And this applies to all types of people, Thin boned or Big boned! But the mistake i see people make is that they approach the cause in the same way. To get desired results you need to determine which body type you are first (Just look in the mirror, or down at your feet ) and then build your workout routine around that body type. Below i will describe how you can achieve results for both body types.

Big boned

The most common ‘wrong approach’ to building muscle comes from people of this body type, especially guys. As mentioned in a previous post (Confidence), most people probably do workout to get results and then show off there newly chiseled bodies off to attract the opposite sex, and again…why not. It will boost your confidence which will increase your ability to build muscle . But big boned people tend to want to build muscle over the fat that they currently have. This will not work! What one has to do is:

1) Lose that unwanted fat FIRST

2) Get toned

3) Build muscle from your newly toned body

This makes perfect sense to most people. But the reality is, that people (mainly guys again – sorry gents!) will have excuses for not doing so, usually stemming from being scared of change or other personal attributes. The common things are.

1) I want results quickly (summers’ around the corner)

2) I’m not really fat, but i do want to get in shape.

I’m not really fat, but i like my current size.

I don’t want to look like a skinny guy.

The last statement is the most common. And it mainly comes from younger or inexperienced people. It is understandable for sure, and even though they know they may lose there current look for only a short period of time, it is still enough time to allow confidence levels to fall. And those thought processes are probably what leads to the ‘wrong approach’ mind set.

So remember:

LOSE IT…TONE IT…BUILD IT!

Thin boned

Ok…you body types will have things a little easier than your Big boned counterparts. I should know, i started off this way! The problem here is completely reversed. Thin boned body type individuals tend to be slim, not because they don’t eat a lot of food (quite the opposite actually). It’s because they have a very high metabolism. This is both a gift and a curse because:

1) You can eat like a pig and care less about calories

2) Your wardrobe will be pretty consistent through out most of your life

3) But you can’t put on weight naturally and instead of worrying about calorie in-take you worry about staying off of that treadmill (Maintain)

What these body types need to do is structure their workout routines and daily meal schedules so that there workouts are as affective as can be (Muscle mass + Cardio). The key benefit of being this body type is that you are either already ‘ripped’, or you can get ‘ripped’ in a matter of weeks rather than months. But it will take months to build and maintain that muscle mass for sure. That is the hard part!

So remember:

RIP IT… BUILD IT… MAINTAIN IT!

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