LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness |
by Rick Moore |
This week's column is a little different. It's really targeted to the beginner or novice person who just started a bodybuilding workout, and who needs some advice to steer them in the right direction.
I've been approached at the beach, in the grocery storeand pretty much everyplace else you can imagineby people who ask me questions and guidance to better their exercise routines. I was even approached in a restaurant by a lady who asked me for dieting tips this past weekend (I was nice, really!) I've enrolled several customers at the club who've really taken to improving their health and their bodies by becoming "gym rats." These people come in every day, and they started out by usually doing the same routine every day. It was always chest, arms, and shoulders. They neglected other body parts like legs, because they felt the upper body is more important to make a "bigger" impression on others. I helped them change their routines around, because nothing could be further from the truth. Many of these people suffer from a syndrome I call "chicken legs." Big, developed upper bodies with skinny, scrawny lower bodies. Believe me, that really does make a statement, but it isn't a good one. A nicely balanced, well developed all-around body is what will impress people. Now, I ask you, how many of you have walked down the busy boardwalk and noticed the "chicken leg" guys compared with the all-around balanced physiques? I seem to see a lot of unbalanced training resulting in unbalanced bodies, and that's not unique to the beach. So to those of you novices, chicken leggers and hardcore gymrats, I offer some advice. Full-body exercise and a healthy diet go hand in hand. Without one, you can't have the other. On exercises, I know you probably think that if you train all your muscles everyday, you'd make quicker gains. Nopenot going to happen! Think smarter about your workout and follow one of the following three guidelines to achieve success. Number one, you could do a full body workout, two to three times a week if you have the energy and time. This encompasses all major muscle groups, including arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominals. It is necessaryI repeat, necessaryto rest up between your workouts. It takes some people 24, 48, or even 72 hours to recuperate from a workout. Believe it or not, your muscles don't grow firmer and bigger during exercise, but when the body is resting between your workouts. The exercise stimulates a chemical reaction, causing the body to increase the size of the muscle fibers and sometimes to even grow new muscle fibers. But that's done at night and during the rest periodyour days off. Number two, your exercise regime could be done as a split routine. Instead of training your whole body each time you workout, you would work certain body parts on certain days and alternate these workouts. For example, on Monday you could train upper body; Tuesday, do lower body; and Wednesday, do a cardiovascular workout or take a day off. On Thursday, do your upper body again; Friday, do lower body; and then take Saturday and Sunday off (go to the beach and show off your hard work!) Number three is called specialization. This is what Dave and I do when we work out. We are to the point in our exercise regime that we don't have a lot of time to spare, since we both work at the gym. Here's the pattern we're currently following. On Monday, we do chest and back; Tuesday, shoulders and trapezius; Wednesday, biceps, triceps, and abdominals; and Thursday is leg day. We take off Friday and start this all over again on Saturday. This works best for us and we can do these workouts in less then an hour for the two of us. It's best to keep a chart or log of what exercises you're doing and when. A good rule of thumb is to change your routine around every 6-8 weeks to prevent boredom and a plateau in your progress. Your body will simply stop improving unless you change your workout. And you'll lose interest unless your workouts keep you motivated. Now, on to the diet. It's been said that diet is two-thirds of the battle. If you want to succeed, drink at least a half gallon of water per day, more if you can. Yeah, I know, you'll be peeing like a racehorse for the first week, but your body will adjust to it and you'll be back to your old schedule in no time. Since muscles are mostly water, this is critical. Keep a diet log of the foods you eat if you're just starting to train. You'll gain knowledge of the types of foods, their nutrition, and how they affect your body. Have someone diet with you, for example, your significant other or a relative, as this really helps (hopefully, no one falls into both categories). Try not to go to restaurants too often, and if you do, order sensiblythey can really blow your diet out of the water. Never skip your meals. You want to raise your metabolism by eating more, yet smaller, meals, 4 to 6 times per day. Skipping meals will slow down your metabolism and reduce the speed of your gains. Eat foods that are healthy, trying to avoid high fat, high-sugar items. And as I've always said, read the label on any product that you buy and consume. If it has more than one-fourth to one-third of the calories from fat, put it back on the shelf! Use your common sense and you'll make good, common sense gains. Good luck in achieving the body you want! Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Visit his club, Rick's Fitness & Health, in Milton, Delaware or www.ricksfitness.net, or call 302-684-3669. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 10, July 27, 2001 |