Everyone has different personal goals when it comes to their physical appearance. One obvious thing is you can never out train a poor diet. Nutrition plays a big role in the gains you seek and see. There are three main bodybuilding phases;
Bulking
Cutting
Maitenance
But not everyone is training to bodybuild. Majority of people are trying to trim body fat and lose weight. And then there are people that do just enough to maintain the physic they already posses. With that I'll say, body fat percentage and scale weight are two different things. You can significantly lower your body fat and not see much of a difference on the scale.
Consistency, it's the key to whatever goals you have and that goes for outside of physical fitness. All though it is hard to stay motivated, lack of consistency is what will hold you back.
Losing weight; Strength training, Cardio, and calorie deficit.
Maitenance; Strength training, Cardio, and a balanced diet
Muscle Growth; Higher Intensity Strength Training, Progressive overloading, calorie surplus
Progressive Overload, This is where you put that ego in check! When you plateu, your ego tends to try and take control by overloading each exercise maybe a bit more than your muscles can handle, which will lead to injury. Progressive overload is where you slightly add weight. Like 2 pounds 3 pounds 5 pounds. Small increments. Over time you'll start seeing gains not only in your body but the weight you're lifting as well. So, basically say you're benching 225. So you have two 45 plates on both side of the bar. You've been pushing this weight for awhile now and feel like you should be able to push more by now. Your ego will want to add 25, 35, or 45 plates onto that. That's too much too fast and you will injure yourself. Progressively you should be adding only 2 to 5 pounds, don't spike the weight up to quickly. Gains don't show up over night. It's a process and getting injured will keep you away from the gym and hold you back from those gains.
If it has been a long period of time without results, switch up your routine or you approach. Poor form can also hold you back as well as injury. Also checking your diet. Numerous things collectively can be holding you back. Be safe, don't forget to stretch!
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