Building the Body You Want

The fitness industry has become a booming money maker for supplement companies, weight loss programs, and exercise equipment manufactures. Every year, billions are poured into campaigns by large corporations to get you interested in achieving peak physical fitness. How do you achieve your best body? It is easier than you think according to them. Sign over a large portion or relatively large portion to a gym, invest in supplements, and of course, buy new clothes for the new body you now have post transformation. Many entrepreneurs make millions promoting their new workout philosophy to the average person, who does not exercise much, and in the end, it either fails or the consumer gives up due to a lack of results. So, how does one achieve their best physical fitness and the body they desire? Well, there is really no "hidden" secret or magic supplement to buy. All one needs is a clean diet with high protein, a medium mixture of carbohydrates, and a healthy dose of good fats. In addition, a proper workout routine is crucial. Using my story, I will tell you how I followed this and went from a one-hundred and thirty pound, skinny guy to over two-hundred pounds adding lean mass and gaining the body I have always wanted.

The most important thing to consider here is that whether or not you want to tone down or bulk up the basic principles are the same. The most important place to start is having the right attitude. As with anything in life, if you desire something good or something worth having, then you must know that not only can it be accomplished, but you can do it yourself with no one else's help but your own. When I was just getting involved lifting weights and began my journey as a bodybuilder. I put up pictures all over my room of those who had come before me and were successful. In doing so, I surrounded myself with success and positive reinforcements to remind me of what I wanted and to keep myself on track to where I was going. I imagined myself in their shoes lifting the kind of heavy weight they did. I would lay in my bed developing a hunger and thirst for that kind of success. My legs would feel restless some nights as I could not wait to get into the gym. My mind was a sanctuary - a place to focus and to keep clear of distractions. This is what must happen for anyone who desires to reach any kind of physical fitness goal. A solid mind and a belief in one's self are the utmost ingredients for success in anything one pursues in life, especially physical fitness.

As I began to believe in myself more, I began to notice results immediately that were almost lightening fast. Now, anyone who tells you that you can achieve a certain figure over night is lying to you. But, it is possible to make visible changes to your body every two to four weeks. My most immediate results came in the form of bigger pectorals (chest muscles), biceps (front arm muscles), and triceps (back arm muscles). I did a full body workout six days a week, but these muscles seemed to respond the quickest. So, keeping with the positive attitude, I gave myself goals. If I was doing one-hundred and fifty pounds on the bench one week, the next week it would be one-hundred and fifty-five. It was the same for arms and the rest of my muscles. To make any significant change to your body, you have to push yourself and make your body react to different increments of weight. For someone interested in sculpting down or trimming down, the difference would be you would want to perhaps use the same weight but more reps. There is a famous saying in bodybuilding, and it is called "mind over muscle". It is exactly true. As important as this is for belief in one's self to change their physique, it is just as important for form. To stimulate each muscle group, I will hold the contraction on let's say a biceps curl for three seconds to squeeze the muscle fibers. Only when the muscle works can you begin to see change. Ultimately, the mind is the first to change when changing one's physique.

A solid diet is perhaps the most important thing and is the second aspect. Growing up, I was interested in bodybuilding, and I was able to meet many bodybuilders and have the chance to ask them what allowed them to have physical perfection. Many told me that it started with meals. This means that they watched everything they ate at every meal. Six days of the week, they would adhere to a clean diet. One day out of the week would be a cheat day, and this was normally on Sunday when they would reward themselves with whatever they ate. I believe anyone sincerely interested in changing their physique should do this. It is important however, to listen to your body. It will tell you what you are hungry for. When I began training, I followed this guideline, but I listened to my body. It told me what it was hungry for and when it was full. Both of these aspects are crucial in transforming one's body.

Most people are confused on what a clean diet is comprised of. Generally, it consists of lean meats, vegetables, complex carbohydrates such as rice and pasta, bread, milk, yogurt, nuts, fruits, eggs, etc. There are many others that one can choose from, but the idea is to eat healthy foods in the right quantities. The key to changing your physique is feeding your lean muscle tissue while convincing your body to turn to the fat deposits within it for fat. It is good however to eat some fats in one's diet. When I trained, I would visit Wendy's and get several hamburgers occasionally, because we all need fat to survive. Again, when eating fats you want to eat the bad fats in moderation like junk food or fast food, and the good fats like from nuts, seeds, and cereals frequently.

I would like to make one small point. I did use several supplements of protein powders and creatine ( a muscle building substance) during my transformation. Some work. Some do not. The most important things to keep in mind if you decide to take supplements is to keep in mind first and foremost, they are not all safe. I kept mine basic. Protein is important in losing fat and that is why I took it. Creatine can build muscle, so I consumed that. I took mostly powders. If you go the route of pills, then I would recommend careful research onto what you are putting into your body. Some companies are interested in strictly making money with little concern to what product they put out. I had a very good experience using MuscleTech supplements. Whether you are interested in building muscle or losing fat, they carry products for everyone interested in achieving physical transformation.

Assuming you have a good attitude that you can cross the highest mountain and build the best physique with nothing standing in your way and your diet is clean, it becomes necessary to focus on a solid workout routine. Regardless of the workout gimmicks flooding our society, there is no "perfect" workout. There is no right routine that will magically alter your body. The truth that these corporations do not want you to know is that everyone's body is different and everyone's body responds differently. The key is finding the right routine to what works for your body. Many uniformed people turn to a personal trainer, because they do not the equipment in a gym or how to use it or how often to use it. While that is okay, if you understand the basic principles of exercise then you will not need them. These principles include knowing the frequency of when to work out and how to penetrate change in the particular muscle group. Beginning with the frequency, an amateur or those with little experience working out should work out each body part twice a week and split into a three day split for each body part. When I first started, I made sure I worked out my chest and triceps on Monday. Tuesday was back and biceps. Wednesday was devoted to strengthening my legs. Then, I would start over on Thursday finishing the second split on Saturday.

Knowing how to attack each muscle group is just as important as the frequency. To explain this, we must understand the concept of "push pull". Certain muscle groups push while others pull. For example, chest muscles push while back muscles pull. Once you understand this concept, you can tailor a specific workout routine to target each muscle group. I would recommend no more than three exercises to start with for each muscle group.

Here is my specific full body workout for those interested in strengthening their muscles whether toning or building up. Those interested in bulking up should use more weight with fewer reps, while those interested in toning up should use less weight with more reps. I followed it strictly, and it worked very well. Once you become advanced which would be after several months, I would recommend changing your routine alternating the frequency, exercises, or reps to shock the muscles and keep them changing. Change is very important in physical transformation because like us, muscles can become stagnate on the same routine.

MONDAY
CHEST and TRICEPS (3 EXCERCISES by 8 - 10 REPS)

TUESDAY
BACK AND BICEPS (3 EXERCISES by 8 - 10 REPS)

WEDNESDAY
LEGS AND CALVES (3 EXERCISES by 8 - 10 REPS)

THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY
REPEAT

I would also recommend doing cardio afterwards three times a week. I would run on a treadmill after my workouts and I would bring my iPod and watch the television monitors in the gym. If you do not have access to a gym, running on a trail or even on the sidewalks with your iPod can still be fun. You can make your own playlists and you'll be surprised at how good it feels.

There you have it. You are ultimately the only one in control of your transformation. Changing your body is not a team sport - this is why bodybuilding appealed to me in the first place. In addition, the feeling you get when you see your body changing thanks to hard work is like nothing else. It helped me in school and in life. I knew once I could set my mind to do this, I could. I started seeing results. You do not need any special ingredients to achieve physical transformation. A belief in yourself, a solid, clean diet, a planned out workout routine involving weights and cardio is all you need. Give yourself time to achieve the results you want to see. And it is okay to ask for help if you do not see the results you would like after a few months. However, if you strictly adhere to these principles you shall fine yourself looking into the mirror at the body you desire. I am. It can happen for you. Just believe.