Eat, Train, Grow, Repeat
by Brian Cannone
There is a huge amount of inconsistency in the world of information surrounding exercises and diet. If you are into fitness modeling or bodybuilding shows you already know that what “works” for someone else is not necessarily going to work for you, and you already understand that there are some classic mistakes that “newbies” make, but we are going to review a few of these things in order to overcome some of the most glaring fallacies in the world of bodybuilding.
For example, there is a word that personal trainers hate to hear and it is “plateau”. People only hit a plateau when they go to extremes and push their bodily boundaries. A seriously fit person is going to understand that:
- Consistency;
- Eating; and
- Repetition
– are the keys to success. These three things go contrary to some commonly held beliefs, however, and we’ll look at each one to explain why a real fitness professional will “know better” in the future.
Firstly, consistency – how many days each week do you workout? What time? Which exercises do you stick with the most? Do you think that you have to “shake things up” to keep getting results? You don’t! When you make your routine a “routine” and a daily habit it is going to get your body into a wonderful rhythm. Sure, you can add some new moves now and then to see if you are going to be able to bulk up a bit or add a lot of definition, but if you are consistent with your fitness routines your body really appreciates it.
This also means that you have to be pretty consistent with the diet too. A lot of people believe that low body fat requires small amounts of food, or starvation dieting. This is destructive to the metabolism and works against your fitness goals. For instance, the body has no energy stores when you are not eating properly and it begins tapping into muscle to get what it needs. Thus, you are reducing the amount of muscle in the body and also destroying the metabolism which has no idea what to do once “normal” eating starts.
Lastly, repetition is essential and it has to be given time. A lot of beginning bodybuilders want to see results in as little as two weeks and give up on a repetitive “program” designed for a 15 week cycle. Don’t do this! If you eat right, train properly, and repeat your successful steps then you will succeed.