Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Hey there folks! Hope we had a good week since the last time we talked, and hopefully you all have started some kind of diet plan and workout plan.
This week we are going to talk about some different work outs you can do and try to come up with the best plan for you.
First let me tell you how I started lifting and still do routinely today. I usually split up my workouts into major muscle groups that work together, biceps and back (pulling muscles), triceps and chest (pushing muscles), shoulders, abdominal, and legs (calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes). Some biceps exercises I do are hammer curls, preacher curls with a barbell, dumbbell curls, incline hammer curls, and cable curls. Back exercises: cable crossovers, lat pull downs (to the chest and to the neck), bent over rows, good-mornings, regular rows, inverted rows, and cable fly's. Triceps exercises: skull crushers, bench dips, over-the-head triceps extensions, cable triceps extensions, and triceps dumbbell kickback.Shoulder exercises: barbell shoulder press, arm circles, deltoid fly, and shoulder raises. Chest exercises Bench press, incline bench press, incline dumbbell press, dumbbell bench, close grip bench, single arm dumbbell press, decline bench press, and cable flies. Leg exercises: Squat, one leg leg press, leg press machine, calve extensions, hamstring curls, quadriceps extensions, and front squats. Now these are just SOME of the workouts you could do, these are the pretty basic workouts for the major muscle groups that you will come to be familiar with. Remember that there are a ton of websites out there that will give you workouts and exercises that you can learn how to do and add to your own workout. Here's one of the websites, http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbmaintrain.htm.
Now it is time to come up with your own workout plan. The most important thing that you can do when you are first starting is to come up with a routine and stick to it. As humans we are wired to work in routines and when we get out of our routines it messes us up and we want to get back into that routine. We usually take the same route to work or school from home, we don't go different ways everyday. Make up your own routine around a schedule that works best for you. Stick to your major muscle groups, but remember just because you have a routine doesn't mean you can't try different exercises or go heavier/lighter on weight. A simple example of a routine that you could try is having chest/triceps day on Monday, back/biceps on Tuesday, off on Wednesday, Legs on Thursday, Cardio and Abs on Friday, and off on Saturday and Sunday. Simple, but effective!
Well that is it for this week! Remember your goals, come up with your routine, stick to your diet, and keep working hard and soon you'll be seeing results! And maybe some arms like these!
This week we are going to talk about some different work outs you can do and try to come up with the best plan for you.
First let me tell you how I started lifting and still do routinely today. I usually split up my workouts into major muscle groups that work together, biceps and back (pulling muscles), triceps and chest (pushing muscles), shoulders, abdominal, and legs (calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes). Some biceps exercises I do are hammer curls, preacher curls with a barbell, dumbbell curls, incline hammer curls, and cable curls. Back exercises: cable crossovers, lat pull downs (to the chest and to the neck), bent over rows, good-mornings, regular rows, inverted rows, and cable fly's. Triceps exercises: skull crushers, bench dips, over-the-head triceps extensions, cable triceps extensions, and triceps dumbbell kickback.Shoulder exercises: barbell shoulder press, arm circles, deltoid fly, and shoulder raises. Chest exercises Bench press, incline bench press, incline dumbbell press, dumbbell bench, close grip bench, single arm dumbbell press, decline bench press, and cable flies. Leg exercises: Squat, one leg leg press, leg press machine, calve extensions, hamstring curls, quadriceps extensions, and front squats. Now these are just SOME of the workouts you could do, these are the pretty basic workouts for the major muscle groups that you will come to be familiar with. Remember that there are a ton of websites out there that will give you workouts and exercises that you can learn how to do and add to your own workout. Here's one of the websites, http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbmaintrain.htm.
Now it is time to come up with your own workout plan. The most important thing that you can do when you are first starting is to come up with a routine and stick to it. As humans we are wired to work in routines and when we get out of our routines it messes us up and we want to get back into that routine. We usually take the same route to work or school from home, we don't go different ways everyday. Make up your own routine around a schedule that works best for you. Stick to your major muscle groups, but remember just because you have a routine doesn't mean you can't try different exercises or go heavier/lighter on weight. A simple example of a routine that you could try is having chest/triceps day on Monday, back/biceps on Tuesday, off on Wednesday, Legs on Thursday, Cardio and Abs on Friday, and off on Saturday and Sunday. Simple, but effective!
Well that is it for this week! Remember your goals, come up with your routine, stick to your diet, and keep working hard and soon you'll be seeing results! And maybe some arms like these!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Howdy folks, hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!
My apologies about the lateness of this post, I'm going to have to blame it on Thanksgiving festivities and Black Friday!
Well let's get back to it. Now that we have motivated ourselves to want to work out and eat right let's talk about nutrition. Before I freak you out and say that you need to eat six meals a day and three of those meals should be fish and chicken, proper nutrition isn't all about strict dieting where you feel like you're not eating enough or foods you don't like. What I've learned as the most important thing about nutrition is that as long as you're not eating junk food and eating properly, that is the best diet to have.
Diet and nutrition is much simpler than lots of people make it out to be. The thing about being young and having a leaner build means that our metabolism is working efficiently right now. Ever had someone say to you, "For how much you eat I don't know how you don't gain any weight?!" Well I've heard that a couple times too. The key to gaining weight and having a muscular build at the same time is to work out your body hard and feed it often and right. It is true that you should eat around six small meals a day, it doesn't mean you have to pull out the chef's hat six times a day and make a full course meal. Being younger also means money constraints so it's not practical nor always possible to have all the right foods and to have an abundance of food to eat six meals a day. But that's ok! We can make it easy and non expensive to eat the right way!
The first thing is to eat as many meals up to six that you can in a day. Start out with something simple in the morning, an apple if your on the run out of the door, or a bowl of cereal, or fry up an egg if you have more time. Just remember that breakfast IS the most important meal of the day so make sure that you eat breakfast because it will provide energy for you for the rest of the day. With whatever you do throughout your day, school, work, etc., while you are at school for example pack a protein bar or a healthy snack and that could count as a second meal. Another meal replacement you can have is a protein shake or a weight gainer supplement, having one of these before bed and after workouts is the best time to take for the best results. Mix up your foods and just make sure that you are eating healthy and often for the best results. We all know that it is hard to not cheat on your diet and breakdown and have a burger every know and then, so have a cheat day or a cheat meal every know and then just to keep yourself sane and to treat yourself for your hard work! The best things to eat for protein is chicken and fish. Remember to eat your veggies, try to eat a good amount of fruit, and stay away from the junk food! Having a scoop of peanut butter everyday can also be a meal replacement and is good for weight gain because peanut butter takes longer to digest. Also having supplements like a daily multi-vitamin, a pre-workout/creatine drink, a post-workout/protein shake, and other supplements can be very beneficial to your nutrition and your size, but will come at extra cost.
We will get more into supplements and foods as we go on, and next week we will talk about specific workouts and how to exercise properly. For now get in the gym do simple workouts at an easy weight and get yourself ready for what is to come! Running, stretching, pull ups, push ups, dumbell curls, and a leg press would be simple workouts to get you ready to really start working out. Also get started on that diet and eat right!
My apologies about the lateness of this post, I'm going to have to blame it on Thanksgiving festivities and Black Friday!
Well let's get back to it. Now that we have motivated ourselves to want to work out and eat right let's talk about nutrition. Before I freak you out and say that you need to eat six meals a day and three of those meals should be fish and chicken, proper nutrition isn't all about strict dieting where you feel like you're not eating enough or foods you don't like. What I've learned as the most important thing about nutrition is that as long as you're not eating junk food and eating properly, that is the best diet to have.
Diet and nutrition is much simpler than lots of people make it out to be. The thing about being young and having a leaner build means that our metabolism is working efficiently right now. Ever had someone say to you, "For how much you eat I don't know how you don't gain any weight?!" Well I've heard that a couple times too. The key to gaining weight and having a muscular build at the same time is to work out your body hard and feed it often and right. It is true that you should eat around six small meals a day, it doesn't mean you have to pull out the chef's hat six times a day and make a full course meal. Being younger also means money constraints so it's not practical nor always possible to have all the right foods and to have an abundance of food to eat six meals a day. But that's ok! We can make it easy and non expensive to eat the right way!
The first thing is to eat as many meals up to six that you can in a day. Start out with something simple in the morning, an apple if your on the run out of the door, or a bowl of cereal, or fry up an egg if you have more time. Just remember that breakfast IS the most important meal of the day so make sure that you eat breakfast because it will provide energy for you for the rest of the day. With whatever you do throughout your day, school, work, etc., while you are at school for example pack a protein bar or a healthy snack and that could count as a second meal. Another meal replacement you can have is a protein shake or a weight gainer supplement, having one of these before bed and after workouts is the best time to take for the best results. Mix up your foods and just make sure that you are eating healthy and often for the best results. We all know that it is hard to not cheat on your diet and breakdown and have a burger every know and then, so have a cheat day or a cheat meal every know and then just to keep yourself sane and to treat yourself for your hard work! The best things to eat for protein is chicken and fish. Remember to eat your veggies, try to eat a good amount of fruit, and stay away from the junk food! Having a scoop of peanut butter everyday can also be a meal replacement and is good for weight gain because peanut butter takes longer to digest. Also having supplements like a daily multi-vitamin, a pre-workout/creatine drink, a post-workout/protein shake, and other supplements can be very beneficial to your nutrition and your size, but will come at extra cost.
We will get more into supplements and foods as we go on, and next week we will talk about specific workouts and how to exercise properly. For now get in the gym do simple workouts at an easy weight and get yourself ready for what is to come! Running, stretching, pull ups, push ups, dumbell curls, and a leg press would be simple workouts to get you ready to really start working out. Also get started on that diet and eat right!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Motivation
In the overview section we talked about what we are going to do training and nutrition wise to get you into shape. We talked about doing the right exercises, how to do them with correct technique for efficiency and how to do the exercises safely. Also we talked about nutrition and diet to make sure that you will grow in the right way. Before we get into doing the exercises and nutrition, we need to talk about motivation. Motivation is the key to completing any training program and it will surely help you start, continue, and finish this one!
There are many different motivating factors out there that can be used to help you exercise and eat the right way. When I started training I had a few very specific motivational factors that helped me get into working out and eating correctly. The first one was that I would always get that occasional comment of, "You're pretty skinny" or "Get some meat on those bones" or anything of the like. It was comments like that, jokingly or not, that got me motivated to start to work out. At first I felt like this was just the way I was and if people didn't like it then that was their opinion. But the fact is I did want to change and instead of taking others opinions as insult or just their opinion I used it as motivation to get in the gym and change my body and their opinions. With that once you start to notice change others will too! I kept focused and motivated everyday going into the gym and every not-so-good tasting meal I had to eat. I used others to motivate myself, then once I saw how hard I was working and seeing results that kept me motivated, and then people saw the results I was seeing and started giving me compliments that got me even more motivated.
The key to finding motivation is to look inside yourself and find out what will motivate you. Is it for sports? For attracting women? To be stronger for the purpose of being stronger? To not be picked on? Just to look good? The question you need to ask is, "Why do I want to do this for myself?" And with that you will find your own motivation. If you can just find the motivation and keep that when you start your training program it will become easier and easier to keep and find that motivation, guaranteed. Even if you don't see results right from the start, you have to know that everything takes time and if you keep at it, you will see the results you are looking for. Other simple motivational factors are surrounding yourself with others that are trying to accomplish the same things you are, like friends, family, and gym buddies. Those are the people that support you and will continue to support you in your workout program.
The thing I want you to take away from this post is to dig deep, find your motivation, and know that you can do this! Without motivation and focus you will fail in your attempt to complete anything in life, school, work, or a training program. Next week we will talk about making a plan for yourself and your training program, and we will talk about having the right nutrition and diet.
Finally here is a motivational video for you! Know that you can do anything if you put your mind to it!
Nothing comes easy! But with the right mindset you can make hard look easy.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Overview
Well, this is my first blog post about how my blog is going to work and what it will contain. One of my favorite things to do in my everyday life, and I say this with complete honesty, is to exercise. Whether it be running, jogging, lifting weights, stretching, yoga, playing a pick up game of basketball, or just going on a simple walk, exercise is part of a daily routine I have come to enjoy and want to get others like myself motivated to exercise.
Although I love to exercise, there is much more than that that this blog will contain. Exercise is something I love to do but it also comes with diet and nutrition, another key point that I will be hitting on this blog.
Before I get into too much detail about what will be in this blog, let me first start with some background information on myself to show how I got into this lifestyle and why you should too. When I was in high school I was a very lean 155 pounds (at most) and didn't really enjoy exercising or eating the right way. But I mean I was a kid right? So, it was ok. Well, no, although when you are younger exercise and dieting may not be on the highest of priorities for a teen, I wish I put it higher on mine. I ran track for two years, played a year of basketball, and would occasional play a pick up game of football, soccer, or basketball, exercise was not part of my everyday life though because I didn't want it to be. After graduating high school and going to college was when I started to get into lifting weights, doing cardiovascular workouts, and participating in more sports (like intramural sports). I found others around me that would motivate me to go hit the gym with them and taught me about supplements like protein for muscle growth. I really started to enjoy it, and I felt great doing it. Being able to lift more weight than you ever thought you could, or running the fastest mile in your life, or starting to see muscles come in and weight being gained. And having people notice it and give you compliments about your growth. It is a tremendously accomplishing feeling! At first progress seemed slow, no weight or strength gain, having to eat foods that are healthy for you instead of grabbing a piece of pizza, it was tough to continue to stay motivated and push myself to my limits. But with dedication and continually sticking to my routines, I now am 172 pounds and am in the best shape of my life.
So with that let me show you what this blog will contain, why YOU should be interested, and how we are going to put ourselves in the best physical shape we can!
This blog will first start with goals, motivation techniques, and how to workout right and to do it safely. This is going to be the important first step to success. No one gets up one day and says, "Today is the day I quit eating junk food and go exercise for six hours!" That's not reality. You have to make goals for yourself that push yourself but are safe and obtainable. Coming up with a plan to ease into your diet and workout plan will help tremendously to keep you on track, motivated, and to progress. Then we will start to go over a variety of workouts that will help get you into great physical shape. Other things that I will also show is my daily routine of my diet, supplement intake, and how I exercise.
Hope you all enjoy!
\
Although I love to exercise, there is much more than that that this blog will contain. Exercise is something I love to do but it also comes with diet and nutrition, another key point that I will be hitting on this blog.
Before I get into too much detail about what will be in this blog, let me first start with some background information on myself to show how I got into this lifestyle and why you should too. When I was in high school I was a very lean 155 pounds (at most) and didn't really enjoy exercising or eating the right way. But I mean I was a kid right? So, it was ok. Well, no, although when you are younger exercise and dieting may not be on the highest of priorities for a teen, I wish I put it higher on mine. I ran track for two years, played a year of basketball, and would occasional play a pick up game of football, soccer, or basketball, exercise was not part of my everyday life though because I didn't want it to be. After graduating high school and going to college was when I started to get into lifting weights, doing cardiovascular workouts, and participating in more sports (like intramural sports). I found others around me that would motivate me to go hit the gym with them and taught me about supplements like protein for muscle growth. I really started to enjoy it, and I felt great doing it. Being able to lift more weight than you ever thought you could, or running the fastest mile in your life, or starting to see muscles come in and weight being gained. And having people notice it and give you compliments about your growth. It is a tremendously accomplishing feeling! At first progress seemed slow, no weight or strength gain, having to eat foods that are healthy for you instead of grabbing a piece of pizza, it was tough to continue to stay motivated and push myself to my limits. But with dedication and continually sticking to my routines, I now am 172 pounds and am in the best shape of my life.
So with that let me show you what this blog will contain, why YOU should be interested, and how we are going to put ourselves in the best physical shape we can!
This blog will first start with goals, motivation techniques, and how to workout right and to do it safely. This is going to be the important first step to success. No one gets up one day and says, "Today is the day I quit eating junk food and go exercise for six hours!" That's not reality. You have to make goals for yourself that push yourself but are safe and obtainable. Coming up with a plan to ease into your diet and workout plan will help tremendously to keep you on track, motivated, and to progress. Then we will start to go over a variety of workouts that will help get you into great physical shape. Other things that I will also show is my daily routine of my diet, supplement intake, and how I exercise.
Hope you all enjoy!
\
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)