The complexity of the world in which we live in today has surpassed even the predictions of our greatest prophets. It can become very easy to drown in the sea of options and lose yourself in your endless quest for instant gratification. And it is for that reason many of us fail to keep sight of what has worked, what has a proven track record and what will continue to prove beneficial to your efforts in the gym. Rather than accruing a mass of useless training tips, filling up your cupboards with junk food and picking up different supplements from every company out there, get back to what’s tried and true and give it time to work its magic. The adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies very fittingly in the world of bodybuilding and “patience IS a virtue” when sculpting the physique of your dreams. If you never stick with a program for any length of time, you’ll never know if it truly worked and the quality of your physique will most definitely suffer as well.
Training . . .
More and more these days you see self-proclaimed trainers popping up all over the place trying to institute their newest and groundbreaking training system. While some do have merit and in no way am I frowning upon those who decide to make a go of it as a renowned trainer, what is being asked in some of these programs is unrealistic. High volume training and the frequency of which a muscle is being trained are leaving many feeling lethargic and less than ready to attack that same muscle group again when called to by the program. I believe overtraining is more common than people think due to this and the science behind resistance training has been lost on some. For a muscle to grow bigger and stronger, it must be forced to do more work than it is accustomed to doing, for a short period under a fire of intensity with heavy weights. If you do this, you will grow, and if you follow the principles of Max-OT you will be doing exactly what I have just described. It is basic in its approach yet highly effective.
Food . . .
Probably more than any other facet of training as a bodybuilder, the choices of food you consume can itself be all too consuming. Whether its grain fed beef, organic veggies, whole grain, long cut rice, omega eggs or just plain old dry chicken breasts, you have to prepare yourself to design a well thought out diet and stick with it. All you need to concern yourself with is your intake of clean carbohydrates, lean cuts of meat, healthy fats and veggies for fiber. The amount you need to consume to see results is probably less than you think and you can only process so much food at any given time, and that is an individual thing that you have to find out for yourself through experimentation. Too much of one food isn’t always best either.
Rest . . .
You grow when you rest, and you rest best when you can get uninterrupted sleep. We’ve all heard of bodybuilders saying they have as many naps throughout the day as they can and the time they go to bed for the night is irrelevant because they can get sleep when they need it. Well for many of us this situation can only exist in our dreams because most of us have to work a regular day and look after a family and all that encompasses. I say get your eight hours of sleep in each night, a little more if you can, and you will be sufficiently rested enough to perform all your obligations and still have energy to get in a great workout as well.
Supplements . . .
Advertising and the power of the media do have an influence over what we deem appropriate and effective for our needs. Flipping through any muscle or fitness mag, you will see countless advertisements from many different companies all claiming to offer the best products on the market. Many trainers will take this onslaught of promises of instant gains and buy every product under the sun waiting for that special something to happen. Well, I’m here to say not all companies are created equal, and the only company you can truly trust for the cleanest, purest and most effective supplements on this planet is AST Sports Science. There’s a reason they have been around since 1987, and that’s because they know what works, are selective with the products they produce and offer state of the art performance enhancing supplements rivaled by no one.
There comes a time when you have to rid yourself of all the nonsense and just get back to basics. The greatest champions of our past were able to build world class physiques with fewer options than even the beginner trainer of today is aware of. Find what works for you, stick with it and focus on the quality in your physique. Keep it simple, work hard and be patient. Good things will happen, trust me!
