Nov 21, 2004 12:33 PM
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(Updated Nov 21, 2004 12:33 PM)
When I started out bodybuilding at the age of 17, 5 years ago, I was a skinny lad who stood at an impressive height of 6 ft2, and weighed an even more impressive…58 Kgs! My arms measured a pathetic 9 inches when I flexed my(non existent) biceps. Yes…I was the classic ’90 pound weakling’. Then, when I passed out of school, I took up weight training…tired of the jibes poked at me because of my weight.
Gradually, it became a passion for me. Weight training has enriched my life in many ways. My opinion is that every single guy over the age of 17 should hit the gym for a session of weights at least thrice a week. It builds confidence, determination, dedication and character. Exercise became an even more important part of my life early last year when I kicked the smoking habit and decided to clean up my lifestyle in general. Anyway, my purpose of writing this review is to inspire youngsters to hit the gym, and give them a few tested weight training principles that worked for me…. as my 17 inch arms and 118 Kg Bench Press will testify.
Most importantly, you must have DEDICATION. Once you make up your mind that you are going to improve your physique, let nothing come in your way. Everything is possible and I have seen miraculous transformations happen in front of my eyes in less than a years time…skinny people have beefed up…fat people have cut down… just because they had the correct frame of mind.
Train smart. Intense, short bursts of weight training work far better than those long, dreary sessions which last for hours…you do a set…chat with your pals….talk on your phone…watch a little TV….hit the weights again…chat with your instructor….hit the weights again….NO!It simply doesn’t work. When you hit the weights, forget everything else. Give a maximum of 60-90 seconds of rest between sets, and try to break the pain barrier my squeezing out those extra couple of reps. They are the ones that stimulate maximum growth. I generally train 1 body part once a week for about 20 sets for half an hour.
Rest is equally important. So is stress control…anger and stress release energy from the body and you wont be able to work out hard the next day. So stay chilled out. Your muscles don’t grow at the gym, they grow when you rest. Get 7-8 hours of sleep and meditate if possible.
EAT! Guys, if you want to be big, eat big. When I was bulking up, I ate 16 egg whites, 2 Liters of milk, 200 Grams of soybean and two whey protein shakes a day, apart from eating heavy at mealtimes. As a thumb rule, consume at least a gram of quality protein per pound of body weight per day if you want to make hard gains. I, of course am in a maintenance stage and so don’t quite hog so much anymore…but I used to. Egg whites, Soy, whey, chicken, dal are great sources of quality protein.
Don’t smoke or drink…this is very, very important. I used to do both and now I’m a teetotaler. There is simply no way you can do a heavy bench press with your head pounding from a hangover…or curl a 25 Kg dumbbell if you have smoke singed lungs. If you smoke or drink, quit. There is nothing manly or cool about these two habits. Real men don’t need to smoke or drink to cope with stress or enjoy themselves at a party…! . Real men are made of MUSCLE! I hope you agree.
These two habits drain out the energy from your body, and chances are that you wont be able to drag yourself out of your bed the next morning, let alone have the intense workout that I mentioned earlier. Take any famous bodybuilder. Ronnie Coleman…Franco Columbu…Tom Platz…all are teetotalers.
Supplement your body safely. Have extra B, C and E vitamins. I highly recommend Alpha Lipoic Acid(ALA) and Omega 3 Fatty Acids as well. Chromium Polynicotinate is okay for short term usage for ripping your physique a bit, but I do not recommend its long term usage. Take Ashwagandha or Ginseng(I recommend the former) as they both give you energy and help you control stress. Do not take anything that contains Ephedrine or Ma Huang unless you want to risk dying of a heart attack in the middle of a heavy bench press(ouch!). So stay away from RIPPED FUEL/HYDROXYCUT etc
I have never, ever touched steroids. Take steroids if and only if you want to be a muscular hulk with pea sized testicles, an unusual temper and the complete inability to satisfy you wife/girlfriend in bed. Do not…I repeat…do NOT take the steroid shortcut.
If you want a good pre workout zing, eat a piece of apple half an hour before your workout. Apples contain fructose sugar, which will give you the ability to train harder without running out of energy. A cup of steaming black espresso just before you hit the gym is fabulous as it gives you the right degree of ‘josh’ for your intense session, as well as hikes your BMR for that lean, ripped look.
Today, as a working man, I still take out an hour every morning to hit the weights.and I think all you guys out there should as well.
I’ll be back soon to write more on my favorite passion…. bodybuilding. Till then, cheers and happy lifting.
