In my 20 years plus in the iron game I am often asked what is the biggest secret to building a championship physique or at least a great body. The answer of course has a multitude of components but it boils down to a few basic truisms.
In this series of Articles I will share with you the key components that you will need to master in order to build your Ultimate Physique. There are 3 main components to achieve your goal, which are as follows:
1. You need a scientific and systematized training program that evolves as your body evolves.
2. You need to follow a high quality nutrient dense diet
3. You need heart, discipline and a compelling REASON WHY.
In the first part of this series we will examine the first component needed to follow a systematized training program.
Before You Start � Be Clear On Your Destination
If you want to travel from New York to Los Angeles there are several ways to achieve this and several modes of transportation you can take. First and foremost you need to select the mode of transport such as walking, car, boat, train or airplane. Each mode of transport provides advantages and disadvantages as well as differences in cost as well as time taken to get to the destination.
If you have never made the trip and have no knowledge of the transport systems the best way to get to your destination would be to consult with individuals who have made the journey and select which modality meets your criteria of cost and time invested.
Much time on the journey can be saved with planning your trip in advance as well as selecting the most cost effective method of transport. If your goal is to build a strong, well-developed physique a little planning before hand can save you a lot of expense and headaches as well as ensuring you get to your destination.
The Advantages Of A Guide
Having the route planned out and the modality of transport is best left to a travel agent someone experienced in getting people to their destination. Likewise in building a great physique consulting with an expert coach will save you a great expense of time and money as well as providing you �peace of mind�.
A great coach will provide you with a systematized scientifically proven training program. Let�s face the facts, without a good program you have almost no chance of building a great physique. I certainly never would have made it to the Mr. Universe without the guidance of my coach.
Imagine trying to get from New York to LA without a road map, any mode of transport, or any knowledge of how to get there. As insane as this sounds many individuals embark on this journey to build a great physique with this type of mindset, which pretty much guarantees failure.
Of course there are a few rare individuals who have made the journey by following many trial and error methods to build their physique but in reality no one wants to waste years and years following useless routines and getting discouraged. Every great athlete requires a coach to reach their ultimate potential as fast as possible.
Lack Of Plans Makes You Vulnerable To SCAMS
The lack of planning and coaching has put bodybuilders at the mercy of slick marketing, �pie in the sky� supplements, and magazine mysticism that leaves bodybuilders desperate and frustrated. For some reason bodybuilders are so hooked on the "genetics is everything" they consistently fall prey to giving less then their best effort on their program, which leads to disillusionment and discouragement.
I often witness individuals who fail to plan end up using steroids and other bodybuilding drugs to compensate for a poor routine found in a magazine or randomly selected exercises performed with terrible form. These individuals also tend to build �Bogus belief systems� that support the use of drugs to build the physique. This is a quick and slick route to poor health and the dark side of the sport that plagues the entire industry.
This no plan, drugs are the answer mentality is pervasive even at the pro-level and is a cancer to the science of building muscle. Basically once you take the drugs away from many of the top amateur bodybuilder�s and pros most have an average at best physique.
What�s really sad is many of these individuals have compensated their physical and mental health for a bigger arm or a few extra pounds on the scale. It�s sounds crazy but I see this scenario playing out in almost every gym in the world. Bottom line, get a good plan and stick with it!
Natural Bodybuilding Training � Stage One
For the Natural Bodybuilder a great physique is not only possible it is a certainty once the individual commits to and follows a step-by-step sound training program.
The best programs will be progressively geared where the athlete first trains the nervous system to handle increasingly challenging demands so that new neural pathways can be developed to build muscle. The body becomes it s function is a great truism so you need to first develop strong neural drives to each muscle group to maximize it s development.
This first stage of training is usually followed for several years with an emphasis on Classic movements, high volume training at high intensity, with body parts being worked in groups as opposed to individually. Dietary intake in this stage is almost always eat as much as possible to fuel growth and energy metabolism.
For more details on routines, styles and training check out my website.
The Second Stage of Training
Once you have built sufficient mass from foundation training you can then incorporate training that involves strategic or body part training. The difference in style means your training will need to pay particular attention to smaller muscle groups to improve the shape, function and aesthetics of the physique.
Usually accompanying this stage is a dietary regimen that strips away body fat to reveal the underlying musculature. This is a critical aspect to fully realize where one s physical development is and where improvements need to be made.
The length of time of each phase depends on the maturity of the nervous system, goals of the individual, and body fat percentages. For most trainees these two stages should compromise approximately 1-3 years depending on how fast the individual responds to training and the continuity of the effort exerted.
In reality most people take 3-5 years to get their nervous system to the high levels of training capacity required to excel in a given discipline.
Incorporating Training Cycles
Cycling back and forth between Foundation training for the structure and body part training for the aesthetics compromises the bulk of these stages until the individual get s down to single digit body fat levels with a significant level of muscle mass.
At this point a more complex routine is required because the body s ability to adapt to training has significantly improved
Stricter attention to nutrition as well as advanced supplementation and serious psychological training is then required to overcome perceived limits in performance. This is where most trainees falter and there physical development halts.
Make no mistake! Intense effort is required to break past this barrier, and this takes incredible self-discipline, and desire (Big Reason Why). I also suggest that any individual sincerely seeking their ultimate potential must employ regular psychological training techniques from a professional sport psychologist.
If you can�t afford a professional psychologist simply start with books, CD�s, courses and camps developed by proven professionals.
The Third Stage Of Training
In this third and ongoing stage both foundation and body part training are performed throughout our workout regimens and training reflects constant change to maximize growth and overcome underdeveloped areas. Each month specialization on weak aspects is a must while maintaining or improving strong points.
Arnold refers to this stage in Pumping Iron when he discusses how he overcame his weak points and now in order to increase one muscle in size he must change every part of his physique in order to accommodate this change.
Of course few people will ever reach Arnold s development but the implications are the same for every trainee when it comes to advanced workout design.
This long-term healthy scientific approach to bodybuilding is far superior to training using drugs because without drugs the individual needs to first follow sound training science and sound nutritional advice.
By building a solid base to your training and nutrition long term improvement is guaranteed and bodybuilding becomes a long term and continually improving pursuit. All too often I see individuals underestimate the power of nutrient dense diets, scientific training, combined with self-discipline and a positive attitude.
These are the real secrets to building an outstanding physique.
The Disadvantages Of Steroids
Conversely, bodybuilders who use drugs to build their bodies quickly lose their gains once the drugs stop because of poor training and poor nutrition and most of all a short-sighted approach to their training and nutrition program.
Not only do these bodybuilders lose the muscle once the drugs stop the psychological dependence on drugs lead many top level bodybuilders to become so depressed after they stop a cycle that they discontinue training which further compounds and accelerates the physical degeneration of their muscles.
The loss of identity and false euphoria that drugs create can often lead to other more serious psychological/sociological problems. Natural bodybuilding is a far superior way to build every aspect of your physique as well as your mind and emotional state. Natural bodybuilding is a compliment to a productive and happy level not a detriment.
Many natural trainees continue to improve late into there life. I have personally witnessed people making gains in they�re 50 s, 60 s and even 70 s with consistent and applied scientific effort in Natural Bodybuilding. More importantly the long-term benefits of Natural Bodybuilding far outweigh any short-term illusionary gains that drug use provides...
In the next part of this article we will discuss the second part and most overlooked aspect of training; following a nutrient dense diet. Until then train hard, train smart and most of all train natural.
Wade McNutt is a Natural National Bodybuilding Champion and an IFBB Mr. Universe World Champion. He combined the secrets of Eastern Yoga Masters with, scientific, muscle building to produce a revolutionary new health system, called Freaky Big Naturally, find out more at http://www.freakybignatural.com
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