I've been seeing a few posts around about people wanting to shift their holiday weight and those that "Can't wait to get back into the gym". Whilst its highly likely that they will indeed make a start to get fit and healthy; most will drop their efforts within the first few weeks. Don't mistake this post for an excuse to bitch about the lack of motivation in society; I would rather see people inspired than spend my time putting them down. Basically, this post is directed at all of those people who are really looking to get serious about their lifestyles. It's easy to just say "I'm going to get rid of this fat and get ripped and toned in the new year" - the reality of that statement is much harsher. If you're really going to get ripped/toned/gain some serious muscle; then you HAVE to plan your approach. There's no point in thinking that you can just turn up at a gym, hit the treadmill for 20 minutes, lift some random weights and then go home - it doesn't work that way. Also, if you really want that body that you've always dreamed about; then you can't just limit your approach to exercise - proper nutrition and a structured lifestyle are also the keys to succeeding in your goals.
Let's start with the getting fit part of the plans. You need to plan your gym sessions/workouts to tailor to your specific goals. If you're savvy with that sort of thing then it's pretty simple to come up with your own personal training plan. For those who aren't as good with that side of things - find someone to ask! Most fitness experts are more than willing to dish out advice to others because its likely that they learned their shit through the exact same methods. I'm also happy to help people out as long as they're serious and not wasting their time. Also for your viewing convenience there's a few workouts posted previously in this blog which can tailor for losing weight, building muscle or both. If you're looking to make some serious gains and really bulk up - then split your training. E.g. Monday - Back and Arms, Tuesday - Shoulders. Wednesday - Rest. Thursday - Chest and Arms. Friday - Legs. Once you have a structure like that, you can then plan your workouts accordingly. Those looking to lose fat may opt for 3 days a week (E.g. Monday, Wednesday and Friday) in which to do a full body workout, possibly combining cardio and weights (which I'd highly recommend). It's all about finding the right plan for you; also don't jump into a ridiculously hard schedule because if you struggle too much it'll put you off and that's your motivation gone. Get involved in a sport that you enjoy, perhaps one that you haven't tried before; think of getting fit and healthy as fun rather than a chore!
On to nutrition - in my opinion its the hardest part of changing lifestyle. The obvious first step is to cut down massively on junk food - takeaways, chocolate, crisps, alcohol (Excessively different for students) etc. Get to know what's in your food - those figures (Calories, Fat, Salt, Carbohydrate, Protein) that you see on pretty much every product are there for a reason! They make it very easy to monitor your nutritional intake and give you more power over what's going into your body. If you're looking to gain weight, don't think that you can just increase your protein intake massively whilst working out and it'll give you gains - a high amount of protein is good, but a ridiculous amount can, and will end in a heart attack if you're not careful with it. Bump up your carbohydrates and calories too if you're looking to gain - just couple it with intense training and that's where the real gains are made! If you're looking to lose weight, obviously you'll need to drop your calorie intake along with slightly adjusting your carbohydrate and fat intake. Check out my earlier post on intermittent fasting - it works brilliantly for those wanting to absolutely shred fat!
A few quick final notes - Firstly, supplements! Its all well and good going out and spending some money on supplements to enhance your efforts and put you closer to your goals. However I cannot stress enough how important it is to really research them and find out exactly which ones will work for you. Don't expect that you can throw back a few shakes without much weightlifting and suddenly become Arnold Schwarzenegger. Supplements only work if you put 100% into your training - they're designed to build on your positive results, not produce them for you! This applies to many people with regard to fat burners - they think that they can take a tablet and wait for themselves to become thin. This is not true - fat burners work on the understanding that you're eating clean and working out. No legal supplement can just hand your goals to you on a platter - you both need each other to get the ultimate results. However; its also important to ensure that you're buying the right supplements. In the course of my training I've found that there's only a few supplements that have worked for me. For example, my protein of choice is Syntha6 - I've found that it minimises recovery time and really helps to pack on muscle. When it comes to fat burners - Thermobol from Maximuscle is a complete waste of time - its effects are minimal to zero. However there are two fat burners that I would recommend - the first are Grenades; the only problem with these are that the side effects are brutal and those with a weaker system will suffer them badly. Luckily there's a trustworthy and highly effective fat burner, which would be my first choice. This is Warrior Blaze - however it has recently become Blaze Reborn due to a change and from what I can gather improvement in their already effective formula! Plus its at a completely reasonable and fair price! Warrior (@WarriorSupps) are also a brilliant company, who actually give a shit about their customers - the same cannot be said about big corporations like Maximuscle who are just after your cash. Anyone in the Wrexham/Llangollen area interested in supplements should get in touch with Nick Lingard (@Lingard_) on Twitter. He currently runs a small supplement business with great prices and decent products!
My last point is on gaining and maintaining real motivation. Its very hard to really maintain pure motivation, but once you've put that hard work in and you're seeing results - training becomes more of a passion than a chore and suddenly you're self motivated at all times. However from time to time its good to get a fresh dose of inspiration and some brand new ideas. Personally, most of my inspiration comes from following Fitness Made EZ's training, new and old. (www.facebook.com/FitnessMadeEZ) - its good to see someone who's ridiculously committed to and also highly enjoying their training. Also the Hodgetwins are a great source to gain some information from, plus they're funny as fuck. Check out JV Fitness and Nutrition on Facebook too! (http://www.facebook.com/pages/JV-Fitness-Nutrition) He's a fully qualified personal trainer and has some absolutely brilliant advice on the subject of health and fitness.
Anyway, I hope that the information on this post has been useful to people. As always you can get in touch with me on Twitter - @Wrighty__ Like my page on Facebook - www.facebook.com/TransformitToday; or simply comment underneath! Also I'm looking to revamp this blog a bit, possibly with a name change aswell so anyone that has got any ideas please don't hesitate to get in touch! Good luck to all of those that are undertaking a new lifestyle through fitness in the new year!
Train hard, but train safe,
Alex.
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