What do you do for Biceps?
How can I get my Triceps to look like yours?
How many sets do you do for Chest?
What is the best order of exercises for Chest?
How much weight should I use to increase my one-rep-max?
How often should you do cardio?
What is the best pre-workout supplement?
What cardio is best?
How many reps is best for growth?
Should I "change it up" every week in the gym to get better growth?
These are prime examples of the type of questions that I get the majority of the time that I am discussing bodybuilding/physical fitness with people. Do you see a common theme with these questions? They all relate to what an individual does while he/she is in the gym. This is exactly why most people never realize their physical fitness goals. They put themselves through weeks and weeks of difficult and taxing workouts, only to end up with minimal results if any. It is usually at this point most of these people cancel their gym membership and gain about 10-15 pounds. These people become so pre-occupied with what workout(s) they need to be doing, they drop the ball by forgetting to take other factors into account. Everyone puts so much time and effort into planning their workout(s), yet they apply almost zero consideration to their daily nutritional needs, and their sleep is rarely a priority.
One must understand that the training is merely the stimulus which initiates the adaptive response within the human body. Once this is achieved, one must place their body in the specific and proper environment for adaptation to occur. If this specific and proper environment is not in place after the body's growth mechanism has been stimulated..., then not only will growth not take place..., growth cannot take place.
What do I mean by "environment?" Mainly..., proper nutrition, appropriate rest and recovery time, and most importantly..., consistency. One must ensure that their body has the specific materials and the proper amount of rest required to compensate, or repair the muscle tissue back to the state at which it was in before the workout, and then overcompensate, where the muscle is made slightly larger and stronger. These two processes constitute the growth process. Again..., these two processes cannot take place without the presence of the proper building materials required to repair the tissue, and giving the body adequate rest to allow this repair to take place. Furthermore, this "environment" must be provided every single day..., day after day..., day in and day out. Without this proper environmental consistency, your physical fitness goals will not be realized.
When I inform people of this, the reaction I get is mostly universal. "Nah..., there has to be an easier way." I apologize to everyone who does not like this fact..., but unfortunately for those who want "an easier way"..., that is exactly what this is..., a fact. In the sport of bodybuilding and the world of physical fitness, there is absolutely no way around this. The majority of the effort required to be successful is put forth outside of the gym. It is this fact which lead to the motto which my wife and I follow. Train Hard..., Diet Harder.
