We’ve all seen the magazines with pictures of men and women with biceps the size of a Volkswagen and thighs the size of a redwood. For some this is the epitome of beauty and brawn, while others find these images revolting. Regardless of which end of the spectrum you find yourself, the question is, “How do these people get this way?”
Before we jump on the “steroids” mantra we need to be fair to all body builders. These men and women really do commit hours of hard work in the gym, disciplined dieting and dedication to building their physique beyond that of an average human being. Many competitive bodybuilders spend nearly 8 hours a day engaged in some form of physical activity, mostly in the form of lifting weights.
Nevertheless, I have been involved in competitive sports my entire life. At every level I have competed the athletes are always looking for an edge over their peers. The use of “performance enhancing drugs” or steroids begins in high school for most athletes. Bodybuilding is a sport, make no mistake about it. And in the sport of body building, the use of steroids is rampant. Any competitive bodybuilder with an ounce of integrity will admit that at some point they have used steroids, probably more than once.
So how do we build our bodies with or without steroids through resistance training?
On the weights end of the equation, experts recommend performing 3-5 sets of 8-12 repetitions on each exercise. Many bodybuilders prescribe to a “split-routine” where one body part is trained on one day and another on the next. For example, on Monday train the chest and back and on Tuesday train the legs and shoulders. This training method allows for the body builder to train each day, which keeps the calorie in-out balance in check while also allowing the trained body parts a day of rest to fully recover.
In order for muscles to hypertrophy, or grow it is necessary that the muscles be broken down. Muscles will not grow if the the muscle fibers (cells) are not damaged. Further, when they are torn down during resistance training and allowed to fully recover the body will actually repair itself stronger than before. Without getting overly technical and throwing out a ton of exercise physiology jargon, you must train to failure. That is, if at the end of a set you could keep going with relative ease and your muscles don’t feel a burn, then you are not fully tearing your muscles down, and you will not grow. “To earn, you have got to burn.”
The other end of the muscle-building equation is the diet end. This in and of itself is an entire subject. So I won’t go there today. However, I am often asked what should I eat (to build muscle)? That’s a great question.
I eat like a horse…quantitatively and qualitatively. In other words, I eat a ton of food but I also eat the right foods. Horses are extremely muscular animals, when is the last time you observed or heard of a horse munching down on a piece of cake, a slice of pizza, a doughnut? Have you heard of a horse drinking a nice big glass of milk with a slice of bacon and some scrambled eggs? Horse’s love apples, carrots, whole grains, and cucumbers, raw corn, grasses, flowers, any kind of plant is fair game for a horse.
“But where do horses get their protein?” Protein is the structural component of foods; all plants consist of some amount of protein, the harder and denser the food, the more protein. Far too many of Americans are confused by brilliant marketing from the meat and dairy industry that tells us meat and dairy are the only places for protein. Meat and dairy are concentrated forms of protein, but the health risks associated with massive amounts of consumption far outweigh the benefits. How many anti-oxidants (cancer fighters) are found in meat and dairy? ZERO! How many oxidants (cancer causers) are found in meat and dairy? THOUSANDS! And are you ready for this…they will make you fat. Sure you will be tipping the scales after your workouts, but your body fat percent will sky rocket.
Bottom line, if you want to build your body, train until the muscles fail, let them rest a day or two and eat like a horse.
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