Pulling It All Together Part I: How to Get the Body You Want
You read the magazines and listen to the experts, but somehow the body you want has eluded you. That's because there's a lot more to shaping your body than you might read in muscle magazines. And the crazy part is that even some of the so called "experts" don't know what they are talking about. So, how the heck are you supposed to know?!? Well, allnaturalmuscle.com is here to help! If you really want to change your body, this is the article for you!
Over the past couple of years, there's been a lot of great information posted to allnaturalmuscle.com and its predecessor, everydaybodybuilder.com. But yet, I am still regularly asked about my approaches to achieving my physique. Some people ask in the hopes that I will validate their beliefs. And generally, when someone is religious about their approach to fitness or bodybuilding, I just nod my head and give them a form of, "Good for you!" Because, you see, those people don't really want to know how to get results. They just want to be validated in what they are already doing.
However, on rare occasion, I talk to someone who really wants to know how to achieve the body they've always wanted. These kind of people have been looking for answers and have hit a dead end or they have part of the puzzle and they want to know how to fill the rest in. I can help these kind of people... people who have an open mind and, who above all, want to make a change and are willing to work for it. For all of those people, this article is for you.
First off, if you want to change your body then you have to know how you want to change it. "I want to look like that guy" is not going to get you there. But "I want to lose fat" or "I want to gain muscle" will.
Why Can't You Lose Fat And Gain Muscle Simultaneously?
In general, you are either growing or shrinking... or staying exactly the same. Additional tissue requires additional energy, which means more calories and more weight gain. If you want to lose tissue then fewer calories (i.e. a calorie deficit) is required, which results in a weight loss. And just like you can't eat at a calorie surplus and a calorie deficit at the same time, building muscle and burning fat is not something that is sustainable for any period of time.
Some people might be quick to point out that under certain circumstances, one can actually build muscle and burn fat simultaneously. And it's true that there are times when it is possible. But don't bank on it. Building muscle and burning fat [naturally] are conflicting goals. And for that reason, you really have to decide which one it's gonna be.
What About Body Sculpting?
There are really only two things you have control over when it comes to how your body looks: how much muscle you have and how much fat you have. That's it! You can't change the shape of your muscles; you can only make them bigger or smaller. However, the good news is that you can target where muscle is built on your body.
When gaining or losing fat, you can't choose where it goes or which fat gets shed first. The best you can do limit how much of it you have. Get your fat low enough and it won't matter where you commonly hold fat. There won't be enough on your body to worry about.
Building Muscle
Building muscle [naturally] is a very slow process that is noticeable over years, not days or weeks. New lifters commonly see some fast growth. But that kind of growth is short lived. Most natural bodybuilders with impressive physiques trained for the better part of a decade or more to achieve their results.
As stated before, building muscle over time requires a caloric surplus. The problem is that over time our bodies can adapt to our caloric intake. As a result, I recommend Reverse Dieting to take advantage of this adaptation and also to gain muscle and limit fat gain.
The other side of the coin for building muscle is a solid Periodized Training Program that includes enough volume to stimulate Muscle Growth. Proper diet, training and a ton of consistency are all necessary for long term muscle growth. And it's typically the consistency part that trips people up.
Some people will hit their diet and training during the week and then blow that hard work away by binging and drinking in excess on the weekend. Other people just diet and train in spurts lasting little over a month or more and then give up because they didn't look like someone they saw in a magazine. Consistency doesn't just mean part of the week or for a few months at a time. It means finding something that works for you that you can always do. It's got to fit your life, your Schedule and your Eating Habits if it's going to happen day in and day out and create real results.
Check Back Next Week For Pulling It All Together Part II: How to Get the Body You Want
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