Body Transformation pt2

In the last post we spoke about what a real body transformation was and now we’ll have a little look at how to go about achieving it. What better way to start 2013 than with a fresh, strong body.

Of all the successful transformations I have been part of, read about or heard about they all have one thing in common;

a plan. A plan for the diet and a plan to exercise.

People will try and find the easiest way to accomplish a goal, it’s in our nature but to ignore the clues left by those successful ones before us is a recipe for less than satisfying results.

Starting an exercise programme but ignoring the diet is a sure fire way to quitting after 4 weeks. Yes, exercise will make you feel better, perform better, improve your health and protect you from injury but unless you run that alongside an improved diet, weight loss will evade you.

A diet that supports health, regeneration and performance is vital to achieve body transformation. Period.

 

Check out the “What’s Wrong With Carbohyrdates?” post to get a clearer understanding of why carbs are limited in a body transformation programme.

Protein is your go to best friend for fat loss, increased metabolism and all round well being. Your goal should be to reach for the protein first before all other nutrients; it’s vital for regeneration and add to that it takes longer to and is harder to digest. This all adds up to more calories burned, a fuller feeling for longer (which means you’ll eat less calories in total) and of course, the building blocks needed to create a leaner body.

A starting point for anyone working out hard and regularly should be one gram of protein for each kilo of bodyweight, working up from there as needed.

The Plan:

1. Decide upon a target weight/dress size/waist size/skin fold and a deadline to achieve it by, write it down, read it every day.
2. Eat 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight as a starting point and work up from there.
3. Plan your food and prepare your shopping/meals in advance; it’s easier to stick to if you know what’s coming and when.

 

The exercise regime should be one that you can stick to, builds muscle in the places appropriate to your goal (guys like the torso look and gals like the legs bums and tums look) and hits all the major muscle groups that ensure good health, function and posture; meaning not to neglect your back muscles if you work your chest, your lower back if you work your abs etc. balance is key for longevity.

The quickest way that I know of to a photo ready physique is resistance training with a splash of cardio.

For most people a full body resistance training programme made up of basic movements such as squats, press ups, chin ups, deadlifts, presses, rows and weighted walking will do amazing things. Throw in some kettlebell, kickboxing or strongman style training for conditioning and you have yourself a class exercise regime consisting of some pretty useful skills and strength. Do this three days per week.

The Plan:

1. Lift moderately heavy weights, until you cant.
2. Press moderately heavy weights, until you cant.
3. Pull moderately heavy weights, until you can’t.
4. Carry moderately heavy weights, until you cant.
5. Sprint/swing/kick/throw/smash until you breath heavily.

Your workout doesn’t have to take a long time and really doesn’t need to be complex.

“Success lies in consistency and effort.”

You can get in and get done with the gym in anything from thirty minutes to two hours depending on how much spare time you have. Quality is always more potent than quantity when it comes to exercise; a recurring theme that we harp on about a lot here in the Epsom Personal Training Centre.

To sum up

• Have a plan, stick to it

• Reach for the protein

• Limit the carbs

• Start a quality workout with basic moves, regularly

• Get it in, get it done, go home

• Have a plan, stick to it. It’s worth saying twice.

 

 

If you have any questions then feel free to ask.

Good luck with your body transformation, make it a good one.

Your Epsom Personal Trainer,

Richard Ham Williams

HamsFitness.com