The fact that you’ve started reading this article means that you have the desire to transform your body – so I’ll dispense with the usual “goal-setting” process process.
Action doesn’t happen without first the initial desire. Maybe you’ve got photos set aside, or at least look at photos of people who have the “look” that you’d like.
Having a clear image of what you’d like to look like coupled with a strong desire will help you get through the tough times. Let’s assume you possess this desire, which is why you have read this far.
What you now need is the process and the tools to make it happen.
For most people, it’s the lack of knowledge and not knowing how to start or overcome a roadblock stopping them in their tracks. And unfortunately, they lose hope. On the other hand, when you’re confident that you’re on the right track, you’re motivated and your efforts generally increase as a result.
If we’re talking physique transformation, there are two key factors:
- Losing fat
- Building muscle
Unfortunately many people focus more on the fat loss (and waste a lot of time and money, and end up looking worse) without realising the importance of the muscle development for shape, tone, and how you look – for long-term results.
We’ve heard 7 common beliefs that we’ve heard from people looking to transform their bodies – let’s start with a few.
- Belief #1: “I’m dieting to lose some weight first before I start the training”
Why it’s wrong: Losing weight without training means cutting calories. This means your body is in deficit, with no “incentive” to retain muscle. Chances are, half of what you lose will be muscle – read our earlier article for why you’ll actually be worse off. In fact, you’ll actually delay the whole transformation, as well as create another obstacle to overcome (regaining the lost muscle). The truth is, with the right training and nutrition program, your fat loss will at least equate to your muscle gain, so you’ll actually get smaller (because muscle is twice as dense as fat). Fact:
- It is best to start both at the same time
- Dieting first will put you behind the eight ball
- Belief #2: “I need to lose weight so I’m going to train with light weight and high reps”
Why it’s wrong: This one has been around for decades – the belief that low reps (6-8) are for building and high reps (12-20) are for “cutting”. If you look at a typical 1RM table, you’ll find that weight x reps (i.e. work) increases with lighter weights. For example, someone who can do 6 reps with 50kg will be able to do 15 reps with 38kg – hence 6×50=300kg-reps and 15×38=570kg-reps. Therefore, people who’ve been doing 4 sets with the 50 kg and now switch to the 38 kg will be doing more work without realising it – this will have a small effect on calorie expenditure. They’d be better off maintaining muscle growth in their training and use the nutrition program for the fat-loss – more on that later. All you need to know is that the belief that heavy weight is for building and lightweight is for cutting is wrong – read more. Either rep systems could be good for building.
Fact:
- Train for muscle development and let the nutrition program do the fat-loss
- You can’t out-train a bad diet
- Either rep protocol may be useful for muscle system development – it depends on your genetic make-up
- Belief #3: Light weights etch in the detail in the muscle
- Why it’s wrong: We’ve covered this above but we’ll touch on this again. The problem is, when people go on diets and increase their rep ranges (due to the myth), they notice fat loss and muscle tone, so they mistakenly believe that the high reps did it all and as they see their fat dropping off and the muscle being revealed, they mistakenly believe that the high reps did it all.
Fact:
- Both high and low reps can be useful for muscle building or maintenance
- It’s the combined effect of maintaining muscle and losing fat that will reveal the muscle detail. Training should be focussed on maintaining or building muscle
Stay tuned for our last 4 beliefs important for sculpting – next week.
But for now – our smart tips!
AMP Your Workout Smart Tips
- Your key focus should be the loss of excess fat and the maintenance or even gaining of muscle for a firm, athletic look
- Muscle is twice as dense as fat so you can be heavier and actually have smaller dimensions with a more muscular body – don’t worry too much about your weight – dimensions and how you look are a better guide
- Beware of the myths.
a. Don’t try to lose weight first – you waste time and give yourself another obstacle later
b. Weights for muscle retention. Nutrition program for fat loss
c. Forget high reps / low reps for “cutting” or definition – see rule b.
For more information, visit AMP Your Workout.com. AMP Your Workout provides the latest technology to optimise training and match it to our genetic strengths – for faster results.
