| This is part 2 of the 2-part "7 Simple Steps To | | | | oil, flax seed) Whey protein (specifically for after |
| Beginning Bodybuilding" series. | | | | workouts) |
| 4. You Must Track What You Eat | | | | Just that small amount of supplementation is all you |
| That's right! Needless to say... not a lot of people do | | | | should need to bring your nutrition levels to 100%. |
| this. They just bulk so they eat anything in sight. Or | | | | Those are the basics. It's pretty simple. |
| they want to burn fat so they just quit eating. If you | | | | As you progress down the line, you might want to |
| don't track what you are eating, you are just guessing. | | | | consider going beyond the basics. |
| And guessing is no way to meet a goal. Once you | | | | 7. Monitoring Your Progress |
| know how much you need to eat, you can easily track | | | | I cannot tell you how many people do not follow this |
| that and meet your daily goals. Once you get into a | | | | rule. If you don't take measurements, track your |
| routine (certain foods and portions) you'll have a very | | | | progress or inspect yourself in a mirror, it's pretty |
| good idea of what you eating. | | | | difficult to impossible to know where you've been to |
| Tracking what you eat is a must. At this point, in only 4 | | | | know where you are going. |
| steps, you've just outlined the foundation for nutrition! | | | | Making small daily goes is a wonderful method of |
| 5. Choosing An Exercise Routine | | | | keeping the momentum moving forward and keeping |
| Here's a clue... it involves every major muscle group. A | | | | yourself motivated to reach your goals. This is difficult |
| good basic workout should include:o Legs (squats, | | | | when you don't keep track of what you just did in |
| lunges, leg extensions, leg curls, leg press) o Shoulders | | | | order to beat a personal best. |
| (military press, dumbbell raises, side laterals) o Chest | | | | It's also the #1 reason why people get so frustrated |
| (bench press, flyes, dips) o Back (pull-ups, rows, | | | | with nutrition and training and progress in general. They |
| deadlifts, lat pull-downs) o Arms (ez-bar curls, barbell | | | | just look at themselves at that very moment and |
| curls, dumbbell curls) o Abs (hanging leg raises, incline | | | | decide immediately if the last 4 months of effort was |
| crunches) o Cardio (for the heart) | | | | worth it. They don't take into account they did better |
| I could go on and on with this question and post 500 | | | | then the last workout and they don't quite realize they |
| routines and reps and sets and you'd still be confused. | | | | lost a pant or dress size. They just make judgments |
| So let me ease the confusion by saying this. | | | | on what they perceive to be reality at that moment. |
| THERE IS NO GOLDEN ROUTINE THAT WILL | | | | Methods of tracking your progress include: |
| WORK FOR EVERYONE! | | | | Tracking what you eat Tracking your workouts in a |
| I've tried several routines. Max-OT, Tom Venuto's | | | | notebook or other method Taking periodic |
| supersetting, Optimum Anabolics and I'll tell you | | | | measurements of standard body areas using a variety |
| something. I've gotten gains out of all of them and they | | | | of methods Taking periodic photographs |
| all have various philosophies. For less then $100, I have | | | | When you measure your progress on a frequent but |
| enough programs to try for a year. | | | | not daily basis, you will soon see that your efforts are |
| Here's proof. | | | | paying off. And if there is a course adjustment |
| Do you see the same people in your gym, doing the | | | | necessary you can quickly correct it before it's too |
| same things, and a year later they look the same? It's | | | | late. This critical stage is often overlooked because |
| really quite simple. If you keep doing what you've | | | | most people barely can figure out what to eat let |
| always done, you will keep getting what you've always | | | | alone be bothered to track their progress. |
| gotten. | | | | You will start to notice people around you year after |
| There's many variations on exercises and routines you | | | | year complaining of the same things they complained |
| can do. And you'll find out a ton of them while | | | | about the year before. |
| browsing around on forums and reading fitness sites. | | | | Would you build a house without tracking its progress? |
| And while you might be tempted to stick with just one. | | | | Would you drive your car without monitoring its |
| Don't. Try it, evaluate it, and try another one. After | | | | performance and getting regular tune-ups? For those |
| about 6 months, you'll know your body very well and | | | | of you with children, you look at report cards and |
| what it responds to. You will have tried many | | | | homework quizzes as a method of tracking your |
| exercises and you'll know if you like something and if | | | | child's scholastic performance. You know where there |
| something else just doesn't work out. | | | | might be a problem and can correct it before it |
| 6. Deciding On Supplementation | | | | becomes a major issue. Many of you track the |
| While 97% of your progress will come from nutrition | | | | performance of your portfolio holdings. |
| and training there are still a few basics to consider. | | | | So why not track the progress of your workouts? |
| There's also a point when you might want to go | | | | With just a few simple fundamental steps, you can |
| beyond the basics if you want the optimal amount of | | | | ensure that all of your workouts and waking moments |
| gains. | | | | are spent on the right path to fitness. No matter what |
| But what are the basics of supplementation? | | | | your goals may be, male or female, if you follow these |
| Daily multi-vitamin Omega 3 and 6 EFA complex (fish | | | | steps, you will ensure your success. |