TIP#2.8 - 5 Steps To Training For Your Specific Body Type
People will react to different forms of training due to genetics, metabolism, biomechanics and body type. There is never any gaurantee that your body will respond in the way you want from any training, but you should give it the chance to respond in the way that it can. You cannot predict or measure potential strength, growth or shape before you actually go and do it for an extended period of time and see what happens. The only thing you can do is choose the best training approach/exercises possible to give you the most potential.
1. Begin and End With The Man In The Mirror
You are you, and no-one else. You do not have the priviledge of comparing yourself to anyone else, because no-one is the same as you. Every time you want to gauge progress, only compare against your own statistics, your training and diet effects your body alone - and other's training/diet only effects their bodies - so don't look in the mirror for results from training you never did, and food you never ate.
2. Become An Objective Thinker
Now that you are focused on changing yourself, your body, your muscles, your body composition - you now have to acknowledge what it is that needs changing. A recommendation for life in general, Objectivism is a wonderful virtue that allows you to make decisions un-emotionally, almost like a robot. Look at yourself in the miror, what you see is the culmination of your training/ lifestyle and diet - period. Are you where you want to be? If the answer is no (be very honest) then something has to change with your training, lifestyle and/or diet - period. There are no other explanations, that's it. Don't care if you enjoy your training or enjoy eating what you are eating and 'everything will work out', because it hasn't and it won't - unless you focus on change.
3. Identify Problem Areas
This is the hard part. It requires you to really critique your physique and genetics and admit to yourself that this is how you look, and you must train appropriately. You must forget the lies you tell yourself about how you look. Be completely honest. Do you have a good or bad shoulder to waist ratio? Are your triceps lagging behind? Are you losing definition because of body fat? Identify all the areas that need assessing and make it your business to change them.
4. Priotise Problem Areas
Once you've identified the parts of your physique that require work you can make ammendments to your training and diet program accordingly. Does this mean training shoulders every single day of the week to increase shoulder width? No. It means prioritising them on the days you do train shoulders. It means conducting your workouts with more intensity and focus, and using correct form with possibly lighter weights. Great Chest but weak Back? The same applies, be constructive with your training and stop making excuses as to why you don't train properly or that you just want to be 'functional' and 'strong' - because believe it or not, 'functional' training hardly ever delivers you your dream physique.
5. Train Your Muscles Not Your Ego
'Ego Training' is a real thing. You may do it without even realising. Want to get your bench press max up? Why? Do you want to show off to yourself and friends or is it that you think the stronger you get the more your muscles will grow and shape up? Bench press alone will not build you a Schwarzenegger size Chest. It may not even be appropriate for your anatomy. If it is an uncomfortable exercise for you, and you've seen little progress then prioritise other exercises. This goes for every other exercise you do. Squats are not suited to taller people, machine presses prove to be much more effective. If you have a thick waist in comparison to your shoulder width, then refrain from exercises that widen and thicken the abdominals like very heavy deadlifts. Improve the image of yourself, not your self-image. Please click here for more info on optimal training.
Focus On How To Train, Not How Much - Click Here
5 Tips For A Bigger Chest - Click Here
7 Best Machines For Muscle Growth - Click Here
How To Target White Muscle Fibres So You GROW - Click Here
And More Tips on Appropriate Dieting - Click Here
Thanks so much for reading!
Matt The Trainer
Personal Trainer London
