First Annual Update

July 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Welcome to the First Annual State of the HQ address! This is going to be fun. About a year ago, you elected me to lead you as “Your Fitness Tutor”. Ok, not really. I decided all by myself that I wanted to drop some fitness and nutrition knowledge on you.

So, how have we gotten to this day?

About 14 months ago, I decided that I wanted to build a website/business that would allow me to reach out and help more people (way more) than I was able to as a Personal Trainer. I did a little research and decided to build a blog website using wordpress. Based on what I read, this would be easy and allow me to make updates to my site quickly. Plus, according to wordpress, I’d be blogging in about 15 minutes.

Two months later, I launched Fitness Know How Headquarters (fireworks in the background). Now, two months is a lot longer than 15 minutes (remember I’m a fitness person not a computer person). Fitness Know How Headquarters is one year old this month.

I want to thank you for being a part of my first year and trusting me as a credible source of fitness and nutrition information (on that note, DON’T BUY A SHAKE WEIGHT, THEY DON’T WORK!).

But seriously, one year ago when I launched Fitness Know How Headquarters the site had:

1. A free give-away “10 Tips to Boost Your Metabolism.”
2. One featured post.
3. My Bio/Story.
4. A bunch of promises on what the site would become.

Now in all honesty, the site will never be finished. I’ll always be adding new information.

Today, Fitness Know How Headquarters is a much different place to visit online than it was just one year ago.

Here are just some of the changes:

1. There are now 8 featured posts.
2. There are now 60 pages to the site (though many are hidden, terms conditions, etc).
3. There are now 89 blog posts (that’s a lot of fitness 411)
4. There are 12 exercises and descriptions in the photo gallery.
5. There are also 12 exercise videos in the video gallery.
6. You can “like” the Fitness Know How Headquarters fan page on Facebook
7. You can follow me on Twitter or connect on Linkedin.

In addition to those changes, I’ve also developed 7 effective and unique programs

1. My FREE give-away “31 Days To A Much Improved You”, and as you’ll see when you sign up for it, it’s “So Much Free Info, It’s Crazy!”

2. I released my first ebook, Secrets Of A Personal Trainer. This book is for everyone who has gone to the gym and is honest enough with themselves to admit that they weren’t sure of what to do. Or, people who were positive that they knew what they were doing, yet didn’t reach their goals. “Secrets” will take all of the guess work out of what you should be doing. You’ll learn how to design workouts that are specific to your goals. After you read it and apply the info, you’ll reach your goals.

3. The STAX Nutrition System. Ok, I didn’t develop or create this program. But, my friend Chris Powell did, and it works. If you want to lose weight safely and effectively, STAX is the best way to do it. STAX focuses on three basic principles; eat whole and natural foods, eat proper portions, and eat your meals frequently. If you want to lose weight, you should start STAX.

4. Fitness Know How Headquarters’ Workout Of The Month Program. Every month you’ll get a completely different workout. When you change your workouts often, your body is forced to adapt. This means that you can expect incredible results. The workouts are unique. I guarantee that you won’t come across workouts like this anywhere else. Plus, it’s only $3.99-$7.99/month.

5. John Preston’s Weight Loss Coaching Program. This is a local program for people in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. On this program, I’m your personal coach. I’ll teach you everything you’ll ever need to know to lose weight, reach your goals, and keep the weight off.

6. Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover (live). This program is also for people in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. This is a 56 day personal challenge. The goal of the program is to lose as much weight (body fat) as possible. This is a short term physical challenge where you’ll learn that you are stronger than you previously thought. You’ll amaze yourself at the things you’ll accomplish.

7. Fat 2 Fit 56 Day Makeover (online). This program is exactly the same as the “live” version, except it’s for people who don’t live in AZ. The only difference is that you’ll work out on your own, without supervision. Because of that, the price is lower.

Wow! It’s been quite a first year. As you can see, I’m very serious and committed to helping people improve the quality and length of their lives by sharing accurate fitness and nutrition information.

And, I’m just getting started. Here a few things that you can look forward to this upcoming year.

1. I’m revamping “31 Days To A Much Improved You” into a down-loadable ebook called “31 Days To Ultimate Health”. That way, you’ll have the information available to you at all times instead of having it get lost in the clutter of your inbox. But, I’m not stopping there. I’m creating additional free bonuses as part of the “31 Days To Ultimate Health” program. So, even if you’ve already signed up for 31 Days, you’ll want to be a part of this. Stay Tuned.

2. At least 3 more featured posts are coming your way.

3. If you live outside of the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, an online version of my Weight Loss Coaching Program is being developed.

4. Later this year, I plan to launch my Fitness Seminar Program. These seminars are very low cost events. At these seminars, you’ll learn why you should do certain exercises and how to perform them properly. The seminars will cover topics like: low back pain, nutrition, hotel and travel workouts, stability ball workouts and many more.

5. Soon to follow the Fitness Seminar Program will be simulcast webinars, so no matter where you live in the world, you’ll be able to attend.

6. Plus, there are some secret programs I’m not yet ready to reveal.

It’s been a busy year, but I love it. Sharing what I know with you and helping you to live a better life is my passion. It drives me. I wake up every morning (though not super early) ready to go.

With all of the stuff out there vying for your attention, I’m honored that you trust me and that you are a part of my program. Thank you. Until next year (ok, I’ll send you some more stuff before then)…

In Good Health,

John Preston
“Your Fitness Tutor”

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10 Tips To Help You Get More Fit

June 21, 2011 by 1 Comment

Here are 10 simple tips that can help you to improve your fitness starting today

1. Know yourself – Want to stick to your exercise program? Choose a schedule that works for you. If you’re a morning person, heard for the gym first thing. All of your good intentions could be gone by the end of the day. If your not a morning person, don’t force yourself to the gym at dawn.

2. Have a ball – Exercise balls are one of the best trends for a good reason. They are versatile, can be used at home or the fitness center. They help to improve balance, stability and coordination. Plus they can be fun and relaxing. They are accessible and not threatening.

3. Hit the weights – There’s no substitute for strength training to improve your body’s ability and appearance. You may not see the scale move right away, but as you gain muscle mass and lose fat, you’ll notice that you look slimmer and leaner.

4. Cut yourself some slack – If you get discouraged about your fitness progress, think back to your first week. Give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished already and for overcoming the biggest obstacle; getting started.

5. Beat the six-month barrier – Half of all people who join an exercise program drop out in the first 6 months. And half of those drop out before they even attempt a single workout. If you break the 6 month barrier, you’re likely to make exercise a lifelong habit.

6. Get it on Disc – Can’t make it to the gym? Have a stash of workout videos at home. You can work out at home any hour that you choose.

7. Do something different – Try an exercise activity that is very different form what you do at work. If your job is demanding and time-pressured, get outside and hike. If your job is task-oriented and full of details, you might like a cardio machine. Which allows you to zone out and concentrate on anything.

8. Split it up – Aim for 60 minutes of exercise a day, and break it up into 20-minute chucks to make it more doable.

9. Engage your brain – Lots of people give up exercise because it involves your body and leaves out the mind. Look for way to get fit that also ask you to learn something. Like belly dancing, ballet, hatha yoga or Tai Chi.

10. Believe in yourself – Numerous studies show that exercisers who believe in their abilities perform at a higher level, and are more likely to stick with a regular routine.

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Our Brand New Workout of the Month Program

April 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Tired of the same boring workout routines, can’t seem to reach your goals, have you hit a plateau, or just never worked out before…?

If so, then Fitness Know Headquarters can help.

Fitness Know How Headquarters’ Workout of the Month Program will help you to get into amazing shape




When you follow a structured exercise program, you can expect incredible results. Our workouts are designed to shock your body with a brand new, fresh workout each and every month. When your body doesn’t know what to expect next, it’s forced to adapt. That means you’ll see change and that equals results.

You’ll feel more energy, drop unwanted body and belly fat, firm, tone and shape your body, tighten soft spots, and fit into your favorite clothes.

Each month you’ll receive a brand new workout. And, every workout is different. You’ll get exercises and workouts that focus on muscle endurance, balance, stability, core training, flexibility, muscle development, abdominal training, coordination and functional movements, and increased strength.

You’re going to look and feel AWESOME!

Each exercise for every workout comes with a photo example and a detailed description. Here’s an example of what you’ll get:

BOSU Squat

Start Position

Finish Position

This is a great exercise because the squat helps to strengthen all the major muscles of the lower body, and the BOSU is excellent for providing an unstable surface.

BOSU is short for “Both Sides Up”. This piece of equipment is designed to be used with either side up (or down, depending on how you want to look at it). The BOSU is essentially 1/2 of a stability ball with a solid, flat base.

For this exercise you want to place the BOSU upside down (the ball side down/and flat base up). You want to stand on the BOSU with your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes pointing straight forward.

Start Position – The easiest way to get on the BOSU is to place one foot on the base near the edge. If you look at the BOSU as a clock, place your foot in either the 3 or 9 o’clock position (depending on which foot you choose to place first). Slowly place all of your weight on that foot until the edge of the BOSU is touching the ground. Then carefully place your other foot on the opposite side of the BOSU. Slowly transfer your weight toward the foot you placed on the BOSU second, until you are standing with even weight on each foot.

NOTE: The BOSU can be extremely unstable until you learn how stand on it properly. The good news is the learning curve is steep, so you’ll figure it out quickly. If you have difficulty standing on the BOSU, don’t attempt to perform the squat. Instead the exercise for you is to simply stand on the BOSU until you establish balance, stability and confidence. Once you do then add the Squat.

As you lower yourself to the finish position there are several things you should focus on to perform a squat correctly. One your hips (butt) should begin the decent toward the ground by moving backwards. Imagine that there is a chair behind you. If you lower your hips straight down you will never find the chair with your butt. Second you should counter balance your hips moving backwards by leaning forward at the waist (if you don’t you’ll fall backwards). Third your knees should stay over your feet. It’s OK if they move forward a little but they should not move in front of your toes. And your chest should remain upright facing forward (not toward the ground).

You should inhale as you lower your body.

Finish Position – The goal at the finish position is to lower your body until your thighs are parallel with the ground.
As you stand up and return to the start position, you should exhale. Your knees, hips, and back should all return to the start position simultaneously.
Perform 2 sets of this exercise with a tempo of 1/1/1

In addition, you’ll also get a FREE workout workbook to track your progress during the month.

You don’t have to bust your budget to get fit!

You’ll get all of this for only $3.99 per month!!

Get Started Today!

More Variety, Less Boredom and Burnout. It’s the Right Exercise Program for You!

Affordable Personal Training:
We provide all the benefits of a personal trainer without the expensive price! While most personal trainers charge at least $50 for just one hour, our comprehensive, highly effective exercise programs are affordable enough for even novices to try out.

An exercise program is more successful if it includes variety and continually challenges the body to work hard. Fitness Know Headquarters’ Workout of the Month program utilizes this concept. Our online workouts include loads of variety and frequent changes to keep your mind from burning out and your body from adapting and hitting a plateau, which can cause you to stop losing weight and/or gaining muscle.

Get ready for not only a new body but a new life! Whether it’s losing weight, toning up, building muscle, increasing stamina, improving balance or flexibility, Fitness Know Headquarters’ Workout of the Month will help you reach your fitness goals through expert instruction. And, we’ll help you learn how to stay that way for life.

Let us be your personal, one-on-one fitness consultant. As we guide you on the fitness path, we’ll help you avoid common exercise mistakes that just waste your time, and we’ll teach you techniques that will get you the fitness results you’ve always wanted.

Only $3.99/Month

Workout of the month terms, cancellation and refund policy

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Bonus Tip! Top Ten Summary!

November 8, 2010 by 2 Comments

I hope you’ve enjoyed my “31 Tips To A Much Improved You”. You received the last Tip about a week ago and I’m sure you’re applying all the information to your daily routine and you’re feeling awesome. Anyway I wanted to follow up with a review of the most important changes that you can make so that you continue to live a much healthier life. Here are the Top Ten Things you should be doing everyday…enjoy!

1. Drink a gallon of water every day

Staying hydrated is essential if you want to lose weight, or maintain a healthy body weight. It also helps to reduce your hunger, aid in digestion, increase your metabolism, reduce pain and headaches, and reduces the risk of digestive system cancers.

2. Engage in Cardio 3-6 days each week

Cardio increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Helps to control risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol. It also burns calories and increases yourmetabolism; which helps to maintain a healthy body weight.

3. Eat your fruits and veggies

Fruits Provide: Fiber, Antioxidants, Vitamins and Minerals
Vegetable Provide: Fiber, Antioxidants, Vitamins and Minerals

Here’s the thing Fiber, Antioxidant, and Vitamins and Minerals, all fight off diseases, especially many cancers
 
4. Resistance Training 3-6 Day a week

Resistance Training increases your strength, bone density, and your metabolism. It’s the only way to ramp up your metabolism 24 hours a day. And it helps to make everything you do in life a lot easier.

5. Eat 5-7 small meals each day

Eating 5-7 small meals a day will regulate blood sugar and hormone levels, and increase your metabolism. This will make it super easy to either lose excess body weight, or maintain a healthy body weight.

6. Stretch Every Day

Stretching every day will help to reduce aches and pains. Plus it will make all of your daily activities easier

7. Eat lean sources of Protein

Protein is essential to your health. Focusing on lean proteins will help to ensure you keep your calories under control and maintain a healthy body weight.

8. Do your Core and Ab exercises

Having strong and healthy core and abdominal muscles is the foundation for being fit. A strong core will minimize back pain and optimize your ability to perform physical activities

9. Eat. Oatmeal, Yams, and Brown rice

You’ve got to have Carbs, they are your body’s (and your brain’s fuel of choice). Plus you can’t utilize fat without having carbs in your system. Eating Oats, Yams, and Brown Rice will ensure that the carbs you are eating are healthy and gluten free.

10. Eat your healthy fats, get your omegas.

Eating Fat is essential to your health. To be healthy make sure to eat mono- and polyunsaturated fats (and avoid saturated and trans fats). Also get plenty of Omega-3 andOmega-9. Dietary fat has a ton of health benefits, but the most important might be maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

 If you’ve found this information to be interesting, helpful, and useful, please share it with your friends.

And remember to visit www.fitnessknowhowhq.com regularly. I’ll be updating the site with new health, fitness and exercise information frequently.
Thanks for trusting me with your health

In Good Health,

John Preston.

Filed Under: Blog, Exercise and Fitness, Nutrition, Top 10 Lists Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fitness Tip #18 of #31 Proper Technique And Injury Prevention

October 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In my humble (OK, expert) opinion I would rank proper exercise form as the second most important factor in having success with your fitness goals. What’s the most important you ask? I’ll never tell! Ok, just kidding. The most important component to being successful is consistency. If you follow all my advice to the letter and have perfect form on every rep of every set on every exercise, but you only do it once or twice each month, you won’t see any results. Hopefully this is so obvious to you that you’ll understand why I didn’t even include it as a tip.

Anyway back to proper technique. When you perform an exercise incorrectly you end up emphasizing muscles other than were originally intended to be emphasized. The end result of this is that you’ll either develop strength and flexibility imbalances or you will exacerbate the imbalances you already have. When you have flexibility and or muscle imbalances you typically will have some pain, stiffness or muscle discomfort (think low back pain). Plus you put yourself at greater risk of injury when you engage in physical activities prior to addressing these imbalances.

Here’s the beauty of exercise. When done correctly it will fix your strength and flexibility imbalances. This will decrease your pain and also decrease the likelihood of experiencing an injury.

Not only will doing exercises incorrectly lead to imbalances: it can also create faulty movement patterns. Once faulty movement patters are established it can take a ton of work to correct. In fact you can develop a faulty movement pattern in as little as 300 repetitions. But it can take over 5000 repetitions to correct a faulty movement pattern.

So it’s always easier to learn proper technique when you are first starting to exercise. Trust me you’ll be rewarded for the rest of your life.

So how do you ensure that you’re doing things correctly. First of all listen and watch very closely to the videos I’ve included in this program. That is a great start. Second find a trained professional in your area and work with them for a short period of time. Tell them your goal up front. You are there to learn as much as you can about proper technique as fast as you can, then you plan to work out on your own.

Depending on your income level, personal trainers can be expensive. But the investment is well worth it.

Oh yeah! Check back periodically with Fitness Know How Headquarters, I’ll always be adding new information.

I’ll check back with you tomorrow with another tip…

Filed Under: Blog, Cardiovascular Exercise, Exercise and Fitness, Resistance Training Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

31 Days To A Much Improved You – Tip #17 Add 4 More Exercises To Your Resistance Training

October 17, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Lunge - Start Position

Lunge - Start Position

Lunge - Finish Position

Lunge

The Lunge is a great lower body exercise. Start with your feet about shoulder width apart, step back with one foot maintaining that width between your feet. Your feet will remain in place during a stationary lunge. You should have more weight on your front foot. You should be on the ball of your back foot with your heel pointing toward the ceiling. With your upper body tall and sternum lifted you are going to lower your hips and upper body straight down toward the ground. You do this by allowing both knees to bend. Stop before your back knee hits the ground. Return to the start position by pushing through the heel of the front foot. It’s important to move up and down and avoid the natural tendency to drift forward as you descend. Repeat with the opposite leg forward.

 

 

Lat Pulldown Start Position

Lat Pulldown - Finish Position

Lat Pulldown

The Lat Pulldown is a good upper body exercise that will help to strengthen your back. Grab the bar with an overhand grip with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Lean back slightly to avoid hitting your nose with the bar. Pull the bar straight down to your collar bone and squeeze your back. Return the bar to the start position. Avoid allowing your shoulders to elevate as you pull the bar down. Don’t pull the bar lower than collar bone level and avoid rocking back and forth as you perform the exercise.

 

 

 

Step Up - Start Position

Step Up - Finish Position

Step Up

The Step Up is great because it mimics an important daily activity, walking up stairs. It also helps with balance. Start with one foot on the floor and one foot on the step. Press through the heel of the foot that is on the step and stand all the way up before placing your other foot on the step. Perform all of the Repetitions on one leg then the other. In other words, leave the foot of what ever leg you are exercise on the step until the set (for that leg) is done. Then switch legs. Hold Dumbbell in your hand or use a higher step to increase the intensity of the exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arnold Press - Start Position

Arnold Press - Finish Position

Arnold Press

OK, this is called an Arnold Press because Arnold Schwarzenegger supposedly invented it. It’s basically a Dumbbell  Military Press, but with some shoulder rotation. This exercise will help to increase your shoulder strength. Hold the dumbbells at collar bone level with your palms facing your body.  Press the dumbbells to the ceiling while simultaneously rotating your palms 180 degrees, so they are pointing forward at the finish position. Return your hands to the start position

 

 

 

 

 

Add these for resistance training exercises to the four that I introduced in Tip #12. Do all eight exercises 3 times each week, always resting a day in between workouts. Check out the video below to learn more about how to perform these exercises correctly. I’ll be back tomorrow with Tip #18

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IwKIVSoCzw[/youtube]

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Fitness Tip #8 of #31 Eliminate The Excuses

October 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Congratulations! We’ve completed the first week Of “31 Days To A Much Healthier you”. At this point you should be doing all of the following each and every day: walking an hour, drinking a gallon of water, doing your 4 introductory stretches, as well as journaling your experiences. How’s it going? OK, rhetorical question, I know you’re rocking it and already beginning to notice some benefits!

But the truth is a vast majority of people quit their new exercise or diet programs during the first week. I don’t want you to be that person. I want you to succeed! One of the biggest obstacles you’ll faceis the idea that a diet or workout program is temporary. You have those ideas because that is how the fitness and diet industries promote their programs. You see it all the time, things like, “lose 15 pounds in 15 days” or “Sign up today for our 21 day fat burning miracle workout”. The fact is those programs work great, for some. They work for the people who are selling them to you! They make billions of dollars every year selling them, but they don’t work for you. In fact they set you up for failure, so that you can come back again and buy their next program.

I think I was very clear when I introduced this 31 Day program not to look at day 31 as the end of the journey. But instead you should look at day 32 as the start of you being empowered with tons of new information and habits you can use for the rest of your life. You’ll need to make changes in your daily behavior if you want to make changes in your life. Anything short of that simply won’t work. That may not sound as fun and exciting as all the other programs out there. But it’s the truth! And those other programs are ripping you off!!!

So when you’re faced with the task of actually changing your behavior, is your first reaction to resist that change? Are you uncomfortable with making changes and doing things differently than you have in the past? Does it seem overwhelming and unachievable? If you have any of these feelings or thoughts, the first thing you are going to do is come up with excuses why it won’t work for you.

Excuses will get in the way of accomplishing anything, every time.

As soon as you have those thoughts or feelings, squash them! Stop them immediately, and find solutions instead. Now this will be a process for you, part of the journey. It’s ok that you have these thoughts and feelings. The goal for you is to be able to recognize them and begin to change the way you are thinking. As soon as you recognize that you’re making an excuse, start to find the solutions.

Sometimes it will be very easy. If you’re saying to yourself that you’re too tired to workout, just go workout anyways, you’ll feel better. Now if you’re too tired because you stayed up late (watching TV, playing video games, or on FaceBook).You simply need to reprioritize, put your health ahead of those things and go to sleep earlier.

See how easy this is?

Ok, here’s the deal, from now on NO MORE EXCUSES, ONLY SOLUTIONS! Get to it…

See you again tomorrow…

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Resistance Training

July 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Resistance Training

Learn the facts about the benefits of Resistance Training

If you really want to look and feel your best, you will need to incorporate resistance training into your routine. Resistance training will help to increase muscle, improve posture, tone your body, increase your metabolism and allow you to focus on changing the shape of specific areas of your body.

Anytime you pick anything up and set it down or simply move, you are in essence, doing resistance training.  Whether you are moving your body against the force of gravity or moving an object, it requires muscle contractions to complete the task.

Resistance training  is a structured and planned workout routine designed to fatigue your muscles.

 Fatigued muscles adapt to the workouts by becoming stronger. So that the next time certain demands are placed on the muscles they are capable of completing the task without experiencing fatigue. In other words, you’ll be able to complete all of your daily activities with less effort.

The goal of weight training is to improve muscle endurance, muscle strength, muscle growth (hypertrophy), or some combination of those three.

Muscle endurance is your muscles’ ability to perform an activity or movement many times without experiencing fatigue or exhaustion. Think of hiking out of Grand Canyon with a 30lbs. back pack. Not only will you have to take thousands of steps uphill to move the weight of your body but you also have to carry additional resistance (the back pack). If your muscles don’t have adequate muscular endurance to complete the hike, you end up stuck in Grand Canyon (and that’s not good).

Muscle Strength is your muscles’ ability to move a maximum amount of weight a single time.  Rarely do we pick up or move the maximum amount of weight that we’re capable of. If fact when it happens, injuries usually occur. An example of this is when a parent picks up something really heavy (a car) to save their child. The good news is you’ll never have to do anything like that during a workout. That’s because there is a correlation between muscular endurance and muscular strength.

Here’s an example of how that works. Let’s say that you begin a new workout routine and at the beginning you perform an exercise 10 times with 100lbs., but the most you are able to lift for a single repetition is 175lbs. Six weeks later you are able to lift 150lbs 10 times, and 150lbs. was the heaviest weight that you worked out with during the six week period. Now when you re-test your single repetition maximum you can  lift 225lbs. So in this example you increased your strength by 50lbs. by increasing your muscle endurance. Even though you never actually attempted to lift anything over 150 pounds (during your training), your strength gains resulted from your improvements in muscle endurance.

NOTE: There is scientific research on how to gain muscular strength and/or endurance by working out with very specific weight relative to your maximum strength. I didn’t follow that information in my example. I simply chose random whole numbers to keep it simple for you to understand.
 
Muscle Growth or hypertrophy is an increase in the size of your muscle cells. When you begin a resistance training program you will experience an increase in the size of muscle cells. At first you won’t notice an actual change in the shape or size of your muscles (i.e. the way your body looks). Instead you’ll notice that your muscles are more firm or toned. I like to call this an increase in muscle density, meaning that your muscles are more firm even though they are taking up the same amount of space that they did prior to starting your new resistance training program.
Muscle growth is the primary objective of bodybuilders. When they are on stage being judged for their physiques neither they nor the judges care how much they can lift or how many times they can perform an exercise before failure. It’s all about how they look at that moment. But there is also a correlation between muscular strength, muscular endurance and hypertrophy. So bodybuilders do pay very close attention to weight and repetitions during their training.

Most people do not have the goal of being a competitive body builder. In fact, more often than not, people fear becoming too bulky. What people typically want is to shape their bodies or become toned, firm, and sculpted (ok some guys do want to get jacked). The good news is that muscle development is a slow process. You aren’t going to wake up huge one morning because you accidentally worked out too hard. In most cases people are too bulky because of excess body fat, not excess muscle.

It’s time for a reality check!

If you want to be toned, firm, sculpted, or to reshape your body, you have to first increase your muscle density. And then you have to increase the size of your muscles. Remember the section above on Muscular Growth? Muscular growth is initially an increase in density, then an increase in size of your muscles. So if you have any goals to improve your appearance, you are going to have to adapt some of the training principles that bodybuilders follow. In other words, don’t fear weight training.

Click Here for more information about Resistance Training.

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