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Why did you begin working out? Was it to improve at a certain
sport or was it to lose a few pounds? Whatever the reason,
once we begin training on a regular and consistent basis,
it never fails that we look for a scale of our progress. Whether
that comes in the form of numbers, such as body fat percentage,
or weight, or whether it comes in the form of outward appearance,
we want to gauge our progress. When we search for this scale,
especially those that weight train, we usually search for
someone with a quality physique. We look at them, examine
them from afar, and ask the all-important question: "Why
do they look good?"
As we go through life and train our own bodies, it is only
natural that over time, we begin to compare ourselves to others
and those around us. For some this can be an unhealthy sign
of insecurities or self-defeatism, but for others, looking
at a desirable physique can lend credibility and motivation
to your goal, and help spur us on to greater heights.
What constitutes the perfect physique? Do we even know? Aside
from personal preferences that are inborn, there are traits
that seem to follow from person to person that dictate what
is beautiful, at least from a bodybuilding perspective. These
can be broken down as follows:
Muscular Development: If you work out
with weights, your goal then is for greater muscular development.
Therefore, when you are looking for model physiques, the
first attribute that you look for is exactly what you
are trying to get, muscles.
Definition:
Next in line, and these are in no particular order, is
definition. For some it is more difficult to achieve this
than others, but no one can argue that a well defined
physique is pleasant to look at.
Symmetry:
Again, many of these are personal, but most people would
not believe someone with huge calves, and skinny legs
would "look right". This is called symmetry.
When all things blend in together, and when the upper
and lower part of a person’s body just seem to "match"
that is symmetry at work.
Function:
We all admire someone that can sprint the 100 meters in
less than 10 seconds, or a basketball player that can
dunk the ball, especially when we cannot! Whatever they
look like, we can appreciate their function, and thus
this leads to a certain appreciation for them as athletes,
and puts their physique and training habits into the spotlight. |
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Poise: When someone exudes self-confidence,
you can literally see it through their skin in the way that
they walk and act. Someone that has an incredible physique,
but a weak mind lacking self-confidence is not as attractive,
and less motivational to us. When Arnold Schwartzenneggar
was in his bodybuilding prime, he won many of his shows not
only with his physique but also with his attitude and will.
Arnold once told a bodybuilder that asked him why he couldn’t
win several events that he had entered (even though he felt
that his physique was just as good if not better than any
one elses): "If I had your physique, I would have won."
That says it all.
So, again, aside from our personal preferences, these are
the main aspects of what is universally considered to be a
good physique.
How Do I Get The Perfect Physique?
The basic point of this whole article is to get one simple
point across. When you look at another person of the same
sex for guidance as to whether you are on the right track
or not, have you ever noticed that the people with the best
of the best physiques are usually older than 30? It never
fails that whenever I ask one of my clients what they are
looking for they point to another trainer in our club and
say: "I want to look like her." All the while, the
person that they are pointing at is 42 years of age! Same
with the guys. The physiques that I most admire are always
of the older men, past 35 years of age. I say to myself: "I
will be more than happy to look that way when I am that age."
Not because they look good for their age, but because they
look good period! Generally speaking, in a society that is
obsessed with youth, staying young, and fears old age, why
do we find people that are nearing middle age have the best
bodies around?
That is the key issue of this article. How do we get our bodies
to look like those on the cover of Men’s Health, or
Oxygen? Simple. Time!
I have been frustrated many a time with both clients and myself
when we complain about lack of progress and how the change
in our bodies is too slow. Remember, when you wake up in the
morning and look in the mirror, that it has taken you your
whole life to look the way that you do right then and there,
standing in front of that mirror. To think that you can change
that body in a few weeks, or months dramatically is ludicrous!
Granted, genetics differ from person to person, and some people
can sustain great change in a few months, but for most people
this is not a realistic goal.
That is the biggest problem that I have with the Body for
Life Challenge, The South Beach Diet, Atkins, and other programs/diets
and contests like them. Most people will NOT see those kinds
of changes in 12 short weeks. It takes years and countless
workouts to chisel a physique that you can be proud of, and
although you will see changes immediately when you begin working
out, to radically change the way you look will take much longer.
The key here is consistency. That same 42 year-old trainer
at my gym has been training hard and consistently for 20+
years. That guy at the gym with the huge chest, and ripped
physique? He’s only 34. That aerobics instructor that
teaches that night class at your gym? She just turned 30.
Do you see what I mean?
Yes, you can effect change in a short time of working out.
Yes, you will change the way that you look almost the second
that you pick up weights. Yes you will feel better, sleep
better, gain more self-esteem and confidence, gain muscle
and lose fat when you work out, but to achieve the physique
that you have always wanted will take time, and patience.
Just think of how often you reached a certain goal and said:
"That’s great, but now I want to gain 5 more pounds
of muscle!" or "I want to get even leaner."
It never stops. We always want more, and this is a healthy
thing as long as we take a moment to recognize the distance
that we have already traveled.
What we determine to be a perfect physique is one of the most
subjective things that one could ever decide. But one thing
lays common among any discussion about the subject: The best
physiques on earth usually belong to people that have been
training hard for years and years. This should not be used
to discourage you, but rather to help motivate you towards
a life of fitness, health, and the sense of accomplishing
the very thing that started your training in motion: The
Perfect Physique.
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