January 29, 2009

The Road to the Perfect Body

Have you ever been in the backseat of a car of a person that didn’t know where they were going? Or have you ever gotten lost while driving but were too proud to ask for directions?

I see similar mistakes made in the gym all the time. We hear the cliché to “check your ego at the door”, but c’mon, we’re men. It’s what we do to grunt and show off. Let’s be real here for a second. Part of the reason we go to the gym is to look good for the ladies. The other part, which may be more prevalant, is to show that “I’m bigger than you and I can get more girls”. It’s a competitive place by nature.

But like so many things in life. Success in the gym is counter intuitive. You really do have to “check your ego at the door” and “keep your eyes on yourself” to be successful. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line and the same is true for your Perfect Body. These two factors can be distractions that take you off your mark.

We all hate to be lost or helpless when we’re going somewhere. Yet so many people subject themselves to this everyday in the gym. They have a vague idea of the body they’re trying to build. That’s like driving from Dallas to California, but you only know you want to go “out West”.

It’s been said that there are four possible physiques. Some may argue this fact, but I tend to think it’s true. You have the:

Powerful Massive (PM)
Defined Strength (DS)
Lean Endurance (LE)
Combination of each

That is to say if you’re going to LA, San Diego, San Francisco, or Sacramento. Each destination is clearly defined in the state of “better shape”, but the directions to get to each place is completely different.

The same goes when you are building a particular physique. I’ve chosen option 2 and I feel it every time I hit the gym.

PM = High Intensity = 6-8 reps with 60-90 secs rest
DS = Med. Intensity = 8-12 reps with 30-60 secs rest
LE = Low Intensity = 12-20 reps with 10-30 secs rest
Combo = combination of all

If you read my post on how muscles work. This will make sense to you. It’s important to note that the Combo is a bit more advanced and should be tackled only after you master the basics of 1, 2, or 3.

Clip out a magazine article or browse the Internet until you see a physique you like. Post it up somewhere where you can see it on a regular basis. This will form a mental image which is very powerful. I’ll go into the power of visualizations in another blog.

Now you have a basic road map. It’s time to get on the road. Don’t wait until you have all the peices in place before you move. The important part is to just get going. There will be time to stop and sight see along the way. Enjoy the journey. Until next time, Happy Lifting!

Mitchell

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