5 Things to Consider Before Getting in Shape this Year.

The freestanding handstand, a body weight skill that requires outstanding control and strength.

Gyms are going to be crowded this month. Students will venture forth armed with new year resolutions, prepared to tackle the machines and barbells with unparalleled gusto. There might be times when you will have to wait for equipment,  or deal with inexperienced students that don’t follow the rules of the gym.

Thankfully the gym isn’t always the only answer for getting in shape.

Before you get in shape you have to make goals. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to be stronger and more flexible? Perhaps you want to simply be a big muscle man? You can’t always be everything. If you want to be a good runner,  a lot of the time spent running will burn a lot of important calories needed for strength muscles. If you want to lose weight, fewer calories means less fuel for muscles, which means an increase in strength will be slower. Consider a few important guidelines when you get started.

1.If you want to lose weight then nutrition is your key. If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. You don’t even need to exercise to lose weight. Although it does help,  think of exercising as giving your body strength and muscle, and nutrition as losing fat. Many people get the two confused. Walking a few miles won’t make you lose many calories, but it is good for your heart and aerobic respiration.

2.Muscles get stronger and bigger by hypertrophy. Give them heavy weight they can handle, then slowly add more and more in small sets. That’s why at the gym you see a lot of people sitting around. They are on their rest sets from relatively small and short intense work. They do a set of 5-8,  then rest for two minutes or so. Anything more is simply for endurance,  and will not increase strength.

3.Eat enough protein. A general rule among the hardcore fitness community is that you need a gram of protein per pound of body weight. That’s a lot of protein,  but you will see results much quicker if you eat as much as you can.

4.If you want to get the biggest you can in terms of size,  you should consider that you might have to go to the gym. Barbell training is good for simply adding on more weight over and over, and it is easy to control how much weight is added. A lot of these moves do not require a specific skill set as well,  so progress is made faster in movements that are not very dynamic.  Aside from a few important details, most everyone can accomplish a decent bench press with a little practice.

5.Consider body weight training. Body weight training is a great way to increase strength. The moves are very dynamic and require astute awareness and amazing control of your body. It won’t make you as big as barbell work might, but some think it superior because of how your body must be in tune with itself during complex movements. Some moves can be quite inspiring! Body weight training is much more of an art form, and can be hard to find which exercises to do next.

On the next article I will delve deeper into specific workouts!

References:

http://examine.com/faq/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day.html

http://examine.com/faq/what-should-i-eat-for-weight-loss.html

http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2010/03/the-fundamentals-of-bodyweight-strength-training/

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:Introduction