I’m not a trained professional, but I’ve received a few compliments on my body. I’m sharing with you how I did it.
As I said in my previous fitness post, genetics is the biggest factor to take into consideration when changing or maintaining one’s body shape. My family is naturally skinny (at least when they’re young), and I was a twig growing up. Some got made fun of for being fat, but I was a target for being skinny. I had a joke with one of my cousins where I’d fake an accent and say I was an Ethiopian asking for rice on an infomercial.
I noticed my mom becoming concerned about her weight in her 40s (after birthing 3 kids, she still managed to keep a svelte figure for years). I’d do Jane Fonda’s New Workout with her because it was fun and because they always stressed the importance of exercise in PE class. My dad was always a gym rat (in his 60s, he still teaches Tae Bo classes at his job’s fitness center). He was always muscular, and I’d live for when he’d take me to the resort gym with him while we were on vacation at the beach.
Between commercials for workout equipment, MTV Spring Break, and professional wrestling, I quickly picked up that having a ripped body was the guaranteed way to get girls to like you (this was obviously during my pre-queen years). And to get that ripped body, you have to work out. I was crushed in 9th grade when my mother told me that I wouldn’t be permitted to take a weight training class during my freshman year at my private high school: “I’m not paying for something you can do on your own!” So I took my fitness into my own hands.
My dad had a weight bench, dumbbells, plates, and a small bar in the shed, so I brought that into my room in the basement. I got a spiral notepad, wrote down a workout plan, and kept tally marks of each exercise that I did, making sure to alternate muscle groups in my circuit. I was rather limited in my bench-pressing ability because the bar that my dad had was about 2 feet long. So I ended up having to stack plates in between my hands in the middle of the bar rather than on the outside. Did I mention that the plastic casing on one of the plates was cracked, so whatever was inside of it would often sprinkle onto my face? This is how desperate I was to get in shape.
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| image from healthassistant.blogspot.com |
It was always hard for me to see the results of working out on my body. I almost felt like I’ve looked the same from 2001 (my first year in college) to 2007, but I saw my weight increase. The summer of ’08, however, was all about bulking up. I started in January (which was a mistake because of all the New-Year’s-resolution crowding) with a 4-day/week workout program to really push myself and gain muscle. I also added tons of calories and protein to my diet, with 5-6 meals per day, including protein shakes. By April, even I could see the results. Unfortunately, I plateaued and didn’t gain a single pound in May, but I was quite satisfied with the way I looked.
Photographer I know: “ Hey, you look great.”
Me: “Thanks!”
Photog: “You should let me photograph you.”
Me: “Let’s do it!”
This was in July. I’d dropped to 2 days per week doing a full-body, low weight/high rep workout. And that’s when my banner picture was taken.
I say all this to say that my body stays trim, has trouble bulking up, and maintains easily (and I’m taking full advantage of it because it probably won’t last forever). I figured out that my sporadic diet and 3x/week workout plan weren’t doing it for me. So I split my workouts into either upper/lower body or push/pull movements, doing each twice a week. I learned that the body can only handle so much protein in one sitting, so I spread my protein intake out throughout the day. Many suggest consuming as many grams of protein in a day as your weight in pounds (e.g., 150 grams of protein for a 150 lb person). But just like it’s easier to do 100 push ups in 5 sets of 20 than 2 sets of 50, the human body can absorb protein for muscle building much more effectively when it’s spread out over 5 or 6 servings rather than 2 or 3.
Whereas I was upping my caloric intake, someone with a slower metabolism who’s looking to burn fat would make different choices. They might go with a workout plan that hits all their muscle groups in one day, using lower weights and a higher number of reps. Rather than loading up on protein (which is still an important part of everyone’s nutrition), they might focus more on foods with fiber that make one feel more full as well as fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. Perhaps not the quickest way to drop pounds, but balanced nutrition should always be your top priority.
Just like I figured out what worked and didn't work for my body, you have to do the same for your fitness journey, and this may take a bit of trial and error. No one plan will work for everyone’s genetic type. Just like there are different lifespans for people who store fat in their midsection and people who store it in their butt and legs (the latter group lives longer), there are different diet and exercise plans for people who have different metabolisms, body types, and goals. The Internet is a goldmine of information. Just make sure the sources that you’re using are reliable and the research is current.
Note: I am not a certified fitness/health professional. Just a gym rat who reads a lot.
Click here to check out TheBlackout Blog Fitness Log: Intro.
Click here to check out TheBlackout Blog Fitness Log: Food and Diet.
Click here to check out TheBlackoutBlog Workout Log: How To Make Your Workout WORK.
Click here to check out TheBlackoutBlob Workout Log: How I Did It.
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