Are Your Workout Routines Right for You?
So you're pushing up 200lbs over your head during a military press and this young little hottie jamming with her video ipod walks by and gives you the once over. You notice her eyes kind of "stall" at your mid-section. You want to smile and say hello but you'd probably drop that weight on your head and put yourself in the hospital......so you try to squeak out a "hi" but it just turns out to be a REALLY LOUD grunt. Damn, better luck next time.
What if that girl was the one that was going to bring you happiness and joy. You know, the one who wanted to wash your skid-mark underwear? The one who likes it when you come home REALLY late from a night with your "drinking buddies" and throw up in bed. The one who thinks it's cute when you stare at other women? How could you avoid these types of problems?
Well, let's start with the obvious....is that workout routine the right one for you? What if it's not.....you just grunted at your best friend's future sex puppet and you weren't even doing anything good for yourself! Oh, I didn't tell you that he started to crack jokes about your loud grunt to her, one thing leads to the next and now he is getting more exercise inside the house than outside? Yea, forgot that little tid-bit. What's up with that! So, obviously, having the proper workout for your specific goals is VERY important. How do you know your workout is on track with your goals? Well, first of all you've got to have a goal. Second you've got to find some workout routines. Yes, I said workout routines...that's plural. You can't just have one workout routine from the time you're 20 until the time you're 80......you'll be lifting the same weight everyday and never change a damn thing.
Let's start with a goal. Since most guys want to get bigger, I'll slap out a couple of simple rules for that. The simple rules are: low reps, high weights to build size. That's great, you hear that everywhere, but what the hell does that mean? That means if you want to build the size of the muscle, you should be lifting weight that is REALLY tough that last THREE reps. Make those last three impossible. Muhammad Ali once was asked "How many sit-ups do you do in a day?" His response was "I don't know, I only start counting when it hurts". What he is trying to say is, you are breaking down muscle when you are feeling it. You are making progress when you can't make any more progress! Make it hurt. Make the last three hurt. By the way, low reps means you stay in a range from 6-10. Some say never go over 8, but if you are having trouble getting to 6, and the next weight is too light, make 10 hurt.
Sweet, we have the reps down, how about the sets? How many times should you do the same exercise? Three to four sets is a good amount. I recommend doing two sets, then switching exercises to get in three-four difference exercises each workout. Hit the muscle from all different angles. Narrow, regular, wide and super-wide grips....on whatever you are doing. Find different angles for whatever you are doing.
How about the length of time in between the workouts? Well, if you're looking to put some muscle on, you should be waiting AT LEAST 7-8 days in between workout routines for a specific body part. Some suggest even longer like 10-12 days. The reason for this is, if you are working the muscle again too soon, you will be trying to break it down when it's trying to build back up.
What about getting lean? So you're a bit on the chunky side. You like to roll up your hot dog with a meat-bun. You're thinking you can't really see Mr. Johnson all that well anymore? Well, my friend, you are at the opposite end of the spectrum, and you're going to need to start lowering the weight, and increasing your reps. If you REALLY can't see Mr. Johnson anymore, you're going to have to do more than just workout. So, you still want to make those last three reps burn. Make them hurt. Make them make YOU scream for Mama. Get the pain, get the gain. Low weight, high reps, and you'll get that definition like Brad Pitt.
How about the length of time in between workout routines to get ripped and super-fit? Every other day. Do a "whole-body" workout three days per week. You'll be sore, on Wednesday from Monday's workout, but you'll be burning major calories and keeping those muscles lean and mean. No bulking here. You'll be breaking the muscle down before it has time to build back up.
So, I know what you're asking. "Where do I get workout routines!" Well, you go to a gym and ask all the guys with big muscles and little packages to "Give me your workout routines or the protein shake gets it!", or, you could go to the library (I know, why the hell would you do that when you have Google and http://Digg.com?) and check out a bunch of "bodybuilding" books and articles OR you could just check out http://SUPER-FIT.COM and get an endless supply of workout routines that you can download onto your MP3 player, Ipod or Video Ipod, that way you don't have to do any of the work, and you know that you are getting quality workout routines that are doing the job that you want them to do. Now you have time to get your own sex-puppet.
About the Author
Dr. Parker is a surgical resident with an interest in preventative health, and fitness who has helped many of his family, friends and patients get in the best shape of their lives. For more about Workout Routines go to: Workout Routines
