5 Things you can learn from a Bodybuilder and Figure Athlete

5 Things you can learn from a Bodybuilder and Figure Athlete

 

 

 

 

The 2012 Olympia was held this weekend in Las Vegas, and in honor of all the hard work and sculpted bodies in attendance, I thought I would dedicate my first post to the sport. Let's face it, there's a lot to learn about health and fitness. There are articles, blogs, magazines, your friends and that infamous guy at the gym with 12-inch biceps that always wants to tell you "what he does". When it comes down to it, there is a lot of bad advice out there, and a lot of extreme behaviors in the body building community. Bodybuilding, however does take a lot of planning, discipline, grit, and motivation that I think we could all use! Here are a few notes that we could all take from bodybuilders in creating our own masterpiece!

 

1. Have a plan- What's your plan? No seriously, write it down. Put it somewhere, make is specific, make it realistic, and put a time goal with it. Bodybuilders are always ___ many weeks out from something. Make a goal for yourself and give yourself a set amount of time to do it. This way you have something that you are working towards every day. Not a distant grasp at "I want to lose 5 lbs" how about "I want to lose 5lbs in 30 days" there! Now there is a specific time goal, so you've given yourself direction and intention. Next, write down the how. How are you going to make that happen? Increase your cardio? Decrease your calories? Start resistance training on a regular basis? Whatever it is figure it out and plan out how you'll do accomplish this... now you have a destination AND a vehicle! Psh you're practically there already!

 

2. Habitual- Bodybuilders are creatures of habit to the core. They eat the same things day in and day out and they plan every meal. Ok ok...before you lose your mind completely, I'm not going to tell you that you should eat chicken and rice every day. However, I will say that taking a little time each week to plan your meals will go a long way in helping you to stay on track with your goals. I like to cook all of my food for the week on Sunday afternoons. I portion it all out and put it in containers so that I can have lunch at work or on the go and don't have to rely on fast food or... anybody else, for my nutrient intake. I like to know that I'm in control of my food if nothing else for the day. I've got that on lock!

 

3. Make an exercise plan. Research and find a progressive plan to meet your needs. If you need help with that you can contact me at mandywray@rocketmail.com and I can help you come up with a plan to reach your goals. Whether you research online or find something in social media...whatever you decide, make sure it is progressive and purposeful. Don't just show up and do whatever comes to mind. You have a goal. you have a purpose. Be intentional!

 

4. Hit the gym daily! Have you seen the sweat daily video yet? I posted it on the Iron Lily Fit facebook page, go check it out and get some free motivation. Give yourself a reason to get to the gym every day and don't make excuses. John Berrardi, of Precision Nutrition recommends to schedule a photo shoot or buy youself a new pair of jeans to fit into. Give yourself a visual goal with your date so that you are now looking at something bigger than just your own mental drive. Which brings me to my last point.

 

5. Build a community- Bodybuilders are notorious for building a core community that can rally around them. Dieting is hard! And building a group of people who you trust to help you when you are feeling weak or when you feel like giving up will go a long way in helping your to shoot for success in your weight loss or performance goals.

 

So there are the top 5 tips that you can take from the bodybuilding community and apply to your training.

 

 That takes a lot more than just showing up!!