I've noticed that even now with the Olympics being over, a lot of people in the media are still in awe of the bodies belonging to this years group of Olympic athletes.
Many women are using the bodies of Olympic athletes as their "Inspiration", and many men (including myself) were just a little jelaous of how ripped some of the athletes were.
While I'm all for the athletic look, we do need to keep in mind that these exceptional athletes train and exercise A LOT!
And by A LOT I mean multiple hours per day.
You can check out the workout routines of several Olympic athletes here:
Olympic athletes train for hours a day to get their phenomenal bodies AND amazing athletic abilities, we should not forget that these athletes are also working out to improve their SKILL at an EVENT or for a SPORT...simply getting into good shape does not have to be this difficult.
To lose weight and hit your goal weight you need to find the right diet that works for you, and combine it with resistance training.
(I highly recommend Eat Stop Eat, but any well designed diet WILL work as long as it puts you into a caloric deficit).
To gain muscle you have to follow a resistance training program, then follow the simple rule of 'more'.
Over the weeks and months of training try to add more volume to your workouts, or more weight to your exercise, more work in a given time or more training sessions to your week.
Personally, I like adding more weight, but that's just my personal preference.
The best routine will most likely involve adding a little more of everything every once in a while.
If you are looking for rules to train by, this is about as simplistic as it gets..for eating - Eat less but enjoy the foods you eat. For working out - Workout using the rule of 'More' and make sure your workouts are enjoyable.
BP
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15 comments:
Hey Brad--
This isn't about Olympics, I just wanted your opinion on this SparkPeople (heard of it?) article on fasting:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_experts.asp?q=63
Whoops, looks like the link didn't copy all the way.
Here's the whole thing.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/community/
ask_the_experts.asp?q=63
Just curious, why did you change the post title and the picture?
Hi Cambourne,
I was informed that the original term I used is one with negative connotations.
As for the pic, I wasn't sure if she was actually an Olympic athlete, so I switched to Sina, since I know she's an Olympic sprinter.
BP
Jason Ferruggia posted a couple of items about the Olympian physique. Specifically gymnasts and sprinters. I've always seen male gymnasts as the ultimate model for functional strength. The combination of speed, strength agility and flexibility is awesome. And all achieved without seeing the inside of a weights room.
The only downside to having an Olympian physique as a goal is whether it is really achievable for us mere mortals. The question is “are these athletes born or made”? I think a combination of both, but I think top athletes must have a genetic advantage.
Paul
http://www.jasonferruggia.com/?p=175
http://www.jasonferruggia.com/?p=80
Brad, thanks for the article. I am interested to know how often you work out per week and if you could give us an idea of the types of workouts you do that would be great. thanks.
I was find it humerous to see guys like Ferruggia publish workouts to show you how to get a gymnast physique in the weightroom. Gymnasts don't lift weights three times per week and then rest. They practise gymnastics 6 times per week. If you want a gymnast body, take up gymnastics - don't go to the weightroom.
Hi Jesse,
My workouts vary from month to month. I can share what I did this week..but it's important to remember that in terms of what I look like now..its the workouts from 2-5 years ago that probably did this...the way I train now will probably affect how I look in the coming years.
I'll post my workouts on the blog later this week.
B
Thanks Brad. That is why I enjoy reading Craig Ballantyne's blog because I learn from him - how he eats and how he exercises, and how he overcomes obstacles such as being stranded at the airport or only having a few minutes to exercise due to a busy day. I realize each person is different, but I use this as a learning experience to formulate my own workouts/eating plans.
Dear Anonymous
If you read the post below you will see that Joe is saying exactly what you suggest to get the Gymnast's body. He lists body weight exercises as alternatives to weights. Read the post then make a comment!
http://www.jasonferruggia.com/?p=80
Paul, gymnasts don't do rep after rep of chin ups or dips and they don't do sets of single leg squats. They do gymnastic movements for their specific event. And by the way, who is Joe?
But for a non gymnast the conditioning exercises they do are not achievable so using exercises that move your own body through space rather than static strength training seems like a good place to start. Granted to emulate them you will need to do the same exercises but you have to start somewhere.
Paul
If you look @ http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=13 you will notice as well as more advanced movements they also mention dips and pistols (to name but a few).
P90X
is a great fitness program for the highly motivated. 10 Minute Trainer
is awesome for those not so motivated, like me.
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