The Male half of The Muscle Couple has read about and experimented for 19 years on improving his and others physiques. He has tried a lot of supplements, training programs and belief systems. After 19 years it's safe to say he's compiled a list that if followed consistently will help any guy attain the body they have always dreamed of.
These 10 principles will be briefly discussed and expounded on. The end game goal is to stimulate more discussion around each tenet to try and make it apply to the individual users experience and lifestyle.
In no particular order, here they are:
Follow these Tenets and You Will be Good to Go!
- Post Workout Fast Digesting Protein and Carb Mixture within one hour after your training. See my recent articles to understand the importance of this. Nothing will build a quality physique faster than making sure you do this after each and every resistance training session.
- Consistency of effort. It really doesn't matter what program or diet you employ. What matters is that it becomes a lifestyle or permanent habit. You will go nowhere fast if you can't commit to making training and clean eating regular part of your life.
- If you Fail to Plan, you Plan to Fail. In all honesty, this is The Muscle Couple creedo. If you want a new body, you have to visualize it first and then you have to methodically detail the steps you will take to attain it. There are no shortcuts only maps. You must map out your plan and be as meticulous and detailed as possible to achieve greatness.
- The Best Workout is the one you're not currently doing. Let that resonate for a second. The Human Body is an amazing and dynamic organism. It continually adapts to it's environment and training stimuli. The only way you can continue to hone-sculpt and improve it, is by forcing it to adapt to new training programs. Exercises, sets, reps-grips, rest intervals etc. Regularly changing your program will continually force your body to progress over its lifetime of training.
- HIT (High Intensity)Low Impact Cardio is best for fat loss. This has been debated and debunked for decades. But after two decades myself of doing it, I know for a fact its easier to be lean by doing "Short-Frequent and Intense Cardio Sessions" versus long moderate or low intensity ones. Plus it's not as boring and most importantly, not tough on the joints or tendons over time. Talk to anybody who is a hard surface runner in their 60's and above to find out what kind of damage High Impact Cardio does to your legs over time.
- .85 or more Gms of Protein Per pound of lean body weight per day for life. Nothing is more important that giving your body enough protein on a daily basis. It's the key to strong bones, a fast working metabolism, a healthy endocrine system and an active mind. Amino Acids are the building blocks of life and without constantly replenishing your bodies protein stores, your life will suck.
- For visible Abs, you have to understand how to Eat Clean-Diet with Thermogens and Contract your rectus abdominus. These are two very difficult things. You can learn to diet by reading this blog or any of the many knowledgeable authors on fitness. Learning how to contract your rectus isn't quite so easy. 80% of people fail to isolate the muscle when doing a common situp or crunch. Soon we will offer a blog with video commentary and pictures showing how to perform the movement and isolate the muscle to minimize hip and adductor involvement.
- Vitamins-Minerals and Supplements are ABSOLUTEY NECESSARY to build a Champion Physique! Dismiss out of hand any Doctor or other person who tells you otherwise. Normal food and exercise is not enough with rare exception to get to single digit bodyfat levels.(Pro or Elite Level) There is no way either of us would look the way we do, if we didn't take Vitamins-Thermogens, Protein Supplements and EFA's. PERIOD. It costs money in our society to look great. There are some genetic mutants with "OPTI GENES" who can drink Mountain Dew and eat Doritos all day long and be shredded with a fully visible six pack. These people are genetically aberrant and the anomaly.
- The Mind-Muscle Connection is more powerful than any supplement, or resistance training program. Reading about lifting, observing professionals train and practicing the techniques religiously will give you keen insight into visualizing and achieving the lifts before you do them. I'm serious when I say I visualize performing a lift in my head and contracting the targeted muscles right before performing the lift. It wasn't always this way. Once you understand the technique involved and have the confidence to perform it correctly, your continual progression will start and become permanent with consistency of effort.
- Balance in your Training-Nutrition and Rest is crucial to attaining lifelong success. Many people have a tendency to think "More is Better". Trust me when I tell you it's not. To build a quality physique, you need to make sure your life is in balance. You need consistent sleep(5-7 hours a night), consistent nutrition(4-6 Meals a day with Lean Protein-Complex Carbs and EFA's)and 3-4 Weight Training sessions(30-60 Mins per session) and 3-5 Cardio sessions(HIT-Low Impact and No more than 20 Mins Per Session) per week.
We hope you find this useful. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family and to ask questions about it.
Jay Campbell - Read my other articles
Featured author for gymtechnik.com
Co-owner of TheMuscleCouple.com