When we taik about Artistry of Muscle Building be sure the first Arnold Schwarzenegger and once said that "A good bodybuilder has the same mind that a sculptor has." It's a poignant testament to painstaking efforts it takes to create a body that is truly legendary. Muscle-building can be hard work, true, but there is an artistic side to all of the pumping, the sweat, and the iron.
If you are trying to grow your muscles and you're just starting, don't start out blindly. A sculptor always has a plan (even if only in their minds) of exactly what the finished product will be. Do the same thing before you get in the gym and start a lifting free-for-all. Go to the gym knowing what type of body are your trying to achieve. Should you focus on pushups to failure in order to get a chest that's more cut? Or should you do heavy, incline bench pressing to get the larger slabs of hypertrophied muscle that are characteristic of bodybuilder's chest?
And a great sculptor has tools. A stone sculptor has a trusty hammer and chisel. A clay sculptor has wire end tools and scrapers. Just as a sculptor has tools to create remarkable works of art, so too should a bodybuilder. What are a bodybuilder's/muscle building enthusiast's tools? Weights & Exercise, Diet, Cardio, and Rest. In reality these seem like extremely simple tools. However, much like the old hammer and chisel, in the hands of a master, these tools can create chiseled bodies that people dream about.
Weights are the muscle-building artist's molding tool. Every exercise you do has a different effect on the way your muscles will ultimately look, and even how firm they are. How heavy you lift will determine how full your muscles will become. High repetitions with lower weight promote greater muscular definition. Other exercises, like yoga for example will help to elongate and stretch the muscles.
This is how you add clay to your canvas. It's a little more complicated than the way a sculptor adds clay, but there are similarities. Sure you can eat anything you want, and you will most definitely add "clay" to your physique. But if you're eating Cinnabons and ice cream sundaes to do it, let's just say you'll end up with "bad clay" in all the wrong places. A high protein diet, healthy carbs, vegetables, etc., help to add slabs of "good clay," muscle, to your body.
This is the muscle-builder's ultimate etching tool. Do you want your muscles to show without having to even flex them? A consistent cardio program helps. Cardio will allow you to scrape away layers of fat to reveal layers of toned muscle underneath.
This is a finishing tool that many people don't think about. Hard training is an important part of building a great body, but so is rest. Timing your rest periods, getting enough sleep, and giving your body time to recuperate, is how you allow the work that you've done to take effect.
When you train, become an artist of sorts, everyday you go to the gym. The weights and training equipment become your tools, and your body of course...the canvas. How you use these tools, can make all the difference in the world. Why is it that some people can be members of a gym for years, go regularly, yet their "canvases" never really change all that much? A large part of this artistry lies in the exercises you do, how you do them, the intensity with which you do the exercises, and the self-discipline you have to stick to you training and eating regimen. Strive to become as fit as you can. What have you got to lose?
If you are trying to grow your muscles and you're just starting, don't start out blindly. A sculptor always has a plan (even if only in their minds) of exactly what the finished product will be. Do the same thing before you get in the gym and start a lifting free-for-all. Go to the gym knowing what type of body are your trying to achieve. Should you focus on pushups to failure in order to get a chest that's more cut? Or should you do heavy, incline bench pressing to get the larger slabs of hypertrophied muscle that are characteristic of bodybuilder's chest?
The Artist's Tools
And a great sculptor has tools. A stone sculptor has a trusty hammer and chisel. A clay sculptor has wire end tools and scrapers. Just as a sculptor has tools to create remarkable works of art, so too should a bodybuilder. What are a bodybuilder's/muscle building enthusiast's tools? Weights & Exercise, Diet, Cardio, and Rest. In reality these seem like extremely simple tools. However, much like the old hammer and chisel, in the hands of a master, these tools can create chiseled bodies that people dream about.
Weights & Exercise
Weights are the muscle-building artist's molding tool. Every exercise you do has a different effect on the way your muscles will ultimately look, and even how firm they are. How heavy you lift will determine how full your muscles will become. High repetitions with lower weight promote greater muscular definition. Other exercises, like yoga for example will help to elongate and stretch the muscles.
Diet
This is how you add clay to your canvas. It's a little more complicated than the way a sculptor adds clay, but there are similarities. Sure you can eat anything you want, and you will most definitely add "clay" to your physique. But if you're eating Cinnabons and ice cream sundaes to do it, let's just say you'll end up with "bad clay" in all the wrong places. A high protein diet, healthy carbs, vegetables, etc., help to add slabs of "good clay," muscle, to your body.
Cardio
This is the muscle-builder's ultimate etching tool. Do you want your muscles to show without having to even flex them? A consistent cardio program helps. Cardio will allow you to scrape away layers of fat to reveal layers of toned muscle underneath.
Rest
This is a finishing tool that many people don't think about. Hard training is an important part of building a great body, but so is rest. Timing your rest periods, getting enough sleep, and giving your body time to recuperate, is how you allow the work that you've done to take effect.
When you train, become an artist of sorts, everyday you go to the gym. The weights and training equipment become your tools, and your body of course...the canvas. How you use these tools, can make all the difference in the world. Why is it that some people can be members of a gym for years, go regularly, yet their "canvases" never really change all that much? A large part of this artistry lies in the exercises you do, how you do them, the intensity with which you do the exercises, and the self-discipline you have to stick to you training and eating regimen. Strive to become as fit as you can. What have you got to lose?
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