FITNESS PEAK
Do you exercise on a regular basis but never seem to reach that peak condition that fitness models show off on so many magazine covers? Are you tired of killer weight workouts and boring cardio sessions without the results you are looking for? The answer to your problems maybe training for a fitness peak. You see, fitness models on magazine covers don't maintain that level of conditioning year round. It would be extremely difficult and somewhat unhealthy to walk around with three percent body fat 12 months of the year. Training for a fitness peak will give you the low body fat and high level of muscular definition that you are looking for.
STEP ONE: Increasing Lean Body Mass
This phase is the foundation to your physique and is equally important to the next phase of the fitness peak program. Some would argue that this phase is actually more important because it establishes what your body will look like when you diet down to a very low body fat level. Will you look like a Kenyan marathon runner or a bodybuilder or fitness model? The answer lies in how much time you give yourself to work on significantly increasing your lean body mass.
If you have been lifting regularly (4-5 days/week) for one year or more then I would dedicate at least as additional 12 weeks of heavy lifting to pack on a few more pounds. If you have not been lifting for at least a year, you can forget about trying to diet down. Your body just isn't ready yet. Your training focus during this phase of the fitness peak program is to perform compound exercises and lift as heavy as possible. Safety is always a concern-never sacrifice form in order to lift more weight, you can't get bigger when you are home nursing an injury.
Dietary requirements during this phase of the fitness peak program centers on your protein intake. Protein is vital for muscle repair and as a result you should shoot for around one gram of protein per pound of body weight. Your protein should come from healthy sources such as low fat dairy products, lean meats, chicken, turkey and fish. Dietary protein supplements are great when used as just that-supplements. Protein powders should never take the place of real food. Use them sparingly to ensure that you are taking in 5-6 moderately sized protein servings each day.
Recovery is also very important during this phase of your fitness peak. Remember that muscle growth does not take place while you are training. It occurs while you are away from the gym, mainly while you are sleeping. Be sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night and try to include a nap during the day, if possible. The best time for this is after your post workout meal. Also, never train a body part if it has not recovered from the previous workout. This is your body's way of telling you that full recovery has not happened yet. Give your body as much time to recover as necessary. Soreness that exists for more than 2-3 days may be a sign that you are not taking in enough protein or not getting enough sleep. Make the necessary adjustments and monitor the results.
STEP TWO: Decreasing Body Fat
The length of the next phase of the fitness peak program is dependent on your current body fat level. If you naturally maintain lower levels of body fat (under 12 percent) you will need to dedicate about 8-12 weeks to completely diet down. If your starting point is anywhere from 12-15 percent body fat or higher, you are realistically looking at 20 weeks of hardcore dieting. This final phase of preparation is critical for your fitness peak. It is during this phase that the body fat levels will significantly drop while saving lean body mass at all costs. This is done through a combination of a very low fat diet, 30-45 minute low intensity cardio workouts twice a day 5-6 days a week and up to 6 resistance workouts each week. At this point you should say goodbye to most of your family and all of your friends (except training partners) and let them know that you will see them again in about 12 weeks. It takes that much dedication! The results, however, are worth the sacrifice.
In order to decrease body fat, you must be sure to be in a negative calorie balance. This means that over the course of a 7 day period, you must burn off more calories than you take in. The problem with this is that the decreased caloric intake may also result in the loss of some lean body mass. It is a catch 22. You have worked so hard to put the new muscle on it would be a shame to lose it as you approach your fitness peak. The way to minimize lean body mass loss is through maintaining a high protein intake, keeping cardio intensity as low as possible (heart rate no more than 60% of max) and continuing to lift heavy. This is where many bodybuilders go wrong. They assume that in order to get lean they must replace all of the heavy, compound exercises with light, isolation exercises. It is the diet and cardio that will lower your body fat, not the resistance exercise.
The lean and muscular look of most cover models will take your body fat to unhealthy levels and you should not plan to stay at this fitness peak for more than 2-3 weeks. Fat plays a significant role in the body and maintaining extremely low levels may negatively affect several metabolic processes. Women should be aware that they may not have a period for most of the final 12 week period and should also pay close attention to any other physical changes and alert your physician at once.
Training for a fitness peak is a huge undertaking but one that is worth all of the hard work. Having a six-pack and looking like a model on a fitness magazine is no easy task. If it were than everyone would look that fit. This level of conditioning is not out of reach for most people. Armed with the right information and loads of dedication you too can reach a fitness peak.
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