Training Like A Professional

Training Like a Pro- "Go Hard or Go Home".

There are two aspects to body building (1) The work you put in at the gym and (2) The work you put in out of the gym, (predominantly nutrition). In this article I will talk about the work you put in at the gym. I will talk about the work you put out of the gym and nutrition in another article because this is a whole other topic entirely, that deserves its own article.

Your average person and even your average fitness enthusiast does not quite realise the extent of the work body builders put in to their sport, and body building is a sport! Arguably the most competitive and demanding sport there is. (This will be discussed in another article).

Ok... I realise a lot of you reading this are thinking to yourself....." But I don't want to be a body builder". You don't have to become a "Body Builder" but you do have to train like one to obtain any commendable goals, e.g: body fat loss, increase in lean muscle etc. One could argue that anyone who trains with weights is a body builder, just the levels vary, just like in any other sport, if you train football 2-3 times a week then you are a footballer, maybe an amateur one, but you're still a footballer.

So you visit the gym 2-3 times a week because you want to achieve some kind of a goal? As long as this goal involves in some shape or form you wanting to modify and sculpt the image of your body then you will benefit from training like a pro... in and out of the gym.

When I say train like a pro I want to emphasise and clarify on a few points because of the general lack of knowledge people have in regards to body building....no disrespect intended.

Training like a pro doesn't mean living in the gym, taking steroids, reducing your body fat to extremely low percentages or looking like one of the pro's on the front page of Flex magazine for example. Although most people could never reach the amazing levels these athletes reach regardless of how many steroids they think they need to take. These athletes devote everything to obtain these levels of perfection and it drives me crazy when people put it down to steroid use.

No....training like a pro means having the right mental attitude, it means you need to be serious about your goals, it's more than an extra curriculum activity, it's like having a 2nd job, that's how serious you need to be.

You need to be willing to push yourself past your pain barriers, you need to venture into unknown terrotority, feel pains and burns you have never felt before. You need to be willing to swap those alcoholics beverages for mineral water. You need to be willing to ensure you get a minimum of 8 hours sleep a night. You need to be willing to follow a strict diet, buy food for a week in advance, then go home and prepare that food for the week to come.

You need to leave work, travel to the gym (a good gym! Again, another article another day) expend huge amounts of energy and sweat hurling heavy plates of iron in different directions around your body, whilst experiencing pains you will develop a love/hate relationship with. You then need to travel home, eat, prepare and cook your food for the next day AND get a minimum of 8 hours sleep to promote maximum muscle recovery.

Sound hard....? Yeah?!?.... Yeah your right... maybe you should make up an excuse and return to the ranks of the average Joes, resting for 2-3 minutes in between their regimented sets and yawning in between reps.

OR.... If you're like me, and it sounds like a challenge, maybe even fun (call me crazy) you could take a chance? If you want it bad enough you'll be excited by the challenge! You'll be excited by the huge task ahead. You'll probably fail the 1st few times, I did! But you'll get there in the end. Oh boy and when you do!... When you do, it will be worth it believe me!

You will start to notice girls looking at you in the gym, then you will start to notice guys and girls checking you out! Then it will start to happen outside of the gym.

You will be able to pick up girls easier, the quality of girls you pick up will increase also! Girls likewise for guys.

Sounds a bit farfetched? I'm talking from my own personal experiences and a couple of my close friends who put the hard in work with me and are reaping the fruits of their labour.

The reason is simple. Not everyone can do what you have achieved (When you achieve it that is!) You are the minority, you resemble strength, discipline, dedication.... it's in our nature, our DNA, women are attracted to the alpha male. Men are attracted to women who look healthy.

Once you start to see results and reap the fruits of your labour. That's when you become addicted! You'll be in the gym 4-5 times a week, you'll be eating clean, you won't even be tempted by junk food.

That's when you join the ranks of the elite, the ones whom are watched in the gym, and do not watch! Just be careful not to become arrogant! No one likes that. You now have a responsibility to help others....and they will ask, be sure to assist.

Go forth friend...Join the ranks of the Elite.