Preparing To Go From Average To Athlete
Do you cut cardio short because you don’t feel like going on or do you push through? Do you blow through sets to work up a sweat or do you keep tension? Do you skip the gym after a long workday or do you refuse to throw in the towel and go even when you’re tired? Think about it.
If you answered yes to any of the latter then maybe you’re ready to go from average to athlete.
Most people would describe themselves in the gym as average. But those who pump out the last rep when no one is watching or constantly hit PRs are more than average. Those are the type of people who make competitive athletes when it comes to bodybuilding. If you’re not familiar with the sport there’s an entire book on it!
When someone says athlete most people think of basketball players or swimmers. But what about those who spend hours in the gym working on their physique? Though some are just dedicated gym-goers others are bodybuilders working towards the stage.
Bodybuilders have different methods of training as prepping for a show is different for everyone. What’s not different is how hard each bodybuilder works, so the best way to go from average gym-goer to competitor is to level up your training. In the aspect of competing, training includes weight lifting, cardio, posing, and nutrition, but we’ll just stick to the physical stuff for now.
The best way to prepare to become a competitive athlete is to build size. This can be done by hypertrophy training. Hypertrophy increases muscular size and is triggered when the muscles are pushed to their limits. This ensures that the muscles will have fiber damage so when the body repairs the damaged muscles it’ll appear bigger. Although it may be fun to lift heavy, remember that nothing is worth compromising good form especially when preparing to compete.
Three Training Methods
Drop Sets
Drop setting is a technique used when performing an exercise then dropping the weight and continuing for more reps until failure is reached. Different muscle fibers are targeted during each set which helps the muscle achieve growth as the same weight isn’t used the entire set.
Supersets
Supetting is a technique used when two opposite muscle groups are targeted back to back. For example, working the chest then back. This allows for muscular endurance to build, fatigued muscles ensuring they were worked and less time spent in the gym.
Progressive Overload
Progressive overload is a classic technique that shows results. During each exercise, more weight or reps are added placing tension on the muscles. A basic rule of thumb is to increase the weight performed every two weeks depending on progress.
Cardio Methods
Cardio is often dreaded by anyone, even bodybuilders, but that’s because a usual prep consists of hours of cardio. Cardio doesn’t build any muscle, in fact, it breaks down muscle tissue, but cardio does aid in fat burning, which is what needs to occur for a competitor to be shredded.
LISS aka Low Intensity Steady State
This type of cardio is essentially doing the same pace of intensity for a set period. LISS is a way to build up endurance for HIIT or longer periods of training. It is also a tool for recovery as it’s low impact and helps burn fat as more oxygen is available to the body.
HIIT aka High Intensity Interval Training
This type of cardio is essentially short bursts of intense exercise or cardio combined with lower rest intervals. HIIT is stressful on the body, but a tool to incorporate with LISS or when hitting a plateau as it does burn a lot of calories during and after performing.
There’s much more when it comes to prepping. Water intake, supplements, food and recovery needs to be taken into account. But the very first step to preparing to go from average to athlete is to level up your training and to get used to the idea of the treadmill being your best friend
If you would like to see some at home exercise here are 10 Resistance Band Exercises for Home
