It’s Not Just About The Upper Body

While dedicated climbers do have sculpted shoulders and impressive arms, climbing isn’t just a matter of upper body strength. Take a look at the best climbers in the gym or flip through a climbing magazine and you’ll many more lean figures than bulky ones. Climbing will improve arm strength but it won’t build huge muscle mass- that stuff is heavy!

It’ll also help your core. Lats and abs are just as important to a climbing body as biceps. As your climbing gets better and you start to tackle more technical routes, core muscles will start to get a real workout. You’ll also start to test and improve flexibility and develop a new level of balance.

Don’t You Have To Be Tall?

Absolutely not. For years, the most sought-after prize in American climbing was a free and complete ascent of ‘The Nose’ in Yosemite National Park. Almost 3000 feet high and incredibly difficult, it remained unconquered until 1993. In that year Lynn Hill- a woman who stands just over five feet high- showed the climbing world what strength, skill, and agility can really do. The feat remained unrepeated for more than a decade.

In a mixed group of beginner climbers with a similar fitness level, taller and stronger men do tend to excel at first but when the climbs start to become less straightforward after a few sessions they’re often overtaken by the shorter members of the group, who have been quietly developing good technique, flexibility, and problem-solving skills to make up for their lack of reach. You don’t have to be tall to be a great climber.

The Mental Game

Indoor climbing is very safe, particularly at the beginner level. You risk a fall no bigger than a foot or so and climbing ropes are stretchy and bouncy so all falls are cushioned. It’s only natural to be nervous when you start out but don’t worry. All beginners feel exactly the same, and even the best outdoor climbers aren’t entirely free from fear.

Don’t see being afraid as a bad thing. With time and practice, you can learn to assess risk with a dispassionate eye, make decisions under pressure, and commit to your choices. The mental game is as much a part of climbing as improving muscle power and developing precise footwork.

Just as you’ll be able to use your improved physical strength outside the climbing gym, this kind of emotional fitness can come in handy in other aspects of life. Climbing teaches you that the point where you first imagine you’re going to fall is usually quite a long way from the point where you are really are about to slip off. You are stronger than you think you are!

Common Injuries

Fall-related injuries are very rare in beginner climbers. Listen to the instructor and you’ll do just fine. However, you can pick up irritating overuse injuries in any gym. The elbow and finger joints are the most likely to cause problems. If you fall in love with climbing (and it is incredibly addictive) remember that your bicep and tricep strength will improve faster than tendon strength.

The easiest way to avoid tendon injuries is to mix up your climbing. Resist the temptation to spend all your time on steep, overhanging routes that work your arms, even though you may find these easier than vertical climbs of the same grade with small holds and tricky moves. Mix up the overhangs with vertical and slab (easy angled) routes that call for balance and precision.

And last but not least, if you get sharp, stabbing pains in any joint, stop climbing and rest!

Cross Training

Even hardcore climbers try not to hit the rock more than two days in a row. For the most effective fitness gains, alternate your climbing upper body/core sessions with cardio workouts. Some climbers also use yoga or targeted gym sessions to make sure they don’t develop a muscle imbalance from too much pulling and not enough pushing.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariachily/5186232915/

When it comes to injuries, the activity of running is not solely to blame. In fact, the root cause of most running injuries is doing too much too soon. Or what is known as overtraining. Therefore, if you learn how to avoid it, you’ll definitely get the most out of your running program while steering clear of injuries and disappointments.

Therefore, here are 3 training guidelines to help you run injury and hassle free:

Build Gradually

Most beginner runners encounter overtraining when doing trying to run too much too soon at a quick of pace. This usually leads to fatigue, pain, injury and eventually dropping the whole training program. Nevertheless, starting running slowly and building intensity up gradually can keep the monster of overtraining at bay.

For instance, if you’re a new comer to the sport of running, then you should start by going for 4 or 5 long walks and see where your fitness level is at. Later on, and only when confident enough, you could introduce short running intervals into your walking. You can do this by following a walk-run-walk pattern. This useful training strategy can boost your fitness level without the risk of injury or burnout.

The length of each running interval depends on your current fitness level. Most beginners may start with a 30-45 running intervals and incrementally build on that. Make your training challenging but do not go overboard. And as the training progresses forward, you’ll definitely get stronger and fitter, and be able to run that 10K distance without much huffing and puffing.

Check Your Heart Rate

Checking your pulse is critical for healthy training and performance. Firstly, regular heart rate checkups can help you spot the nightmare of overtraining before it gets any worse. For instance, if you’ve found out that your heart rate is higher—6 to 12 beats per minute—then its normal rate, then the chances of overtraining is high. No panic here. You may just need to cut back on your training load or take a couple days off. When your heart rate is back to its normal pace, you could resume the training again.

Secondly, any drop in your heart rate is a sign of progress. See, as you exercise more, your heart will get stronger and be more efficient at pumping blood through your body and working muscles, and thus it’ll need less beats per minute to do the same work for you as before. Therefore, don’t panic if you learned that your heart rate is lower then before. In fact you ought to welcome it. That’s a sign that you’re heading on the right direction.

Recovery

When starting a running program—or any other training program—your body needs to go through an adaptation process so it can readjust to the training load and get stronger for the future workout. However, if you don’t take ample recovery, this critical natural process won’t take place. This is a recipe to disaster. Skipping a recovery will only leave you weak and burned out.

Therefore, make sure to space out your training days with a recovery day. Take more than one if you still feel (truly) fatigued, experience intense pain or have a spiky heart rate. Resume the training when you feel fully recovered.

These 3 training guidelines are very helpful. However, you can only take advantage of them when you start putting into practice what you’ve just learned. So take action now and remember to stay within your skill level.

About The Author

David DACK is a runner and an established author on weight loss, motivation and fitness.

If you want more free tips from David DACK, then go to  http://runnersblueprint.com/weightlossrunning.html and for a limited time you can grab this special “Weight Loss By Running” FREE report.

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It’s no wonder then that this time of the year is when most of us get sick and also when most of us gain a great deal of weight. Everything around us is screaming  ”eat, eat eat!!!” The cold weather tells us to “Stay home, where it is warm, and watch TV all day long.” But, what we need, now more than ever, is to make a promise to ourselves. We need to drown out the negative outside influences that strive to make us unhealthy and dedicate ourselves to ourselves, once again.

Today, decide to make a pledge to yourself. A pledge to do what ever it takes to change your health, your life and your attitude, for the better.

(Insert Name Here) Healthy Living Fitness Pledge

My Body is a temple. I will respect it, honor it and devote myself to making it the best it can be. My body allows me to get around and to do whatever I want on a daily basis, so in return I will Honor it. I will make it stronger so it can continue to support me. I will make it healthier. I will endeavor to make it as perfect as it can be. I will make others so envious of my temple that they will be inspired to become as perfect as I am. The weather will not stop me, laziness will not stop me, I will not be discouraged by outside influences. I will be sure and certain as an arrow. I will exercise, eat right and become knowledgeable about everything that will make my body as perfect as I want it to be. I will not pay attention to the media’s unrealistic version of perfection. I will seek the true perfection of my body. When I am finished I will be an inspiring motivating example of fitness strength and beauty. I will become exactly what i want to be physically. This I pledge to myself.

About The Author

Kirk Abrigo is a  motivational speaker. He speaks about moving into success. He motivates and instructs on the principles of action and how to achieve anything in life.

Kirk has just released a CD entitled ACTION TO SUCCESS: How To Fearlessly and Successfully Accomplish Anything In Life. It can be downloaded from itunes, amazon.com or the store on his website: SpeakerKirkAbrigo.com

It’s one of the most common complaints for newbie runners, but I didn’t understand why until I started running myself. It started with a prick of pain on the front of my leg, just above the ankle—then quickly escalated into a throbbing pain that wrapped around the side of my shin. As I limped home with my tail between my legs, I knew I must have done something wrong. Through much discussion and research, I discovered that my problem is a common one, often resulting from equally common mishaps. Whether you’re a new runner or just ramping up your training, learn from my newbie mistakes by taking these preventative measures before you hit the road:

Skip WalMart and See the Shoe Specialists

As surprising as it sounds, not everyone has a perfect arch. Okay, that’s not surprising—but what is surprising is the number of people who don’t take this into account when buying running shoes. Running stores have popped up all over the country carrying shoes designed to provide proper support to the varying arch types, and what’s better—associates that are trained to identify what type of shoe your foot needs.

This is crucial to avoiding injury because, without support, your foot could over-pronate (foot rolls inwards toward the arch) or over-supinate (foot rolls outward away from the arch), putting excessive stress on the shin and ankle. If you’re looking at fitness as a lifelong habit, you’ll need to start with the right shoes.

Warming Up—It’s Not Just for Your Coffee

Especially in the initial weeks of beginning a new fitness regimen, it’s tempting to “hit the ground running,” so to speak, without adequately warming up. This is bad practice for any runner, but for a person transitioning from a sedentary lifestyle, it’s a sealed and stamped invitation for shin splints. In addition to loosening up your muscles, warming up prepares your shins for the run ahead with increased oxygen-delivering blood flow.

So, how does one properly warm up? While it depends on the amount and intensity of the exercise you’re warming up for, Runner’s World Magazine makes these recommendations for easy to moderate runs: start by walking several blocks, and gradually build up your speed until you’re at full pace. Distance-wise, that typically translates to a half-mile, though you should allow yourself a longer warm up if it’s cold or you’re feeling particularly tired or achy.

Find The Right Path

It only took a few runs for me to realize that sidewalk running was not making my shins (or knees) very happy. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, running frequently on concrete and/or slanted surfaces (in my case, it was both) can add stress to your joints and muscles that eventually lead to injury. If you’re plagued by shin splints, try a running surface with more give—some sports medicine experts recommend running on dirt roads, running tracks, or even trails.

Put (the Best Part of Your) Foot Forward

Next time you run, pay attention to what part of your foot hits the ground first—if it’s your heel, you could be setting yourself up for a shinjury (yes, I made that word up). So-called “heel-strikers” put tremendous impact outside of their actual center of mass. This issue was explored in author Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run, which suggests that landing on the center of the foot better aligns your body and allows the impact force to distribute better.

It only takes one watch of a slow-motion running comparison to see the benefits of mid-foot striking versus heel-striking. It can take several weeks to adjust your running form, so take it slow—but my running friends have told me that after you do it for awhile, it becomes second nature (and reduces shinjuries).

Don’t Forget To Stretch

No shin splints article would be complete without exploring stretching. While the jury’s out on the best time to stretch, one expert from Runner’s World Magazine suggests that there are benefits to both, provided that you use proper techniques. “Dynamic” stretching before a run prepares body for exercise by using movements, almost like mini-exercises, to loosen up the muscles and boost flexibility. Post-workout, “static” stretching using slow, deliberate movement is recommended. While injured, it’s best not to stretch, but ice the muscles instead. Of course, through the practice of these preventative tips, that hopefully won’t be an issue any longer.

About The Author

Phil Segal is a marketing strategist for My Health Stores, a supplier of medical equipment, fitness supplies and therapy accessories such as a bed buggy, oxygen machine, home cervical traction device, heating pad, knee walker, shower chair and more.

Guest post by Jack at Black Eagle

Being a great MMA fighter takes a lot more than skills training alone; you need to be incredibly fit and also very powerful. Regardless of the weight category you chose to compete in you have to build on your strength as well as your technical skills.

MMA requires a very balanced approach to physical fitness with cardiovascular training, flexibility and strength perfectly combined. There are no short cuts in MMA and the only way to get really powerful is with heavy weight lifting exercises.

The Squat

Squats are the ultimate strength training exercise for fighters. They allow you to develop a sold stance and also provide you with strength to lift your opponent. Squats work the glutes which provide you with a solid foundation to work from. Squats are possibly the single most important exercise for a fighter as a strong foundation is essential. When you tire it is the weakest link in the system which fails first. Squats will essentially keep you standing for longer.

The Deadlift

Deadlifts work the hips and lower back. Whether you are punching or kicking, powerful strikes come from the hips. Increasing flexibility gives you a greater range of motion but increasing strength and power allows you to hit harder. Deadlifts are the ultimate strength training exercise, You can deadlift a much larger weight than any other exercise as you are using only your most powerful muscles in combination.

Pull ups

A good fighter must have a powerful back. Whether you are punching or grappling your back is working to deliver the blows or control the clinch. When striking the power is delivered from your base, through the feet, the legs, hips and up the back to the shoulders and finally along the arms. Every weak point reduces your power.

Clean and Press

The clean and press is a classic power-lifting move. You lift the barbell from the floor and up above your head in one fluid movement. This is the “biggest” weight training move possible and so utilizes the most muscle and power to deliver it. It is really two exercises combined, the clean which lifts the weight to your chest and then an overhead press. The only way to lift a heavier weight above your head is to perform the snatch but this does not provide the such good functional training is the press.

Bench Press

The classic upper body chest exercise. Some fighters prefer to limit bench presses as they feel that too much bench press expands the rib cage which essentially weakens you against body blows. However, many fighters swear by bench pressing to develop upper body strike and grappling power.

For MMA you really need a full body workout which is split over at least 2 sessions each week. If you only have time for one session then these 5 exercises should be considered your bread and butter training. These will help you to develop total strength and power to allow you to grapple, lift and throw, deliver powerful strikes and take blows too.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dvids/

Since I had never worked out with a personal trainer before, I was naturally curious and began asking Eric for more information. He explained to me that all gym members are entitled to a free body fat assessment, plus one free workout session with a personal trainer. Well, of course, the only thing I heard in that conversation was FREE WORKOUT SESSION WITH A PERSONAL TRAINER. As it was free, I figured I had nothing to lose. So, I signed up and he penciled me in for a week from that day.

One week later, we did a body fat and endurance assessment. That was basically a half hour of him assessing my physical endurance, measuring my muscle to fat ratio, talking about what my fitness goals are and measuring my blood pressure. At the end of the assessment, Eric scheduled my free one hour workout session for the following week.

I showed up on the scheduled day, ready to see if Eric could make me feel like I needed a personal trainer. I was skeptical. I mean what can he do for me that I can’t learn from a YouTube video or do myself, right? I’m very self motivated, so I don’t need someone telling me how great I am as I’m working out. Still, I had given him my word and as a man of my word I showed up for our workout session.

Immediately after shaking his hand, Eric’s positive attitude about my workout became infectious. I started to feel that he really believed that I could achieve my fitness goals. I figured if he can believe it, then so can I. As he explained to me that we were going to do a full body workout with emphasis on my chest I got really excited. And so we started.

From the very first exercise, I realized that what I believed about having a personal trainer before was purely misguided ignorance. We started with a superset of incline dumbbell presses and flyes. As I’m doing them, Eric is instructing me on how to do it correctly to achieve maximum results. I realized that I have been doing them the wrong way all these years. He was able to explain to me that when I let the dumbbells come down too far on the flyes I’m in fact working my back muscles as opposed to my chest muscles. That alone was priceless information. I realized then that my problem may have been that I’ve been doing the exercises wrong. At that moment, Eric wasn’t just my personal trainer, he was my encyclopedia of workout effectiveness. I thought to myself, “I’ll retain everything I learn today and use it when I workout alone”.

As the hour went on, we went into squats, seated chest press, pull ups and dips, just to name a few of the exercises. We ended with an intense ab workout. Throughout the workout, Eric was very thorough as to how to correctly do the exercises. He was able to access my limits and push me successfully to a new level. I must admit this was one of the greatest workouts I have ever had at any gym.

When it was over I felt great and I knew that I had hit muscles that I never hit before just by doing the exercises with the right form. The next day, I felt sore and it was also great! I haven’t felt sore from a workout in ages. I was now all in. I wanted more. I looked in the mirror and actually saw a difference the next day. It was then that I decided I’m going back to my gym to buy a personal training package, because now the proof was in the pudding.

As I continued to workout with Eric I realized the following benefits of hiring a personal trainer:

1. A personal trainer knows the right way to execute each exercise so that you can maximize your results and work the right muscles.
2. A personal trainer is great at motivating you and pushing you to reach and surpass your expectations of yourself.
3. You can retain the knowledge gained from your personal training sessions and apply it to your own workouts when you workout alone or with a workout buddy.
4. Once you set your fitness goals, whether it’s to lose 20 lbs or build a solid upper body, your personal trainer can put together the right workout routine for you.
5. Your personal trainer will keep you accountable. Knowing that someone is putting aside time for you makes you not want to disappoint him. You go because you know he is waiting for you. This is a great way to get to the gym when you think you may not want to.

As a last note: It’s hard to convince me of anything unless of course you can prove it to me. But, I must admit, I’m sold on the idea of having a personal trainer. Hiring a personal trainer doesn’t have to be a lifelong commitment. Even four sessions a month may be enough for you to start a fitness routine that you can ultimately continue on your own. But don’t take my word for it. Give it a shot. Even if you have to try out one session with a personal trainer to test the waters, do it! You owe it to yourself to get the best results out of your gym membership. Once you see the results I’m sure you’ll be hooked.

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.localfitness.com.au

About The Author

Kirk Abrigo is a  motivational speaker. He speaks about moving into success. He motivates and instructs on the principles of action and how to achieve anything in life.

Kirk has just released a CD entitled ACTION TO SUCCESS: How To Fearlessly and Successfully Accomplish Anything In Life. It can be downloaded from itunes, amazon.com or the store on his website: SpeakerKirkAbrigo.com

In order to increase your overall upper body strength, and tone your arm muscles, through Yoga, the best exercise to focus on is the Sun Salutation series. Those of you who are having difficulty holding endurance building poses such as The Wheel, The Bow, The Peacock and The Crow, for at least 90 seconds, should increasing your number of rounds of the Sun-Salutation.

Sun Salutation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9-6G58yLAw

In addition to the Sun Salutation series, the following asanas are also highly effective at building upper body strength and muscle endurance:

The Wheel Pose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWsIjAigdFo

The Inclined Plane Pose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQGgAcUdHdQ

The Bow Pose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOn6cAFpgUg

The Peacock Pose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9ylqOt_3b4

The Crow Pose

The Plank Pose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku_TvIxT1m8

Seasoned Yoga practitioners also know that these asanas can be used to strengthen and elongate core muscle groups such as the abdominal.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29523289@N06/

You Can Motivate Each Other

Lets face it! Although we get into a flow at the gym, it may slow down. We sometimes get up in the morning and look for reasons to not go to the gym. A workout buddy can be the one to keep you going, the one to call you on those mornings and say , “Get your butt out of bed, those abs are not just going to appear. Lets go to the gym!” When you feel like you want to give up, it is the job of your workout buddy to not let you, so that both of you can maintain a great attitude about working out.

Companionship

Working out can be a little boring sometimes, if you let it. A workout partner provides someone to “hangout” with while working out. Someone to make the time go by faster, talk with, maybe even grab a protein shake with and chew the fat about health with after your workout.

A Workout Buddy Can Help You Maximize Your Workout

Whether it’s as a spotter or someone who will motivate you to do 3 more reps, when you think you have nothing left, a workout buddy can give you that extra push and encouragement to meet and surpass your limits and make you set new limits for your workout. You may not know it, but those extra reps make a tremendous difference in terms of the results gained from your workout.

Workout Buddies Provide Inspiration

This is my favorite part of having a workout buddy. If he or she has great arms, great abs, and is in great shape then you have a model to work with. Someone who is in better shape than you are is a great workout buddy. He or she will inspire you to achieve his or her level of physical fitness. Plus, you get the benefit of experiencing the workout regiment that made him or her that way. So when looking for a workout buddy, try to find someone who is at a level that you want to rise to.

Game Theory

Make a pact with each other to push each other. A good way to do this is to tell your workout buddy your goals, what you want to do and achieve. Challenge your workout buddy to help you get there, to become your personal trainer, in a sense, and in return you must help him or her reach his or her goals with everything you’ve got. A good way to perpetuate this is to make a bet with each other to see who can get the other one to their goals quicker. A prize of some sort should await the winner.

Whenever I worked out by myself I always knew I could pump out maybe three more bench press reps or squats or whatever it was I was doing if I had someone behind me slightly assisting when I felt I couldn’t do anymore. I used to dread the treadmill. I would run for 3 minutes and then whine like a little sissy about how this will never be my thing and then I would get off, get on the stationary bike and ride for a half hour.

After I met my workout buddy, who boasted 80 minutes on the treadmill, I decided to workout with her. Because I wanted to do the treadmill I figured she would be the perfect person to workout with. I told her my goals, and she told me hers. I worked her out pretty good with the free weights and she pushed me on the treadmill. She challenged me and made me challenge myself. In less than two weeks of her and her ” treadmill bootcamp” I was running for an hour, easily, on the treadmill. 

Try this and let us know how it works out for you. If you are already doing this, let us know how it is working out for you, also. I’m sure reading your inspiring stories will inspire others to get a workout buddy, go to the gym, and reach their fitness goals! 

About The Author

Kirk Abrigo is a  motivational speaker. He speaks about moving into success. He motivates and instructs on the principles of action and how to achieve anything in life.

Kirk has just released a CD entitled ACTION TO SUCCESS: How To Fearlessly and Successfully Accomplish Anything In Life. It can be downloaded from itunes, amazon.com or the store on his website: SpeakerKirkAbrigo.com

Why Muscle Isolation Is Not An Effective Muscle Building Strategy

The human body is designed to move along a kinetic chain; that is, large portions of the body assist other portions of the body in completing a complex movement. Therefore, technically speaking, there is no such thing as true muscle isolation. There is always a nearby muscle group that will assist, in some way, with whatever movement you are attempting. This is the main reason why isolating muscle groups via single-joint exercises is not as effective as performing multi-joint complex movements.

The Dark Side of Muscle Isolation

Attempting to isolate muscle groups by performing single-joint exercises can lead to a body that is not only non-functional but also more prone to injury. Essentially, this is because a body trained in isolation is a body that is a compilation of various muscle groups, instead of a powerful, functional unit that can work in unison. So, if you truly want to end up hobbling around in a body bandaged up with joint problems, tendonitis, and excess body fat, then by all means, continue trying to isolate body parts.

Bodyweight Exercises & Natural Movement Conditioning

On the other hand, if you want to sculpt a lean, muscular and functional body then you need to shift your focus away from muscle isolation. Another significant benefit of moving away from the muscle isolation mindset to a complex movement mindset is that you will find it much easier to lose body fat. The reason for this is that by focusing more on multi-joint complex movements you not only burn more calories during each workout, but you also increase your metabolic rate, and stimulate production of fat burning and muscle building hormones such as Testosterone.

For example, the machine leg extension is a single joint exercise that works mainly the quadriceps, can potentially cause knee joint instability and doesn’t help you burn many calories. On the other hand, exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and deadlifts are all multi-joint complex movements that work hundreds of muscles in the body as a functional unit, create stable and strong joints, in the long run, and burn massive quantities of calories.

The Natural Movement Workout The Modern World Forgot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI

Photo by: www.localfitness.com.au

Victoria Boukhanets: Italian IFBB Fitness Model

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the rising Italian IFBB fitness model, Victoria Boukhanets. In this interview Victoria shares with us what it takes to be a fitness model.

Victoria Boukhanets is of Russian descent and was born in Latvia, Riga, in 1981. Currently, she lives in Italy and takes part in IFBB amateur competition. In 2011, after having won two regional Grand Prix competitions, she has also won IFBB Italian Championship of Bodybuilding and Fitness in Bikini category. She is now in the running for Arnold Classic Europe that will take place in Madrid, Spain, on October 8-9, 2011.

Victoria Boukhanets & Dennis James (Mr Olympia Finalist)

What Makes A Great Competitor?

Being a competitor does not primarily mean that one needs to compete. Definitely there are different attitudes and fitness models compete every single day with each other, and with themselves, overcoming certain obstacles and slowly but surely moving towards the main goal which is victory.

As fitness models, whatever our fitness goals may be, we just know that we want to reach them and we do our utmost to reach them as soon as possible. To be a fitness model you must, more or less, understand what it takes to be a winner or at least have an idea of how the competitive fitness industry works.

Do We Want to Celebrate An Easy Victory?

The answer can be both in the affirmative and in the negative. For some people every method goes well as long as it brings him or her to the final destination – Victory; however, one can’t deny the fact that the bigger the sacrifice is the deeper the satisfaction once the goal has been reached.

If we speak about sports and mainly bodybuilding and fitness, the question is how big is the sacrifice and is it a sacrifice at all? When a fitness model is getting ready for a competition, it does not matter to her whether it is the national or international competition she is preparing for because she has the determination to do whatever it takes to make the most of her strength and performance. Every competition one goes to is a small pilgrimage and the higher the level the more sophisticated the route to the final goal becomes.

That being said, a fitness model also needs to have a precise action plan, as every single minute of her time, while preparing for a competition, is of utmost importance. 

Fitness Model Competition Preparation Routine 

The following is a standard daily fitness routine for an aspiring fitness model:

• Eat 5 times a day (3 main meals and 2 snacks between them), trying to be precise and always eat on time, which is great for one’s metabolism and keeps you disciplined. Remember the saying: 6-pack abs are made in the kitchen!

• Drink at least 2-3lt of still mineral water every day, that will stimulate natural liquid balance in your body and won’t make your body store excess water weight.

• Sleep at least 8 hours a day. Try to use a very comfortable mattress that will not make you feel exhausted the next morning or give you back and neck pain.

• Do work out regularly (3-4 times a week, depending on your goals), use your pre- and post-workout proteins (keep the carbs low).

• Try to distract yourself from monotonous work, especially if you are used to staying in front of your laptop for hours!

• Do not limit yourself to just 3-4 workouts a week, in the gym. Mix and change your day activities, but find time for rest and relaxation (even 15-30min of rest will do).

• Care for your body, both from the inside and outside. Take all the necessary vitamins, minerals, etc.

• Go for massages once in a while. Treat yourself to nice procedures that will stimulate your blood circulation and will keep you energetically loaded throughout the day.

• Always learn something new and never stop developing yourself as a professional.

Mental Preparation Is Just As Important