More Fitness, Yes Siree

Yeah yeah, so I'm a bit obsessed with getting back in shape, but with only three classes and no part-time job as of yet, I have a great deal of free time on my hands, so why not use it wisely?

Tonight after leaving the gym (third day in a row! I may take tomorrow off), I googled "cut muscles," just to see what would pop up. Naturally, a Yahoo! Answers forum popped up as one of the primary results.

I think these are pretty good tips, so I'm going to try and follow them as best as I can.

For Muscular Definition:

1.) Use heavier weight and fewer reps to bulk up - example: 10 pounds/3 sets/8 reps

2.) Use lighter weight and more reps to cut the muscle - example: 5 pounds/3 sets/20 reps

3.) You must fatigue the muscle to make gains. That means that the last few reps (the # of times you repeat the motion) of the last set (how many time you do a group of repetitions) should be difficult or impossible to do - so choose your weight according to that rule.

4.) To fatigue the muscle group more quickly, try super sets = a combination of two exercises for the same muscle group done consecutively (one right after the other). They work best with the larger muscles and should just be done once in a while, maybe every third workout. Example for chest is bench press and flyes.

5.) Use Compound sets to force muscle growth. This is similar to supersets except the exercises are for opposing muscles instead of the same muscle. Example is chest & back.

6.) Perform all exercises slowly for both concentric (shortening of the muscle) & eccentric (elongating the muscle) contraction. This will balance muscle strength and help you to achieve a sculpted, uniform appearance.

Note: even when cutting, your last set should be difficult and the last few reps near impossible to achieve without assistance. Just be sure you are using a lighter weight, eventually you will do enough reps to fatigue the muscle.

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I'll even go one bit further and write my food intake for the day. I don't count calories, but I may even have to start doing that too...

Breakfast:
1 Banana w/ Peanut Butter
Bowl of Granola Cereal

Mid-morning snack:
Fiber One Chocolate Granola Bar
Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bar

Afternoon snack:
Bagel chips w/ hummus

Late Lunch:
Salmon filet
Spinach
Wild rice

Dinner:
Turkey sandwich
1 Banana w/ Peanut Butter
Apple juice

Late Snack:
Bagel chips w/hummus
Slice of pineapple

I see now why people keep food journals - I am noticing a pattern here. I definitely should snack less, or turn my focus from carbs to fruit or protein. I have tried protein bars though - trust me, they suck.

Ah well, on continues the project...