Mind over matter: when it comes to body-building success, it’s what’s between your ears that counts
THE HUMAN MIND AND BODY are so closely connected that you’ll never be able to achieve your desired fitness goals without harnessing the power of your mental energies. We’ve all heard the story of the mother who was able to lift a car off of her injured child in a moment of dire emergency. Once the mind is sufficiently stimulated, there’s no telling what feats the body is capable of. But just as you train your body to be bigger and stronger, it’s equally necessary to train your mind to attain a bigger bench press, a leaner midsection or a better functioning cardiovascular system. Here are a few ideas on how to do just that:
- VISION. “Where the mind goes, the body will follow,” has always been a saying I’ve believed in. You have to have a clear idea of what you’re trying to achieve if you want to generate the degree of willpower it takes to overcome difficult obstacles. Vision gives you purpose, and that purpose generates faith and confidence.
- IMAGINATION. Imagination can move mountains. When training arms, I used to feel as if my pumped-up biceps were huge peaks. Some bodybuilders walk around the gym imagining that they’re Ghengis Khan or Conan the Barbarian. Focusing on such images creates increased levels of mental and emotional energy to help power you through difficult workouts at a greater intensity.
- INSPIRATION. It’s not enough to simply imagine what kind of physique you’re trying to develop. To form a powerful mental picture of your goal, it helps to pick individuals who have already achieved the level that you’re trying to emulate. In my case, I admired the Herculean physique of Mr. Universe Reg Park, who had the kind of size and strength that I wanted to develop in my own physique. A bodybuilder of shorter stature might choose champions like Franco Columbu or Lee Priest as personal role models.
- TRAINING PARTNERS. I always preferred finding a training partner who would inspire me to do my best in my workouts. In my early years, when building superior calves was one of my major goals, I went to South Africa and trained for a time with the aforementioned Reg Park, who was able to do calf raises with weights close to 1,000 pounds. When it comes to training partners, there’s nothing as valuable as someone who fills you with energy and purpose.
- MOTIVATION. Developing the maximum amount of motivation involves a range of lifestyle choices. You won’t be highly motivated if you hang out with friends who don’t train and who have no respect for your ambitions to develop your physique. Many bodybuilders will post photos of the champs around their homes for constant visual motivation. Trying to get ripped for a contest? A photo of a lean, defined torso taped to the refrigerator door can work wonders to help you stay on a diet.
Credits:
- BY ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, MR. OLYMPIA 1970-75, ’80
- COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
- COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Categories: Featured, Motivation Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, matter, mind
Is a “Pump” Needed to Build Muscle?
Who could ever forget that famous line from Pumping Iron where Arnold said that getting a good pump was better than sex?
We all laughed, although some of us harder than others, because deep down we agreed with what he said. But after all these years, the question still remains- is a good pump a defining component of a productive muscle building workout. Is it really that important?
Some people emphatically state that getting a good pump is necessary if you want to build muscle. There are no studies that show this to be true, but real world evidence shows that there is something to getting a good pump. First of all, the ability to easily obtain a good pump is a sign that your body is in an anabolic state and ready to train. It shows us that the body and the cells are well hydrated and ready to grow.
Some days, you go to the gym and can’t get a pump no matter what you do. Those are days that you probably shouldn’t even be training. Your body is telling you something, and that something is that you are not in an anabolic state, probably not fully recovered, and you are not ready to train. In other words you will not be building muscle on that day.
As far as the pump having an anabolic effect, this is debatable, but most bodybuilders swear that there is something to it. When you get a good pump, you are delivering tons of nutrient-rich blood to the muscles that will greatly increase amino-acid uptake. Theoretically, this should result in a greater anabolic effect.
The kind of training that stimulates a good pump causes sarcoplasmic and mitochondrial hypertrophy. This is the kind of hypertrophy which is lost very quickly when you stop training. It is completely different from myofibrillar hypertrophy, which comes from heavy training and lasts much longer. However, sarcoplasmic and mitochondrial hypertrophy is necessary if you want to be as big as humanly possible.
So, while it isn’t proven by science, there is probably something to gain from getting a good pump. Having said that, I definitely wouldn’t make it the focus of your workout. Chasing the pump and disregarding all of the principles of effective training is one of the biggest mistakes you can make and will do nothing to help you build lean muscle.
You can get a great pump from doing 50 pushups but everyone knows that’s not going to build muscle. Just mindlessly pursuing a pump will get you nowhere and may even cause losses in size and strength. However, after you have done the bulk of your workout you can always finish with a backoff set, a rest/pause set or even an occasional drop set to maximize your pump and thus maximize your body’s muscle building potential.
For example, on your chest workout you could do a couple heavy sets on the bench press for 5-6 reps and then finish with one higher rep set of 8-12 on dips to get a great pump. If you do this you hit a variety of muscle fibers and target both types of hypertrophy. That way you get the best of both worlds.
Remember, it isn’t necessary and should never be the focus of your workouts (heavy training should) but getting a good pump tells you that you’re ready to build muscle and can even maximize your potential to do so.
Author Bio: Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He is the head training adviser for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more How to Build Muscle Fast tips, check out http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com/
Categories: Featured, Training Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, jason ferruggia, pump, pumping iron, the pump
The Best Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes
Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most well known bodybuilders and the Austrian Oak has provided us with an endless amount of quotes of the past years. My favourite ones are:
- “It’s simple, if it jig
gles, it’s fat.” - “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.”
- “The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens.”
- “We all have great inner power. The power is self-faith. There’s really an attitude to winning. You have to see yourself winning before you win. And you have to be hungry. You have to want to conquer.”
- “The best activities for your health are pumping and humping.”
- “Failure is not an option. Everyone has to succeed.”
- “I just use my muscles as a conversation piece, like someone walking a cheetah down 42nd Street.”
What are your favourite Arnold quotes?
Categories: Featured, Motivation Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, austrian oak, quotes
