Fat Loss 4 Idiots Opinion

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Value of Workout Analysis for Over Forty Bodybuilding

By Scott Fisher

Fitness experts and competitive bodybuilders all over the world insist that keeping an exercise journal was a pivotal part of their success. This is because an exercise journal allows you to track and analyze your progress. If you are able to analyze what puts you ahead and what sets you back, you know how to adjust your training program in order to make yourself stronger, healthier, and better.

When you are keeping an exercise journal, make sure you make a detailed record of the muscle group trained, the specific movements used, and how many reps you performed. For example, if you are focusing on your triceps through arm extensions and dips your journal entry should be similar to this: Triceps- Dips (6 reps), Arm Extensions (14 reps). Also, you will want to note the total time trained and how much time spent on each movement.

The more information you provide, the better you will be able to track your progress. If you are a beginner at fitness over 40, you cannot include too many details. Once you learn how your body responds to strength training, you will know which information is most helpful and you can modify your entries accordingly.

If you keep a detailed training record, you will also be able to quickly identify when you have overworked a muscle group and change. Often, if you are overworking in the beginning of a session you will notice that you are not able to do as many reps later in the session. If you notice unusual soreness or that you need longer rest, you will be able to identify which parts of your training caused the injury. When you can prevent repeating the injury you can prevent more critical damage.

Make sure you include your warm-up stretches, cardio, and weights in your journal. If you are not getting your desired muscle gain or if you feel pain afterwards, this could be from a lack of adequate warm up. You will be able to compare the warm up of periods when you saw positive results to the warm up of periods when you made no progress. Analysis of these two periods should help you adapt your workout accordingly.

Expert bodybuilders also chronicle their nutrition, such as their daily intake of proteins, carbs, and fat. If you are bodybuilding over 40 then you will need to pay special attention to your nutritional intake because of your changing metabolism. You will also track the number of calories you consume and when. If you are having difficulty building muscle, you may not be consuming enough calories to counteract your training. If you are putting on unwanted weight, you may have to consume fewer calories or do more cardio.

It is also good to track your energy levels and motivation. Create a numbered rating system to describe your mood. Everyday, especially the day after training, record your number. Pay attention to the days you have the most energy and, more importantly, the days when you feel sore or sluggish. If you notice that changes you have made to your training program overly exhaust you or cause pain, you may have to lower the intensity a bit until your body adjusts.

No matter how much you have prepared for bodybuilding over 40, you are probably not going to start with the perfect program. Most competitive bodybuilders know that they get the maximum results when they use exercise journals to track and modify their progress. If you keep a journal, you will have a tool to create a great fitness plan tailored to your body, your life, and your fitness goals. - 17269

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