The Basics of a Great Ripped Muscle Workout...Let's Keep it Simple.
Getting that ripped look is actually simple but not easy. The mistake most people make is that they believe that the method of lifting is what makes a muscle ripped. The actual lifting isn't the major factor in what makes someone extremely defined...it is their low body fat percentage.
"High Reps" Do Not Shape The Muscle!
Many people believe that "high reps" shape the muscle and that "low reps" build muscle. This is simply not the case! All your muscles can do is basically contract or relax. When you lift a light weight, your muscle just has to contract a little to lift that weight. When you lift a heavy weight your muscle has to contract quite a bit to lift that weight. If anything, heavier weights and low reps will increase the tone in the muscle more than light weights will.
You Don't Have to Eat 6 Small Meals a Day to Get Ripped!
I keep my body fat at around 6-8% year-round and I eat 3-4 "medium" meals per day. I just can't stand to eat tiny meals all the time, plus it isn't really practical. My advice is to just try to keep a relatively low calorie intake throughout the day when you are trying to get lean. If I know that I'm going to have a few beers on Friday night and go to a happy hour, I will eat extremely low calorie meals earlier in the day. I may even skip a meal. I'm telling you...this works! Don't get obsessed and think that your metabolism is going to slow to a crawl if you skip a meal now and then. You will get lean quickly if you just lower your daily calorie intake...don't make it more complex than it is.
Spend Two Thirds of Your Workout Time Devoted to Cardio
This is a tough one for most gym rats, but if you want a six-pack and a defined body then you must spend much more time over in the cardio section of the gym. If you only have an hour to workout, I would recommend 20 minutes of lifting and 40 minutes of cardio. It really doesn't take much lifting to maintain the muscle you currently have and the cardio is going to strip away the fat and make your muscle look that much better. Very few guys in most gyms perform enough cardio and very few guys have good muscle definition in most gyms.
Throw Some Intensity Into Your Cardio Workouts!
You will have a very tough time getting really lean, if you just walk on the treadmill like most trainers recommend. Low intensity cardio works well for really overweight people who want to get to an average body fat level. The problem is that once you reach an average body fat level, you will reach a sticking point. The only way to continue to burn body fat and get to low levels is to challenge your body by pushing hard on your cardio. If you aren't sweating and breathing hard at the end of your cardio workout, you are wasting your time!
Getting that Ripped Muscle Look Isn't Hard If You Keep These Basic Principles In Mind.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rusty_Moore
Getting that ripped look is actually simple but not easy. The mistake most people make is that they believe that the method of lifting is what makes a muscle ripped. The actual lifting isn't the major factor in what makes someone extremely defined...it is their low body fat percentage.
Many people believe that "high reps" shape the muscle and that "low reps" build muscle. This is simply not the case! All your muscles can do is basically contract or relax. When you lift a light weight, your muscle just has to contract a little to lift that weight. When you lift a heavy weight your muscle has to contract quite a bit to lift that weight. If anything, heavier weights and low reps will increase the tone in the muscle more than light weights will.
You Don't Have to Eat 6 Small Meals a Day to Get Ripped!
I keep my body fat at around 6-8% year-round and I eat 3-4 "medium" meals per day. I just can't stand to eat tiny meals all the time, plus it isn't really practical. My advice is to just try to keep a relatively low calorie intake throughout the day when you are trying to get lean. If I know that I'm going to have a few beers on Friday night and go to a happy hour, I will eat extremely low calorie meals earlier in the day. I may even skip a meal. I'm telling you...this works! Don't get obsessed and think that your metabolism is going to slow to a crawl if you skip a meal now and then. You will get lean quickly if you just lower your daily calorie intake...don't make it more complex than it is.
Spend Two Thirds of Your Workout Time Devoted to Cardio
This is a tough one for most gym rats, but if you want a six-pack and a defined body then you must spend much more time over in the cardio section of the gym. If you only have an hour to workout, I would recommend 20 minutes of lifting and 40 minutes of cardio. It really doesn't take much lifting to maintain the muscle you currently have and the cardio is going to strip away the fat and make your muscle look that much better. Very few guys in most gyms perform enough cardio and very few guys have good muscle definition in most gyms.
Throw Some Intensity Into Your Cardio Workouts!
You will have a very tough time getting really lean, if you just walk on the treadmill like most trainers recommend. Low intensity cardio works well for really overweight people who want to get to an average body fat level. The problem is that once you reach an average body fat level, you will reach a sticking point. The only way to continue to burn body fat and get to low levels is to challenge your body by pushing hard on your cardio. If you aren't sweating and breathing hard at the end of your cardio workout, you are wasting your time!
Getting that Ripped Muscle Look Isn't Hard If You Keep These Basic Principles In Mind.