Saturday, May 7, 2011

What I Have Learnt So Far

  1. Strength likes rest. I've tried training daily. And I've also tried training every other day. Training daily works for a while. But I discovered that training an ideal 3 times a week gives the best results in terms of performance as well as giving you a better physical appearance.
  2. Eating fast food post workout is okay. But in the longer term you feel sluggish if you do this too often. Besides, whole food tastes so much better.
  3. You don't need supplements to get bigger or stronger. Eat natural, nutrient-dense food and you're good to go. (Having said that, I'm doing my research on BCAAs... will write on what I have learnt in another blog post)
  4. Keep it simple. Training doesn't have to be complicated with 15 different types of exercise per session. Stick to the basics. Squats, deads, presses... and you're on your way to become stronger (and more importantly for some... look a heck of a lot better).
  5. Get enough sleep. Going out clubbing and staying awake till the sun comes up after a training session won't do your body any good.
  6. Drink milk instead of one of those expensive supplements after training. Much cheaper and still does the job. Can't drink regular milk? Take soy milk instead.
  7. Pre-workout meals must consist of low GI carbs and protein. So far, I've been eating cashew nuts and washing it down with soy milk. Sometimes for additional fuel I eat a couple of egg sandwiches. So far it works. It could be better, though.
  8. Never underestimate bodyweight training. Being able to do countless pushups, chinups and single-leg squats is damn impressive.
  9. Forget the benchpress if you can't even do 10 pushups with perfect form. You'd be insulting the barbell. You'd also be susceptible to injury.
  10. Take care of your joints (e.g. knees, shoulders). Do your lifts with perfect form. If you can't, reduce the weight. It's ok to look less macho. It's better to work up to being macho than not being able to train at all because of injuries.

2 comments:

KevL said...

3. IMO, fitness isn't just about being strong. It's about staying healthy too. For that, we get the supplements to help us. I'm not talking about ergogenics like fat burners, creatine, CLA or glutamine. I'm talking about your multivits for general health maintenance, glucosamine for joint health and fish oils for cholesterol and joints (and a whole lot of other benefits) - you'll need them especially when you're training.

Aizan Suhaira said...

Multivits and fish oil are okay. I was referring to the likes of Mass Gainers, Protein Shakes, Creatine and what not.