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Health and Fitness Tips

Tips to Get Started Body-Sculpting

Carpe diem. Seize the day. However you want to say it, the time has come to take that first step toward fulfilling your long-held dream of building your body into a muscular, athletic physique. Perhaps you've been waiting for the right time, or shooting off excuse after excuse, but that won't cut it any longer. With hard work and determination, a bigger, stronger, leaner you is there for the taking, and I am here to help you get started.

The following are tips devoted to the beginner, and those returning from an extended absence from the gym (we'll just call it a vacation – it sounds better that way, doesn't it?).

Before you start, beginner; what are your goals? What do you want out of this? An aimless approach will get you nowhere, so lay out your objectives clearly. Jot down some realistic goals. This isn't to say you can't look amazing in a year or even sooner, because you can, but make those goals realistic.

First remember to take it slow. Go slow for the next three months and see how you feel. If your muscles are begging for more after that time, challenge yourself by adding more volume and exercises. You're in no hurry, so take the first weeks to get to know your body and your workout environment. After you've developed a good form, the sky's the limit!

Here are a few tips I tell my beginners in their first session:
* Make sure you warm up and cool down. A good 10 minutes of stretching and 15-20 minutes of cardio is so important to warm-up those muscles. And stretch for another 10 minutes after you exercise.

* Begin with low weight when you perform exercises. And a reduced number of repetitions does not hurt either. Build-up to heavier weights, remember slow and steady.

* Be consistent. Make sure you train on a regular basis.

* Finally, vary your exercises. Just make sure in your variety you include exercises that work out all our muscle groups.

Coming back strong after a layoff from the gym? If you used to hit the gym hard, but then took a training sabbatical and shunned exercise altogether, then take the following precautions to heart.

* First, even if you have forgotten your way to the gym, your muscles still remember. That little thing called muscle memory means your muscles instinctively know how to find their way back to where they once were. No it won't happen overnight, but you've got a jump on someone your age who has never touched a barbell before. Still, depending on the length of your leave of absence give yourself several months of consistent training before you return to your previous strength levels.

* Now that we've pumped you up with all this muscle memory talk, you'll probably want to break into your new routine with a bang. Now more than ever you're susceptible to muscle strains and pulls, and that's exactly what you'll encounter if you take an advanced routine right off the bat. Your muscles and ligaments have grown accustomed to being sedentary, and a drastic increase in activity could prove traumatic. Ease your way back into it.

Regardless if you're a beginner or just getting back into the gym, remember that slow and steady builds big muscles.

Rick Gusler is a certified personal trainer and diet nutritionist who serves his clients through Gusler Body Sculpting Fitness Center in central Denver. To schedule a free consultation, or to learn more about the Gusler method of body sculpting, spin yoga, or Rick's Boot Camp, please contact him at 303.860.7131 or online at www.guslerbodysculpting.com.

Gusler Body Sculpting Fitness Center, LLC
459 Acoma Street · Denver, Colorado 80204 · 303-860-7131
Hours: Monday-Friday: 6am-8pm · Saturday: Closed · Sunday: Closed

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