Optimum Fitness Network

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I’m just going to come out and say it. 

Stop bodybuilding and start athletic weight training.  If you are not a bodybuilder, or aspire to be one, then don’t train like one.  Bodybuilding training is great for bodybuilding, but it is not the answer for a high level of fitness or an attractive, athletic body.  There, I said it. 

Just so we’re clear, here is what I mean when I say bodybuilding.  Bodybuilding uses sets, reps and loads with only one goal in mind, building muscle.  The exercise selection strives to isolate muscles and treats the body as a collection of specific muscles.  Often, split routines are used where the body is split into different parts and trained in groups, like back and bi, chest and tri, etc. 

Sound familiar?   

The “success” of a bodybuilding program is based on appearance, not performance.  The size and shape of the muscles are the goal, the only goal.  (Of course, fat loss plays a role, but is done only so you can SEE the muscles better, and not for health or performance reasons.)  Quite frankly, health and performance are of no consequence, and in my opinion are often sacrificed in the quest for bigger muscles. 

So, why do so many exercisers who aren’t bodybuilders end up doing bodybuilding routines? 

One of the driving forces to exercise is to look better.  You look in the mirror and notice you are out of shape.

Literally, your shape is out of whack.  You’re covered in fat in places you shouldn’t be, and lacking in muscle where it should be.  Changing your appearance is the main goal.  Since the only goal of bodybuilding is changing appearance by building large muscles and eliminating fat covering them, it is easy to see how people make the transition to bodybuilding training. But, more often than not, bodybuilding does not fit with the overall goals of the exerciser. 

How many times have I heard, “I want to put on some muscle, but I don’t want to look like a bodybuilder!”  Too many to count.   

In my opinion, most exercisers want the strong, lean, athletic body of an athlete.  They want a body with strong, hard muscles and void of fat.  But they also want to feel and perform better. 

They want their weight training to improve health and enable them to meet the challenges of sport, work and life with excellence.  So, they want to be more like an athlete than a bodybuilder.  

Athletic weight training is better for most exercisers goals than bodybuilding training.  It treats you as an athlete, not a bodybuilder.  This change in weight training helps you perform better and feel better, and results in the muscular, lean, athletic body most exercisers want. So ask yourself. 

Do you want to look like an athlete or a bodybuilder?  If you answer “bodybuilder”, then you already know what to do.  (Most of the information on weight training is based on bodybuilding practices).  If you answer “athlete”, you’re going to have to look a little harder.  But finally reaching your fitness, fat loss and physique goals make it worth the effort! 

Coach Eddie Lomax, founder of the Optimum Fitness Network, believes we are all athletes and should train like athletes.  His Athletic Body Workout targets general fitness, fat loss and strength and muscle building for an athletic body you can be proud of.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Athletic Body Workout. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.