TSI USA Inc

Achieve Your Ideal Physique!

Posted on November 26, 2014 at 12:00 AM

This is a series devoted to what it takes to build the physique you desire. We’ll discuss all aspects of achieving your goals – workouts, meal planning, and mindset! Before we get started, let’s talk about setting goals, and developing a plan to achieve those goals. After all, you’re a sculptor, and a sculptor wouldn’t just start chipping away at the subject without visualizing the finished product in perfect detail! Take a few moments and imagine your perfect physique. Write down what you see in your mind. The more clearly you’re able to visualize what you want, the better the chances are that you’ll achieve it! Simply wanting to be “leaner” isn’t enough – where do you want to be leaner? What muscle groups do you want to build? It might take a little time to put the goals together, and that’s ok! You’re building a body of work that you’ll carry with you, so have patience!
Once you have your objective goals written down, you can design a training program around them. If your goals include leaning down, perhaps you’ll do more supersets and circuits, keeping the heart rate high. There are many ways to split your workouts. Here are a few examples:

  • 3x a week total body
  • 4x a week, 2 leg days, 2 push-pull days
  • 4x a week, 1 leg day, 2 upper body days, and 1 total body day
  • 5x a week, 2 leg days, 2 push-pull days, and a met-con or cardio day
  • 5x a week, leg/back/chest/shoulders/arms

It’s possible to build muscle and stay lean by increasing the time under tension (TUT) during weight workouts, and keeping recovery time to a minimum. Here’s an example of how to build shoulders using a higher TUT:

I think it’s important to plan the order of exercises, too. The most demanding exercises should be done in the beginning of the workout. These are usually compound movements that require the most strength and energy. For example, since I’m trying to gain strength for track, I’ll do my Olympic lifts first, followed by squats. I have found PEAK ATP to be helpful in giving me the energy and strength to keep my intensity up through the end of my workouts!

Since this is the first blog in the series, I wanted to touch on the basics. As we proceed, I’ll get into the details of what has helped me…and hopefully it will help you, too!

Thank you for reading! Until next time, train hard!

-Erin Stern

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