Australian Men’s Fitness – September 2019

QUADS

OF STEEL

n MUSCLE MASS IN THE LOWER BODY CAN BE

maximised with heavy resistance training. The main

thing to be mindful of is the timing of your training

sessions – you might not want to completely fatigue

your legs too early in the day if you’ve got a busy

schedule and will be on your feet for hours on end.

Once you’re happy with the timing of your training,

research and write out a list of as many lower-body

exercises as you can find, or as many as you’re happy

to work on, and then make sure you include three or

four of them in every workout.

The secret to ensuring maximum results with

lower-body muscle is to include plenty of unilateral

exercises. Squats, lunges and leg press are all

great, but if you really want to fire every muscle

fibre into action, you’ll need to spend time on

single-leg exercises including static, closed chain

and dynamic variations.

WHAT TO DO IF...

You’ve got skinny legs and struggle to gain

muscle – how to change things up to get

nTHOSEWHOARESTOCKYORHAVEA TENDENCY

togainweightshouldfocusona regularcombination

ofcardioandstrengthtraining.Cardioworkouts

shouldincludea combinationofshort-durationhigh-

intensityintervaltraining– anythingbetween15 and

30 minutes– andsomelonger,slightlylower-intensity

workoutslasting 45 to 60 minutes.

Strengthtrainingcanbea combinationofbody-

weightexercisesandresistancetrainingwithbands,

freeweightsormachines.It’salsoa goodideatoput

togethera selectionofcircuitscombiningstrength

GET IN SHAPE

and cardio training, so you can sculpt your body

and maximise the fat burn with some effective

time-saving sessions.

Aim to train three to four times each week and

fuel your exercise by adopting a little-and-often

approach to food. Plan to eat five or six small

meals and snacks per day, each consisting of a

combination of complex carbs, lean protein and

fresh veg. On the days when you’re working out,

eat a snack 90-120 minutes before your workout

and then eat a meal within 90 minutes of finishing.

WHAT TO DO IF...

You’re naturally stocky, struggle to get lean, or you gain weight easily –

how to change your routine and alter your diet to A combo of cardio,

strength training and

diet tweaks will set

you on the path to

achieving your goal.

n Genetics play a huge part in what’s possible,

but it’s not the entire picture. This is evidenced

by family members, and even twins, who

experience quite different results with their

training. Individuals with similar body types

can achieve widely varying results depending

on their exercise history and how their body

responds to training. Genetics is also no

determinant of how focused you’ll be, how hard

you’ll work, or how well you plan your recovery.

The only way to find out what body type

you’re truly able to achieve is to think about the

specific results you’d like to experience and

when you want to see them – then experiment

with a few different approaches to test what

works best. Make sure you have a selection

of different methods to monitor your progress.

This can include some measurements such as

weight and body composition, but you should

also track how well various items of clothing fit

you; looking sharp can be more motivating than

seeing numbers shift slightly on the scales. It’s

also worth taking regular photos to monitor the

visual impact of your training routine. Without

evidence, there’s a tendency to keep moving

the goalposts, so it’s good to use these regular

updates to acknowledge how well you’re doing.

With an investment of a little time and effort,

you’ll be able to discover the best body you’re

capable of, and you’ll know how to achieve it.

GENE GENIE: THE ROLE OF GENETICS

SEPTEMBER 2019 MEN’S FITNESS 79