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so may not share the views expressedI
f you’re heading to the gym day after
day, week after week, but not seeing
the kind of results you’d like, then
perhaps you need to consider the
obvious: that something you’re doing
(or not doing) is the biggest obstacle
to achieving your fitness objectives.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that you’re also the
solution to the problem. And to help,
we’ve identified five changes you can
make to ensure you’re not getting in the
way of your own success. Get ready to
smash through that glass ceiling
between you and your goals...FUEL THOSE
MUSCLES
Think fasted cardio is
the key to a six-pack? Then you might
be interested in a study published in
the American Journal Of Physiology:
Endocrinology And Metabolism, which
indicates that eating before your workout
helps the body burn more carbohydrates
during exercise – and can help with
digestion once you’re done. So no need
to run scared from your morning cereal.GO HOME,
NOT HARD
To build muscle, you
need to push yourself
to the limit, right? Wrong. A study in the
European Journal Of Applied Physiology
shows just how damaging overtraining can
be. For the study, 10 athletes increased
their training volume by 100%. After one
month, seven reported suffering from
a host of illnesses and injuries, as well as
a decline in performance and feelings of
tiredness. So if you do go hard, your next
step should be to go home and rest.PRESS
ACTIVATE
We get it; you’re in
the gym and the guy
next to you is lifting some pretty hefty
weights, so you’re duty-bound to match
him, right? Wrong. As Third Space
head of education Josh Silverman
explains, if you want to make changes
to your body composition, it’s not all
about lifting the heaviest weights
available; instead, you need to focus
on activating your muscles and
maintaining proper form. “Sometimes
controlling the reps and taking the
weights down a bit will actually lead to
more growth,” says Silverman.
SNOOZE,DON’T LOSE
You’ve worked out
all day; now you can party all night.
Think again. According to one review,
published in Sports Medicine, the
dreamless, non-REM part of your
sleep in particular increases protein
synthesis and the mobilisation of fatty
acids, which provide you with energy
and help to repair the muscles you
broke down during your workout.
Put simply, your path to bigger guns
begins with a good night’s sleep.MH PROMOTION
I
BE A QUITTER
You already know that
smoking cigarettes is
bad for your health.
But did you know
how serious it is for your fitness goals?
A study published in The Journal Of
Physiology found that smoking
cigarettes actually decreases the
number of small blood vessels that bring
oxygen and nutrients to the muscles in
your legs. Less oxygen and nutrients
mean less muscle. So quit the ciggies
and you’re sure to make gains.MEN’S HEALTH 141