Body Sculpting Vs Strength Training

People at my gym train for different reasons. Some want strength, some want muscle bulk, and some are interested in body sculpting. Are different exercises required for each?

Most folks at the gyms do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, with no precise plan. Their progress is inevitably slow to nil. Optimal training for strength is completely different from the workout necessary for bulking up. Body sculpting requires an exercise routine designed specifically for the individual. Briefly, the principles for strength are:

1. Do thorough warm-up and light warm-up sets often, with 12 repetitions for each exercise.
2. Perform pyramid sets (increase the weights on each set). Do three to five sets of three to six repetitions, upping the weights in each set by 70 to 75 percent, 80 to 85 percent, and 85 to 90 percent of the maximum weight you can use comfortably. Do each to exhaustion.
3. Take long pauses (one to three minutes) between sets to allow your muscles full recovery.
4. Utilize maximum acceleration in thecContraction phase of each movement to ensure hypertrophy (growth) of the white, fast-twitch fibers of the muscles. (These fibers are the basis of power and speed in most athletic endeavors.)
5. Train each body part no more than once every five to eight days.

Training for Muscle Bulk

Training for muscle bulk is quite different:

1. "Pump" the muscle through slow, careful repetitions. This action causes hypertrophy in the red, slow twitch fibers that largely compose the muscle bulk.
2. Use medium weights for three to four sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.
3. Take very brief pauses between sets. Forcing the muscle to act before it has recovered increases blood flow to oxygenate the red fibers. Over years of training, this can substantially increase muscle size.
4. Train each muscle group every two to three days. Exercise for bulk is less severe than power exercise, so peak recovery occurs in less time.

Body Sculpting

Body sculpting is for people who want a more beautiful shape. Each individual should be analyzed by an expert in physiology, who can tailor a program to your specific needs. When done properly, body sculpting can completely change your shape in one year.

Diets high in fruits and vegetables and unprocessed honey have a good boron content, between 10 and 20 milligrams a day, making them good for body sculpting. Average diets are much lower, about 1.9 milligrams a day.

Running is a great exercise for those looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and can be a valuable part of a body sculpting routine. If you are trying to work your way up to running longer distances, there are some valuable training tips you should follow.

Here's my advice.

1. Make goals that last at least six months.
2. Increase your long runs. If you can do a 12-miler now, add one mile every two weeks.
3. Don't attempt a very long run every week. Your body just can't recover sufficiently. On your off week, no run should exceed 10 miles.
4. If you're training for an event, such as a marathon, your off week should consist of five five-milers and one 10-miler, for a total of 35 miles. Your long week should be five five-milers, plus one long run increased by one mile every two weeks, to a maximum of 22 miles. Your longest week will be 47 miles, total. In the two weeks prior to the race, run no more than 20 miles a week, total. In the last three days before the race, do just one to two gentle miles a day.
5. Don't worry about speed. Most runners slow drastically in the last five miles. Follow these techniques, and you will pass droves of them and run away with the finish.