To ensure your fitness success, it's important to not only perform the right kinds of exercises to strengthen your body, but you must also make some essential mental adjustments to prepare for the challenges ahead. Many people fail at bodybuilding because they haven't prepared themselves mentally before starting. This article will help you prepare yourself for the challenges ahead to maximize your chances of success.
1) You may have heard the Buddhist philosophy that "a journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step." This is true, but in bodybuilding it's also true that the last few reps are the most important for getting ripped. If you want to build muscle, you can't be lazy. You must push beyond that part of your mind that holds you back and tells you to stop before you have to.
2) Getting motivated is about taking action. Procrastination is just a longer word for fear. If you really want to get fit, you have to dedicate yourself to it and stop making excuses. Stop thinking about it and get started!
3) Staying motivated is about movement and success; build momentum by measuring your progress and working smaller "mile-marker" goals into your overall exercise and diet plan to show yourself that what you're doing is working. You can't expect to stay motivated and get excited about working out if you have no idea whether your fitness program is effective. Every week, measure your progress, and also your process: keep a daily log of your exercise routines--what exercises you're doing, how much, and how often. Also keep track of your diet if it doesn't drive you crazy to do so.
4) Quantify your goals ahead of time by creating solid goals. If you can come up with a numerical goal or set of goals, great--write them down along with your current physical shape.. If you don't have a specific weight or set of measurements in mind (for example, if you just want to look good at the beach), that's okay too--take pictures of yourself now so you can monitor your progress visually.
5) Don't give up! Push yourself harder than you ever have before. Bodybuilding and physical fitness is as much of a mental game as a physical one, and if you succeed here you'll be proving to yourself that you can succeed at anything you put your mind to--which you can. Keep a positive attitude and build successes on successes through constant action. If you don't get lazy and give up, you'll do great.
Keith Banner is a personal trainer and physical fitness instructor for men and women.
He is a contributing author to the popular Human Body Knowledge fitness website, with regular updates about subjects ranging from protein shakes to the world's best energy drink [http://musclealert.com/] for bodybuilders.
His interests include bodybuilding, natural evolutionary nutrition, and investing in real estate.
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