Foundations of Fitness

This blog is designed for me to be able to share my experience and knowledge of bodybuilding and the foundations that it comes with. I’m hoping this platform will be able to educate and teach people who are looking to improve their current physical lifestyle and be able to guide them into being the best version of themselves. This webpage will provide technical, basic, and optimal workouts based on your personal goal for your body.

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Gym Etiquette and Tips

Don't be afraid to ask someone how to perform a specific exercise (we all want to help!)

Don't use a machine, bench, or a squat rack if people's belongings are on it ( we could just be taking a quick bathroom break)

Do your best to not make as much groaning or yelling sounds ( no one wants to hear a seal sound while working out, but sometimes it can't be helped)

Only give advice when someone asks you for one

Clean up after yourself ( we all sweat, no need to leave it for cleanup for the next person

Re Rack or put your weights away

Avoid conversing for too long (there are other people waiting to use the equipment you are on)

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NEVER SKIP LEG DAY

Many people skip leg days for many reasons, but the main reason that people skip it, is that it is difficult and also very draining to one’s body. The quads and hamstrings are big muscle groups that are able to move really heavy weights. Working your legs is not only brutal, but you have to bring them to the point of exhaustion and is also difficult for the nervous system. By continuously skipping your leg workouts, overtime that muscle cells shrink while the fat cells become enlarged. This will cause you to look unproportional to the rest of your body and will feel the body dysmorphia effect that most bodybuilders experience. 

Training your lower body and having strong leg muscles keeps your body balanced, which is difficult to do if you are only top- heavy. Training your leg muscles with compound exercise like squats, deadlifts, and lunges can maximize and boost your athletic performance. Today there are many variations of leg workouts to perform to make it easier for the body to recover while also making it bearable while training them. My personal favorite to perform for my quads is the Hack Squat Machine. The Hack Squat Machine allows the individual to maximize the weight output, while leaving the worry of having the perfect form to protect yourself from injury. 

Your leg muscles are one of the largest muscles in your body, by training your legs it can have a significant impact on your metabolism. Exercises that exhausts the leg muscles can also release growth hormones. Working this part of your body helps produce the amount of hormones like cortisol, testosterone, and the human growth hormone. Your cortisol helps the body mitigate your stress and increases the fat metabolism. Testosterone helps repair the damaged muscle that you worked on. Human Growth Hormone also known as HGH builds muscle, boosts your immunity, and also boosts your fat metabolism. 

By missing a leg day, you lack the foundation of your body, which has been seen to support all of your daily activities. By building this strong foundation you are able to have more stability, which will enhance your mobility, range of motion, and coordination. In retrospect, include training your legs with your workouts to improve your overall fitness. If the situation arises that one day you are unable to perform legs, make a plan on how you will make up for it. Balance is an important aspect of fitness, putting together an overall plan to achieve your goals.

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THE ARNOLD SPLIT

Arnold Split is another workout split that is commonly used in the bodybuilding world. The name comes from Arnold Schwarzenegger, a seven-time winner of the Mr. Olympia title. Arnold used this split to help him win these titles which is why it is understandable that many would go on to follow this workout program. The Arnold Split consists of a six-day workout split in which you train the chest and back, shoulders and arms, and legs two times per week. This workout program is made to help increase your physique's muscle mass, and because of its high volume, it should be used for more advanced gym goers. Since the volume of the split is high, it mainly consists of performing three to four sets, and can range from 8-15 reps in each set. The Arnold split is an advanced workout program it should only be performed for people who has had an experience of bodybuilding of over two years, not only that but it is also important to stay consistent with your nutrition habits and the recovery process, this workout split is also not recommended for people who have a hard time keeping up with a consistent training schedule. 

The Arnold Split has also been seen to reduce the fatigue of the muscle group that are being trained that day. For example, Chest and Back are two completely different muscle groups, when performing the other muscle the other muscle is relaxed allowing the muscle that is currently being trained to be able to perform more reps and or more sets. Push-Pull-Legs can have an effect on your PRs (Personal Record). If you were to perform a PR on a Push day, you would likely not get the same result as you would get doing an Arnold Split, since the PPL method requires you to synergize the same muscle group. The Arnold Split allows you to train the upper body back to back, since arms and shoulders won’t be utilized as much in a Chest and Back session.

I personally prefer doing the Arnold Split since this split allows me to recover my muscles within 48 hours to be able to perform the same muscle group again with minimal to zero soreness. The Arnold split also allows me to perform my leg muscle group separately. In the first rotation of legs I would focus on my quads, when the second rotation comes around for this split I would focus more on hamstring and glute dominant exercises.

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PPL SPLIT BENEFITS AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Push, Pull, Legs also known as PPL workout split is designed to build muscle in every muscle group. It is beneficial for beginners and even advanced bodybuilders, because it trains all related muscle groups together in the same day. By performing this routine you are able to get the maximum overlap of the movement for the specific muscle group. PPL usually focuses on the compound movements of lifting. For people who don’t have a lot of time on their hands, 3 days is beneficial to getting that workout in, every other day is optimal enough to see progress. For Push days, any movement that involves pushing a weight away from you would be considered a push day. Push days train your chest, shoulders and triceps. For example, while training your chest and performing a Dumbbell bench press you are also working out your anterior deltoids (front shoulder) and your triceps. While training your shoulders you are also involving your tricep in a shoulder press movement. For Pull days you are performing movements that pull the weight towards you. Pull days consist of training your back and biceps. For example, while performing a seated row, you are pulling the bar towards you, but at the same time while the bar is at the concentric phase closer to your body your bicep also contracts to help hold the weight closer to you. Leg days are self explanatory, you are training your entire lower body, your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Push-Pull-Legs can build muscle, increase strength, and reduce any imbalances on one’s physique. According to Nic Shimonek, a strength and conditioning coach “ Thinking of training in terms of pushing and pulling can make it easier to balance your workouts. And for most people, balance is more important than overload”. By staying on track with this current workout split, doing push movements one day and pull movements on the second day, your body is able to properly recover for its next cycle. By doing so, you are able to train each muscle group more often, twice a week if your schedule allows you to do it. If your objective is to be leaner, a Push-Pull-Legs split is able to train more of the body per workout than a traditional split. A traditional split only consists of Upper Body one day, and then Lower Body the next. PPL is able to achieve that leaner “look” by burning fat and building muscle.