This week I answered the following natural bodybuilding question:
I know that it is the deltoid muscles that give you the really nice tri-dimensional look above the biceps and triceps area, but what I don’t know is if I will lose the definition while I am trying to build them. Is it possible to build muscles and get cut at the same time doing natural bodybuilding? Will building muscle in the shoulders make me lose the definition forever?
Natural Bodybuilding Answer:
If you play your cards right, you can build muscle as you lose fat at the same time. The way you can do that is by feeding yourself sufficient calories that will be enough to help you grow muscle, while at the same time allowing you to burn excess fat. Here is how you do it:
If you are above 10% body fat try to concentrate first on getting below that level while gaining a moderate amount of muscle tissue. This is accomplished by following a diet that is composed of 40% carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats. This ratio works very well for most people (except for hardgainers that can get away with eating more carbs and fats).
Carbs should come mainly from complex slow releasing sources such as oatmeal, grits, brown rice, and sweet potatoes, in combination with fibrous sources such as green beans and broccoli. Proteins should come mainly from chicken, turkey, tuna, turkey, salmon, and lean red meats. Since you are focused on reducing body fat, dairy products and fruits need to be eliminated at this time, not because they are not healthy but due to the fact that the type of simple carbs contained in these foods may slow down fat loss. Finally, you need some fats and these should come on the form of fish oils, flaxseed oil or extra virgin canned olive oil.
As far as the amounts of nutrients required to lose fat, a good starting point is 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, 1 gram of carbs per pound of bodyweight, and 3 tablespoons of good fats per day for men and 1.5 for women.
Over the weekends, you can up that to 1.5 grams of protein per pound and 1.5 grams of carbs per pound and add an extra tablespoon of fats.
By following this diet, you will be able to build your deltoid muscles (as well as all other muscles) while at the same time getting the definition you want.
Natural Bodybuilding Weight Training and Cardio
Weight training wise, 4-5 sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour, at the most, in the gym should get the job done. A good strategy to avoid stagnation is to periodize, which in other words is to change your workout parameters like sets, reps and rest in between sets in a logical and orderly fashion that elicits the most response for the body. So for instance you can do 4 weeks of training using higher reps, such as 12-15, and short periods of rest in between sets, like 60 seconds, and then follow that with 4 weeks of lower rep work (in the range of 6-10) with longer rest in between sets 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
As far as cardiovascular exercise, start with around 5 sessions of 30 minutes either first thing in the morning or right after the workout.
So in a nutshell, carefully manipulating your nutrient intake in the way specified above along with a properly periodized routine is the key for consistent natural bodybuilding progress in terms of muscle gain and fat loss. In this manner, you can gain muscle while staying in good shape throughout the year.
Natural Bodybuilding Shoulder Routine
Sine the question involves building shoulder muscles I will share with you a six week natural bodybuilding workout that is based on my Body Re-Engineering principles. This workout routine will get those shoulders growing in no time:
Note: Perform this workout once every 3-5 days depending on your recovery ability.
Week 1
Lateral Raises 3 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Bent Over Lateral Raises 3 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Week 2
Lateral Raises 3 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Bent Over Lateral Raises 4 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Week 3
Lateral Raises 4 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 5 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Bent Over Lateral Raises 4 sets of 12-15 reps (1 min rest)
Weeks 4-6
Modified Superset: Perform the first exercise, rest 1 min, then the 2nd one, then rest 1 min, then the 3rd one, then rest 1 min, and then back to the first. Add weight in each set.
Military Press 3 sets of 10, 8 ,6 reps (1 min rest)
Dumbbell Upright Rows 3 sets of 10, 8, 6 reps (1 min rest)
Rear Delt Machine 3 sets of 10, 8, 6 (2 min rest)
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