Best Supplements to Build Muscle and Burn Fat
What are the motivations?
The thought of participating in a fitness or bodybuilding competition has been floating around in the back of my mind for about a year , but I couldn’t commit myself until I attended the IFBB championship in Basel last October. Although the participants there are mostly doped, I was grabbed to measure myself against other athletes and to be judged by a jury.
My main goal is not to win, although a top placement would of course be nice, but rather to get into the best shape of my life and when the day comes to be able to say that I have done everything in my power .
Fortunately, I was recently accepted into the athlete team from Körperraum , which has already won various Swiss and even world championships. Every athlete, no matter how advanced, needs a coach and a supporting team to bring him to and beyond his limits. In addition, an outsider can better identify errors or weak points in order to then optimize them.
With this opportunity I can certainly learn a lot and pass this on to you. There will certainly be some new videos this year from the body dream team and me ^^
What are the requirements to take part in a natural competition?
You have to be clean for sure, that is, all types of anabolic steroids are punished and lead to a 7 year competition ban for the first offense and a lifelong ban the second time.
Each participant must complete a polygraphic test (lie detector) before the competition and, in the case of a top 3 placement, then submit a urine test. So if someone should be able to overcome the polygraph they can still be caught by a urine test and that’s a good thing.
The Swiss Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (SNBF for short) is primarily about fair, clean and aesthetic sport. The preparation for such a competition turns out to be a little more complicated than with conventional bodybuilding , since many aids, e.g. for drainage, are not allowed.
In my case, this means that I start the diet about 4 months in advance and do a dehydration test in between to see how my body reacts to it and how best to go about it.
The goal would be to start in the 2 highest category (up to 80kg), the current status is 87kg and 10% body fat. So it should be within the realm of possible, as you usually sacrifice a little muscle mass during the diet and only have about 3-4% body fat on stage.
And the bottom line of the whole story is: Taking part in a competition can change a lot in your training behavior. By registering you get a deadline in which you have to be in top shape and thus a little pressure which can have a very positive effect on the general motivation.
It doesn’t have to be a bodybuilding competition, it can be anything like a marathon or a triathlon … anything.
Dare yourself and do it!
Stop putting everything off and sign up right away. Even if it’s a dip in the deep end, it can’t hurt. You will get to know yourself and your body better, which can only be beneficial.
It is best to do it with a friend, so you can motivate and encourage each other … and who wants to be the one who gives up?
just do it
The Muscle Is The Answer
Have you ever wondered why you feel stronger, like adding weight or doing more repetitions without gaining muscle mass?
It has to do with the fact that your body is reacting neuromuscularly to the training – don’t worry, it is not as complicated as it sounds and an important term that you should become familiar with.
A neuromuscular response means that your nerves communicate more effectively with your muscle fibers, so more fibers come into play. However, this is only half of the formula.
With the second half of the formula, you’ll gain muscle mass, which of course takes longer, usually a few weeks. Your body must first synthesize (build) the proteins that are needed in muscle contraction (the active shortening of a muscle) and that takes more time. I will go into more detail on the subject of muscle mass in another post.
Understand that when you start “pumping” or come back from a break, that new activity is sent through your nerves into your spinal cord and brain. The nerves tell the muscle to be exercised and to contract (lift a weight) and the muscle will take the command like a good soldier.
It is important to understand that your brain must first tell your body what is going on before you can see new muscles grow. Unfortunately, this phase cannot be skipped, but the body must first make neuromuscular adjustments before the real muscle growth takes place.
I think this should help if you are a beginner or are making your comeback and are starting to get impatient because you are not seeing any results or new muscles.
This explains why you do, for example, 8 reps with a certain weight and a few days later 10 and a week later 12, but you still don’t see any change in the mirror. Now you know why.
Put simply, your body already has the muscle mass it needs for that particular weight. Logically, no new muscles are formed until your body needs more to move a weight.
If you are certain that you have passed the neuromuscular phase and you are struggling to gain muscle mass every week, then you are making really serious mistakes. Either your training program is not tailored to you or you are not eating properly or maybe it is also due to your lifestyle (little sleep, a lot of alcohol, etc.).
What Motivates You To Exercise?
Why do you struggle regularly to lift weights? Why would anyone bother going to a fitness center?
If you say something like “to improve my blood pressure”, “to relieve stress” or “to be a good role model” I won’t buy it from you. I call these logical motivators. It is also not wrong to have such motivators, on the contrary, they are of great use to us – but let’s get realistic. You don’t go to fitness several hours a week to improve your health.
You train based on emotional and irrational needs and fears.
You train to attract attractive people. Isn’t it usually the case that sexy people go out or date sexy people? Of course you need a body that looks good in clothes and even better without it.
I think every man knows that to a certain extent “bigger equals better” when it comes to an attractive body. It is not without reason that the media keep saying: “The better you look, the more attention you get from women”.
I firmly believe that if you know your personal irrational motivators, you can demonstrate long-term success. In this case, muscle gain.
It has been proven that the combination of well-proportioned muscle mass and minimal body fat percentage is a sign of fertility and shows that you have more testosterone than others (even if you don’t).
To look good naked shouldn’t be your motivation …
I am sure that if we did a survey we would look good naked and many dates have the most irrational and emotional desire why someone is training. There are of course other good reasons, but this would be the top answer.
What is an irrational and emotional motivator?
Here some examples:
- Not to be noticed by women when you walk through a club, but to be groped
- To be able to wear clothes of any style
- Getting women to tell you: “Show my friends your six pack!”
- Going out with someone different every night of the week
- Not to be ashamed of having to go to a pool party
- Arms that almost tear your sleeves and a chest that doesn’t let your top button close
- Comments like: “Oh my god, look at him!”
- Not to die early so you can still travel with your grandchildren
- To intimidate others into avoiding them when you walk by
- Making others jealous of what you’ve got
- Never have someone contradict you out of fear
Logical motivators
- Promote health
- Less stress
- Muscle building
- Good role model
- Balance to everyday life
- Clothes fit better
- More energy
Do you see the difference Clearly the irrational desires (compared to the fears) are conceited and superficial, I know. But who gets the better result? The person with the irrational or logical motivators? Clearly the ones with the irrational. The secret to getting a great body is figuring out the real why – whatever irrational fear or need is.
How to find out your irrational desires:
- Ask yourself, “Why do I want to exercise?”
Possible answer: “To feel better.”
Then ask your answer. - Ask yourself, “Why do I want to feel better?”
Possible answer: “To be more productive at work …”
Then ask your answer. - Ask yourself, “Why do I want to be more productive?”
Possible answer: “So that I get promoted and earn more,”
and so on - “Why do I want to earn more money?”
“So that I can give my child a good education.”
Have you noticed how the reason for exercising went from being a very logical fear to being an emotional one, and the more you want to ask yourself why ? The more honest you are with yourself, the faster you will get to your real reason for exercising.
Your why will be the difference between success or failure. This topic is rarely mentioned in the bodybuilding world and can lead to unstoppable motivation in uncovering the truth about yourself. There is no right or wrong answer here. You just have to be honest with yourself. Now it’s your turn.