Train for the Look You Want


So the Olympics are almost upon us. While you have the chance, compare the differences between a marathon (long distance) runner's body and a sprinter's body. What do you notice? The long-distance runner is skinny, frail, kind of bony, thin and almost sickly looking. On the other hand, the sprinter has well developed muscles, and looks strong, fit, healthy.

Of the two, which one would you rather look like?

Well, this is what should determine how you develop your own training program. If you want to look like the sprinter - and about 98 percent of people desire a sprinter's body type - why do you spend all that time doing cardio on a treadmill while you watch CNN? In order to look and feel like a sprinter, you must train like one.

Remember, start out slowly. You're probably not a sprinter now, and if you went out and followed their regimen, tomorrow you'd be insanely sore and probably give up exercising altogether.

Let's consider, for a moment, these creatures (sprinters). They only move rapidly for about 10 to 60 seconds at most, during a single sprint. Well, that isn't very much time, if you compare it to long-distance runners, who run for three to four hours, without stopping.

So if long-distance runners are active for much longer periods of time, why do sprinters have more attractive bodies?

The reason is this: sprinters maximally contract their muscles, which requires a lot more work from their bodies than a slow, staggered, constant run. Not to mention that with the short maximal energy bursts, testosterone and growth hormones are released in greater amounts. These hormones are anabolic in nature, which means bodybuilding - they build your body up. On the other hand, running for long durations releases cortisol, a catabolic hormone, meaning it breaks the body down. This effect is associated with muscle wasting, and over time, it is extremely bad for the body. It also is the reason for the ultra-skinny, no-muscle look of a long distance runner, versus that of anaerobic athlete like a weightlifter.

If you think about our anthropological history, we were designed to move rapidly, so we could catch our food back in the caveman days. We weren't built to run our food to death by having the animal get so tired that it just fell down and collapsed because it was exhausted from our chasing it. Well, that same design serves us today. We may not have to track, catch, and kill our food anymore, but our bodies are still meant to MOVE.

So if you want to look like a sprinter, with a lean, athletic physique, you must train like one. Limiting the aerobic exercise and incorporating an anaerobic weight-training program will cause you to look better and burn fat much more quickly. Anaerobic weight training will elicit more results, both in terms of gaining muscle and melting fat, than any other method of training.

Scott White is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist located in Scottsdale, Ariz. For more information about nutrition and fitness or for info about a consultation, call or e-mail Scott today. 480-628-1607 or swhite@personalpowertraining.net.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Building Muscle Information:

Related Articles

Personal Training: 3 Powerful Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert
Regardless of what profession you are in, it is critical that people believe that you know what you are talking about! You won't find very many successful lawyers whose clients never win in court, or popular doctors whose patients are continually misdiagnosed. This concept obviously applies to personal trainers as well, and making sure you are viewed as an expert in your field is as important as having the knowledge to begin with.
The Health Risks Associated With The Use Of Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids are classed as illegal drugs and are banned by most legitimate sports organizations. There can be no disputing the fact that testosterone boosts the development of muscle mass and aids sporting performance.
Muscle And Fitness -- The Third and Final Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals
Before delving into Muscle And Fitness - The Second Key, the final and most important key to success in your muscle and fitness routine, I'd like to remind you about what the previous article discussed.In a previous article, you were given a number of steps to follow.
Increase Your Training Intensity - Pre-Exhaustion
You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate progressively stronger muscular contractions, so this calls for an emphasis on finding ways to increase exercise intensity. This should not be confused with exercise duration as maximum training intensity will actually shorten the time needed to achieve maximal muscular growth.
Anabolic Hormones - A Two-Edged Sword
When I was a young boy, emerging muscles were the coolest thing. If a vein popped out a little, that was even more awesome.
Target: Rear Delts: One Simple Movement and They'll be on Fire!
The Bent-Over Lateral Raise is one of the most common exercises used for working the rear or posterior deltoids. For most trainers, it can be difficult to really feel the rear delts working during this movement as the larger, stronger muscles of the back have a tendency to take over.
Machine Exercises That Suit Beginners
The aim for beginners to weight training must be to lay the foundations for the intensive workouts that their bodies will eventually be subjected to. Obviously successful bodybuilding involves bringing together disparate elements such as nutrition and rest but choosing the right exercises is crucial.
How Long Should You Rest Between Muscle Building Sessions?
In an earlier article we concluded that muscles must be worked to failure if an adequate hypertrophic response is to occur. Whether this involves one or more sets is irrelevant as in either scenario the muscles must be worked to failure and beyond.
The Role Of L-Glutamine In Building Muscle
L-glutamine remains the supplement of choice for many bodybuilders. It is a free form amino acid that can be found naturally in beans, meat, fish, poultry and dairy products.
Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training - Build Real Muscle Instead of Fake!
Working as a fitness professional, there is one type of question I get all the time that shows that many people are missing the big picture regarding the benefits of strength training. This popular question usually goes something like this:"What exercise can I do to isolate my _______ (insert your muscle of choice - abs, quads, biceps, triceps, etc)?"It doesn't matter which muscle someone is asking about, they always seem to be asking how to 'isolate' it.
The Importance Of Creatine In Building Lean Muscle
Creatine monohydrate can rightly lay claim to being the most popular and arguably most effective bodybuilding supplement currently available. The beauty of creatine is that it is 100% natural and occurs in many foods so it's unlikely to be banned from any sports or competitions.
Exercise The Right Way - The Bent-Knee Sit-Up
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiiders' training regimes.
Get On the Ball: Core Stability
Have you heard the term, focus on the core? No, we're not talking about the inside of a golf ball; we're talking about the inner muscles that make up the abdominal region, hips and lower back. Most people focus their attention on the muscles that are more visible and easy to train, such as biceps, pecs and back, however, the most important muscles that act as our foundation are often over looked.
The Ultimate Hard Body Exercise
The Front Squat:As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man.
Make Sure To Rest For Muscle Growth
One of the best pieces of exercise advice is to make sure you know that your muscles grow when your resting not training. That's right, you don't actually get bigger and stronger when you're in the gym.
Muscle and Fitness -- The First Key To Achieving Your Goals
Lets discuss what I term as Muscle and Fitness -- The First Key.In a previous article, I went through the 'Three Keys To Success' in any muscle and fitness regime that you use.
The Dangerous Secret of Extreme Muscle Growth
You've decided to join a gym, but you're not sure the best way to work out, and don't want to pay for a personal trainer who may not really know what he's talking about? Already an experienced weight lifter, but aren't getting the results you want? Read on for the best tips for working out if you have a full gym facility, and the secret to extreme muscle growth.Before and AfterYou should always warm up before lifting any weights.
Resistance Training With Your Dog
You may be wondering, "How can I possibly do resistance training with my dog?" Well, here are a few exercises you can do with the aid of your faithful furry companion.Leg raises - if you have a male dog, he's probably already shown you how to do this one.
Muscle Soreness After Exercise
Many individuals judge the quality of their exercise session from the amount of pain they experience afterwards. These individuals are convinced by the old adage "No Pain No Gain".
Protein or Carbohydrates?
This has got to be the biggest controversy in modern bodybuilding. Bodybuilders will say you've got to consume loads of protein to pack on quality muscle mass and increase strength.