The first step in developing and maintaining a workout plan begins in the kitchen. To build you body in a healthful manner, you must eat right. Vegetables, Fruits, Chicken and Fish are highly recommended and foods that are high in fats and sugars should be avoided.
However, you should not fall into the trap of diets and designate one day out of the week as a "cheat day". A cheat day is one day in the week where you can eat foods that are traditionally high in fats and/or sugars. I like to weed this down to a "cheat meal". In a cheat meal, you can eat whatever you desire. To maintain a good plan, you should eat around six meals a day. The largest meal should be breakfast and then pursue to eat a snack and then lunch, and then another snack and then dinner. If you wait and only eat three meals per day, your stomach will not process the food as fast as it would if you consumed six meals per day. Along with fats and sugars, you will also need to cut back on alcoholic beverages and coffee because they reduce water from the body and fuel dehydration.
The next step in maintaining a workout plan is to exercise properly. Whether it is machines or free weights, you should pick exercises that are fun and when they become stale, then it is time to try different exercises. Secondly, it is best to work out your entire body, because your muscles compliment each other. It does not matter if you only want to work on your abdominal or chest muscles, you also need to work out your leg, back, and shoulder muscles as well. It is best to start with lighter weights and do ten repetitions. After that, continue to add weight until you struggle to do six repetitions. Most importantly, you need to warm up properly. If you do not warm up, you put yourself at risk for various injuries. I've personally experienced arm and leg cramps along with a pulled groin muscle for not warming up properly. You can warm up by stretching or doing repetitions at approximately half of the maximum weight that you can lift. Along with warming up, you will also need to do a cool down workout after your main workouts. The cool down can be preformed be doing repetitions at a lower weight than your maximum.
Another issue regarding working out is certain supplements that many people use with weight training. I personally use a dietary supplement before working out and whey protein powder after I work out. Be careful not to take too many supplements before you work out because they are energy boosters and could be detrimental to your health. Another important note is to never work out on an empty stomach. The food you eat before weight training will energize you and help build muscle faster. Now, with all of those tips considered, enjoy your workout.
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