Archive for the ‘Diet’ Category
5 Mistakes teenagers commonly make when working out
December 28th, 2008 | 
Author: Without further ado; the top 5 mistakes teenagers make when working out.
Diet
Possibly the number 1 mistake made by teenagers. It’s a common scenario when a teenager picks up a magazine or searches online and goes straight to the training articles. They then focus solely on weights and after weeks of minimal gains, end up bored and quitting.
As stated in our guide to protein, it’s really important that you at least try to improve on your diet. I’m not saying you should be counting every calorie or micro-nutrient, but next time you’re craving a chocolate bar, why not have a banana instead. Bananas are a good source of carbs and don’t contain the high levels of sugar and caffeine like chocolate.
These simple substitutions make a huge difference and will have a massive impact on your overall diet. Not only will your gains increase, you will also feel healthy and have more energy in general.
Another mistake teenagers often make is they don’t eat enough. It’s easy to think that by eating less, you’ll loose fat and so your muscles and six pac will show through that much better. This simply isn’t true. Your body would rather eat into your muscle supplies over your fat. This means that by working out and eating less, all you’re going to see is minimal gains, if that.
Consistency
A small, but common mistake. To make positive gains you have to be consistent. It’s easy to become easily excited with the initial gains, which happen fast. But once this period is over, it’s also easy to loose interest, often completely.
This stage after the ‘newbie’ gains is absolutely critical and slacking at this point will cost you. Remember, the body will only get bigger and stronger if you want it to. Getting leaniant in your work outs and eating will only result in your body regressing back to its original strength and size.
Distractions when working out
A good workout should consist of about 30 minutes of intense lifting or cardio. Try to workout in a room or area where you are alone and away from distractions like mobile phones or laptops. These will only hinder your workout and long gaps between sets are not productive. Maximum focus on your current exercise and workout, without distractions, will result in more reps and so leading to better gains.
Over training
Being a teenage means we have tons of energy, maybe sometimes too much. When first starting to workout it is understandably easy to over train. You love that feeling you get every time you have a hard workout and believe the more training the better. This is a common belief, and by thinking this you are just one of many.
As said in the how importance is rest article, by working out you cause microscopic tears in your muscles. If you then don’t give these muscles enough time to repair you’ll end up doing more damage than good and your gains will suffer.
Aim to have no more than 3-4 heavy workout days a week.
Not having fun - Boredom
After the initial few months of gains it’s easy to become bored. Remember, having fun and enjoying your exercise is crucial and getting fed up can be a killer for all of us.
Take a look in the mirror every now and again. Though it may seem vain, seeing how much you’ve improved and grown over the time you’ve been working out can be a huge motivator. Taking a picture of yourself every few weeks is also a good way to see how much you’ve improved.
Varying your exercises can also help. There are literally hundreds of variations of the simple crunch; imagine how many other ways there are to do your other typical exercises. All it takes is a few seconds on google and you have a whole new workout.
Conclusion
Well there you have it, 5 of the most commonly made mistakes teenagers make. If you are serious about your lifting and want to see some positive gains, remember to keep all these in mind. They’re simple to avoid but easy to fall victim to.
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Guide to protein
Why Protein?
By working out and training, you are in effect ripping your muscles. This is what causes the pain and aching after a session in the gym. When your muscles rip they then need to repair themselves, forming larger, more leaner muscle. This constant cycle of repair is where protein comes in. Without sufficient protein your muscles will be unable to repair themselves and your gains will suffer.
It’s a common myth that to build muscle you need to overdose yourself on protein. Though you do need to increase your intake, you certainly don’t need to go over board. Excessive intake will just result in you urinating it out or in it just being left undigested.
How Much?
So, how much protein should you take? According to scientific studies you should be aiming to increase you’re protein intake to 1.5 grams per pound body weight. Chances are you’re not going to stick to this like a religion, though you should make some sort of effort to increase your intake.
Here are a few tips:
- Simple things like ordering fish instead of sausage at the take-away.
- Try to eat some kind of meat with every meal.
- For breakfast include a glass of milk.
- Drink a protein shake before or after your workout.
Protein Shakes
Not everyone has the time or money to be cooking good quality and vast quantity’s of meat everyday. This is where protein shakes come in. They provide a safe, relatively cheap alternative and can be brought from most major retailers or health shops.
There is much debate over protein shakes but the facts are simple. Drinking just one shake a day will do wonders for your protein intake and contains barely any fat.
The safest and most commonly used type of protein, which I myself personaly advise, is whey protein as it is the safest and has been known to have no side effects.
Finding the right shake for you might take a while as some taste nicer then others and others may not agree with your body. Personally I use strawberry flavoured, pro power, whey protein. It can be mixed with either water or milk, costs only