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 By: Skip La Cour
Six-Time National Champion Bodybuilder Skip La Cour reveals the organizing principles of powerful mental habits that will take this area of your bodybuilding and training efforts to the next level!
  Click To Enlarge. Take Your Bodybuilding And Training Efforts To The Next Level!
Strive to be the very best version of you possible—regardless of your genetic limitations. We have what we have. Our job is to make the most out of what we've been given. Appreciate what you do have and don't get overly concerned with what you don't.
 Click To Enlarge. Make The Most Out Of What You've Been Given!
You should always expect the best from your efforts—but don't get discouraged if you don't see the results you want as soon as you want. Be patient. Be persistent. Related Dedication Articles:
You must open your mind to new and different strategies if you want to produce better results than what you are currently getting. If you do what you've always done in the past, you'll produce the same results.
If you choose to train without steroids or other drugs, that's awesome. Focus on how you can be the most productive with your efforts while taking that route. Don't waste your time talking or thinking about how much easier of a time people who use drugs to assist them with their development have compared to you. You don't need that distraction. Related Steroid Articles:
Spend your time talking with those people who have earned good physiques, demonstrate admirable work ethics, and exude positive attitudes. Do everything you can to avoid people with negative attitudes.
 Click To Enlarge. Talk With Positive People!
Focus on your training while you are in the gym to produce the best results. Don't use the time between sets to let your mind wander or engage in conversations that will distract you. Related Focus Articles:
Set a time limit for your workout. Your weight training sessions should last no longer than one hour. More isn't better—not when it comes to bodybuilding and training.
 Click To Enlarge. Your Weight Training Sessions Should Last No Longer Than One Hour.
Create a series of action steps that you can do every day to get you closer to the body you ultimately want. Allow yourself to be happy every step of your journey rather than waiting until the ultimate goal is finally achieved.
Appreciate the progress you are making. Taking the time to assess your training and eating habits on a weekly basis can help you maintain the right perspective.
Give your workout and nutritional programs enough time to properly determine their effectiveness. Let the power of momentum work for you. Don't keep switching from one plan to another without giving each one the time and effort they need to produce results.
The organizing principles of good nutrition that will take this area of your bodybuilding and training efforts to the next level!
You must place a very high priority on the way you eat if you want to take your physique to the next level. The way you eat is far more important than the way you train. You're in the gym for about an hour a day. It's what you do during those other 23 hours of the day that are going to make the biggest impact on your progress.
 Click To Enlarge. Make Eating A Priority.
You must burn more calories than you eat if you want to lose body fat. It doesn't matter if almost all of the food you eat is good, healthy food, you must burn more than you eat or you'll get fat. Related Calories Articles:
Stop looking for the "perfect" diet. Nothing worth having in life comes without some sacrifice. Eating the way you must to build the body you want will be no exception. In the long run, it's the challenges that we face that makes what we have rewarding. How enjoyable would life be if everything was easy? When you start adhering to a particular eating regimen, anticipate the discipline, sacrifice, and discomfort that comes with the pursuit of any worthwhile goal.
Keep your diet simple. That way, you'll give yourself a better chance to follow through and ultimately achieve successful results. If you must make your diet more complex, do so on the weekends only.
 Click To Enlarge. Keep It Simple.
Eat smaller, more frequent and well-balanced meals spaced evenly throughout the day. Your body will use the nutrients in your food more efficiently. You'll build more muscle and prevent body fat this way. Related Body Fat Articles:
If you want to make sure you preserve as much muscle mass as possible, you should start eating a small protein-based meal with high-glycemic carbohydrates before every one of your weight training and cardiovascular training sessions.
You should consume a small meal comprised of a high quality protein source and high-glycemic carbohydrates immediately after your weight training and cardiovascular training workouts. Doing so will protect the muscle you've already earned and immediately kick the massively-important muscle recovery process into gear. Related Pre And Post Workout Nutrition Articles:
Carbohydrates serve as an essential part in the muscle-building process. Instead of trying to eliminate carbohydrates altogether, you should make sure you are eating the right types of carbohydrates at the right times of day. High-glycemic carbohydrates (potatoes, simple sugars are best before and after your workouts; low-glycemic carbohydrates like vegetables are great throughout the rest of the day.
If you are not getting the results you want with your diet, you'll need to raise your standards. You either need to do a "little more of this" or a "little less of that." You may also need to make these changes for a longer period of time.
10. Don't blame your diet when you aren't getting the results you want. Take 100 percent responsibility for your success and failure. Just about any eating program can be effective—if you follow through on a consistent basis. If you aren't getting the results you want, assume that the problem is in your approach.
 Click To Enlarge. Take 100 Percent Responsibility For Your Success And Failure.
The organizing principles of effective training habits that will take this area of your bodybuilding and training efforts to the next level!
Don't confuse activity for intensity when you are in the gym. There is a huge difference between the two. Activity is merely showing up. Intensity in training can be described as giving 100 percent of your mind, body, and soul to every repetition, every set, every exercise, and every workout. Techniques To Increase Intensity:
Don't confuse training volume with training effectiveness. Stimulating the muscles can be done quite effectively in one hour or less. Planning to do only two or three sets with only three or four exercises per body part creates that sense of urgency you need. More isn't better. Better is better.
 Click To Enlarge. More Isn't Better. Better Is Better.
Heavy training is the most efficient way to build muscle. Efficient muscle-building is getting the maximum results in the shortest period of time while putting forth the least amount of effort. By heavy training, I'm talking about continually challenging yourself to lift more weight than your body is already acclimated to lifting week in and week out—whatever that amount of weight may be.
Strive for a happy medium between training lighter with strict form and very heavy with sloppy form. Lifting heavy enough weight to build significant muscle mass—while still using form that's good enough to directly stimulate the intended muscle group.
Be sure that you don't waste a lot of time, strength, or repetitions during warm-up sets. Always try to remember that warm-up sets are only designed to prepare your body and mind to lift a heavy, overloading amount of weight during your intense, working sets. The heavy sets stimulate muscle growth—not the warm-ups.
Let the muscle groups fully recover before you blast them again. Train each body part no more than two times a week—and two times will be a stretch if you train naturally and with true intensity. Remember that more is not necessarily better. Related Recovery Articles:
Set simple training goals before every workout. Creating a short list of "training disciplines" can be extremely helpful in your pursuit of big muscle gains.
 Click To Enlarge. Set Simple Goals For Every Workout. Be ready for every single set you perform in the gym. Know what you want to achieve before your hands even touch "metal." You should always know the minimum number of repetitions you want to do before your hands even touch a barbell, dumbbell, or training machine apparatus. Invest a little time to think about your next workout before you leave the gym.
Documenting your training performance during every workout is an effective strategy that will produce significant results over time. Seeing what you've done during your last training session before you begin each set forces you to strive for more this time around.
You must schedule enough time out of the gym so your body can fully recover. You will need to take a week off from training every eight to ten weeks. Your muscles grow when they are recuperating out of the gym. This time out of the gym and off of training will allow your body to rest and recuperate adequately. Related Time Management Articles:
Be disciplined when training the body parts that you don't like to train. Your mind will always lead your body. Buck up and act as if those body parts that you don't like to train are the ones you love to train more than any other.
 Click To Enlarge. Your Mind Will Always Lead Your Body.
If you would like these tips explained in more detail, sign up for YOUR Success Series, Skip La Cour's FREE e-Newsletter. Go to www.skiplacour.com. Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here!
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