bodybuilding | Fitness on Toast

Motivation alone doesn’t get us fit; it merely helps us to get ourselves fit and then stay there. We need motivation to stick with it and see change. There are so many ways to ‘up’ the motivation factor when it’s lacking, to re-energise and to build an arsenal of new tricks from fitness world’s armory. Personally, I love an engaging nutrition and health book, trying out new classes, and participating in the online fitness community. I get massively inspired looking at fitness models and athletes alike, to whom I aspire; fit girls who squat heavy, or olympians who profess superhuman abilities to run faster, jump higher and swim further. These things really motivate me!

However, for those times when I’m lacking motivation (which does happen!) and the normal sources just don’t cut it, I turn to external stimuli… There’s nothing better than a good Fitness Expo to drum up new ideas and determination; it’s like a supermarket for fitness innovations! This post highlights one that’s coming up in London in a months time, and offers a perfect chance to inject some new motivation to the tired training routine we sometimes find ourselves in!

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I see it all the time – guys in the gym who have colossally sculpted upper bodies and miniature chicken-legs. Not only does this look absolutely ridiculous (no symmetry whatsoever), but failing to train your legs is a physiological mistake. Yes it’s true that the glutes are the largest muscle in the body, but being the largest muscle group in the body, skipping over your legs just won’t do! I’m not going to talk about the muscles you train in this post, rather my reasons for training them in the first place:

1) Aside from the cosmetic reason of creating body-symmetry, legs are worth keeping conditioned (something your body will thank you for as it matures). Strength training of the legs stimulates bone re-calcification, enhances tendon and ligament durability and improves overall joint strengthening.
2) Larger muscles boost the metabolism and burn more calories, so legs therefore can potentially burn the highest number of calories at rest. Most serious bodybuilders seem to believe that a 30min leg session will burn anywhere from 500-1000 calories depending on intensity (that’s 25-50% of your recommended daily calorie intake!). Also, a lot of cardiovascular exercise involves using your legs so by increasing strength and/or size, you’ll help fuel your workouts while burning more calories too!!
3) Being the largest muscle group in the body, training your legs encourages the release of natural testosterone and other growth hormones, promoting overall strength and mass throughout your whole body, not just the legs.
4) And finally it’s good to keep your body guessing. By training your legs, it’ll add yet another important variation to your regime, stimulating optimal muscle adaptation and growth.