Enough articles have been written telling you about creatine. Enough articles have been written telling you about periodization. Enough articles have been written about fat burning and thermogenic products. Why, then, after reading all of those articles, aren't you as big and lean and strong and ripped as you want to be? Simple.
You've gained knowledge about some of the components of the body transformation process -- not the entire picture. You just need to learn how to put all of the pieces together into a whole system.
This is the first of a series of articles I'll be writing that will link together all of the pieces of knowledge you've acquired into a usable whole. This is a plan that works and is doable.
In this first stage of your body transformation you're going to utilize a weight training technology I've termed metabolic shift training. It is the most effective method for building muscle, burning fat, and transforming the body that I've ever encountered.
I know you've been seeking out "the perfect routine" from friends, gym members, and magazines, and although you've tried many, none has really kicked in the way you hoped. That's really because "the perfect routine" for "everyone" doesn't exist.
The idea is to challenge and feed your muscles with a stimulus that brings about improvement, and then, just before the body adapts to that stimulus, kick in a new challenge without overtraining.
While the general guidelines of muscle development apply to "all," you are an individual with individual strengths, unique recuperation and recovery abilities, and your own metabolism, therefore, once you understand and apply the general rules, you'll learn to self-customize the specifics of your training.
Good news: there is a way to control your metabolism and the amount of fat that covers your body. However, there is a prerequisite for making that change. You'll need to learn to control how to build muscle and burn fat.
The most common mistake that people make is attempting lose fat without having a concern for muscle. Did you know that muscle is the site where fat itself is burned? So doesn't it make sense that if you want to burn more fat that you'd want to improve that quality of your fat burning furnace?
How did you get introduced to strength training? Three times a week, basic compound movements, resting every other day? At first that worked. Then you learned more and you may have met someone that trains legs on Fridays and chest on Tuesdays.
You learned about supersets and forced reps. Your "thighs," rather than consisting of hams and quads, soon became inner quads, outer quads, sweep, and teardrop. The overhead presses you started with for delts were soon joined by all types of lateral movements to the front, sides, and rear.
This is the progression for most people from beginner to intermediate phase bodybuilding. As you advanced, you may have noticed that your gains started to slow. Results start to diminish.
About the author: Curtis is the founder of OC Boot Camp FX and has been teaching Orange County Boot Camp for more than 4 years. For more proven techniques on building muscle, burning fat, and transforming your body visit his Brea personal trainers blog now.