Body sculpting is a result of having a regular strength-training routine. Building the strength and size of your muscles and keeping your body fat low will enable you to see the muscular definition created by strength training. Body sculpting can be as simple as showing some shoulder and bicep definition in a beginning exerciser, to the more complex, ripped muscles of a seasoned bodybuilder.
Getting Started
Beginning a regular strength-training program is a must for getting muscular definition. When you first begin strength training, start with a total body workout three days a week. This workout should consist of three exercises for each of the large muscles of the body, such as squats, lat pull-downs, chest presses and abdominal crunches, as well as two exercises for each of the smaller muscles of the arms and shoulders. Easy exercises to start with for the smaller muscles are bicep curls, triceps kickbacks and lateral shoulder raises. Perform one or two sets of each exercise with 12 to 15 repetitions in each set. This workout should take 45 to 60 minutes.
Progressions
After three to four weeks of regular strength training with a total body workout, change your lifting workouts to focus on two or three muscle groups each time. For example, one workout can focus on chest and back; the second workout on legs, glutes and shoulders; the third, biceps, triceps and abdominals. Select four exercises for each muscle group and perform two or three sets of each exercise. At this point in your workouts, you must lift heavier weights so that you can perform 10 to 12 repetitions with good form--but it should be difficult to lift more than 12 repetitions. For example, if you have been using 15-lb. weights for your chest press and are performing 15 repetitions easily, increase the weights to 20 or 25 lbs. in order to be challenged in the 10- to 12-repetition range.
Types of Exercises
Initially, the majority of your exercises should be machine-based, because weight machines will help control your movement until you gain strength and awareness of the exercises. A typical beginning workout uses a cable machine for a lat pull-down, a chest press machine and a leg press machine to work the legs. When you change your strength-training program to add more exercises for each muscle group, you should then begin to add exercises that require more body control and use dumbbells, weighted bars and medicine balls. For example, use dumbbells for a lat row and a bar for a chest press, then perform lunges adding a rotation and holding a medicine ball. By using varied equipment, your muscles have to work harder to control the movement and will become stronger, creating greater muscle definition.
Misconceptions
The second biggest misconception is that following the same strength training program for months or even years will continue to get results. The human body adapts quickly to exercise and once it has adapted it stops progressing. A rule of thumb is to change your workout program every four to six weeks in order to continue getting results. Change which muscle groups you work together, increase the number of sets from two to three within each workout, or perform two exercises in a row for the same muscle group to promote more fatigue.
Results
Most people will see results in the upper body first, in areas like the shoulders and arms, where the body does not carry as much fat. It typically takes longer to see definition in the abdomen and glutes, where there tends to be more fat. In order to lose body fat and see the definition of the muscles, cardiovascular exercise (cardio) and proper nutrition must also be present in your exercise program.
Cardio exercise should be performed daily for 30 to 60 minutes. In order to lose weight and decrease body fat, 60 minutes a day is recommended; 30 minutes daily will suffice if you are at a desirable body-fat level and are in a maintenance phase. Types of cardio exercise that are good calorie burners are running, bicycling, swimming and using stationary exercise machines such as elliptical trainers.
It's also important to eat nutritious foods. Caloric intake for women should range between 1,400 and 1,800 calories per day; and, for men, 2,000-2,400 calories per day. This varies greatly depending on your body size and activity level; to get a more specific calculation, books such as "The Sports Nutrition Guidebook" by Nancy Clark, RD, are helpful in finding personal calorie intake ranges and nutritional guidance.
References
- "The Personal Trainer's Handbook"; Teri S. O'Brien, MS; 1997
- "The Y's Way to Physical Fitness"; YMCA of the USA; various dates
- "The Sports Nutrition Guidebook"; Nancy Clark, RD; 1999 with updated editions
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