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Which is Most Important – Lifting? Diet? Supps?

By Boyd Myers

Definitely, one of the most common discussions that I encounter is “which element is most important while in getting in shape?” Some will argue that it’s 80% diet, while others will say that it’s all training (amazing how often these individuals follow NO diet plan). I don’t know that it’s possible to put a value on any particular portion of bodybuilding, but below is my opinion on which is the most important element of training.

In this writing, you will come across the term "bodybuilder". I realize that most that read this will never, nor do they have any inclination to compete in an actual bodybuilding competition. That’s ok, I consider anyone that tries to stay “in shape” a bodybuilder, because building your body is what you are doing!

Weightlifting and Resistance Training (Anaerobic)

Lifting is definitely the catalyst that spurts growth. To make a muscle achieve new levels of size and strength, you have to overload that muscle with a resistance that it isn’t accustomed to, and keep overloading the muscle to make sure that it doesn’t stop growing. Let’s face it, it says a lot about an individual that dedicates several hours a week to physical labor to make them selves stronger and look better. But it isn’t as easy as just picking up a weight and moving it until you’re tired. It takes serious planning and strategy to ensure the muscles react the way we want them to. Every single rep and set scheme is designed with a different objective in mind, whether it’s increased muscular endurance, increased muscle size, or increased strength; you have to plan on how you’re going to achieve one goal over time while not totally neglecting the others. There are more ways to split your training into different body parts on different days than there are people working those body parts. The possibilities are endless. Each individual has to decide what is best for their body; this often comes from months, if not years of trial and error. Lifting is the construction of the body, the actual labor that builds the house.

Considering all of the above, lifting weights and working out has to be the overall most important factor, right? Well...

Diet

As I mentioned before, it says a lot about a person that will dedicate several hours a week to physical labor to make themselves stronger and more muscular. With that being said, think about this: How many people do you see in your gym regularly? Ok, now how many of them have changed the way they look over the last 3 months? I’d be willing to bet that there aren’t that many.

If it were only about going into gyms and lifting weights, the gym would be full of over-muscled freaks. Outside of those few that were genetically blessed with great muscular development, the only way (legally) to build muscle is to supply the body with the proper nutrients, amounts of those nutrients, and when to have the nutrients it needs to grow: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

In my opinion, diet is the most difficult aspect of fitness for the average person to adapt to. From the time we were children, we have been taught to eat everything in sight. When we were sad, we ate. When we were happy, we ate. Celebrations often offer birthday cakes and sodas. Do you think it is possible to stay lean and gain muscle on a diet of birthday cake? If you do, let me sell you my bridge in Brooklyn. It takes discipline to avoid the temptation of sweets and greasy fast foods that are everywhere: on television, on billboards, even in the checkout line at the grocery store. It’s nearly impossible to escape. Four out of ten people in the United States are considered obese, or at least 30 pounds overweight. Although we have become a lazier society and do not exercise anywhere near enough, a lot of that can be attributed to diet. It’s way too easy to stop at McDonalds on the way home or just order pizza and have it delivered to our home. You can’t beat the convenience, but most of the items at restaurants are designed to taste good, not to be bodybuilder friendly. But bodybuilding aside - you should always eat to fuel whatever your activity. Practicing solid nutritional practices will help you accomplish whatever you're trying to accomplish faster.

If weightlifting is the construction of the home, the diet is definitely the materials it takes to build the home. You can’t build a home out of air alone.

Cardio

Don’t do cardio if you want to build muscle. Do you know how often I hear that? Well, let me say this: it is dead wrong. Actually, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Remember, the heart is a muscle, and it is the most important muscle, and it must be worked like any other muscle.

Cardio shouldn’t only be considered as a weight loss tool. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great way to create a calorie deficit. But it is also a great way to increase circulation. How does that benefit you as a bodybuilder? When we workout, waste is removed from our muscles. Increased circulation will assist in the removal of this waste from our bodies. Also, increased circulation will suppress the point at which our muscles produce lactic acid. Ever feel that burn toward the end of a set? That’s lactic acid. Wouldn’t it be nice if the point at which that lactic acid built up was delayed? Well, doing cardio will delay lactic acid accumulation!

Ok, if lifting is the building of the house, and diet is the materials of which the house is built, than cardio could be considered setting up the electrical in the house. What is the house worth if the electrical systems aren’t up to speed?

Supplementation

To be perfectly honest, I feel that this is the most over-emphasized portion of dealing a great body. Don’t get me wrong, there are supplements that do have uses. I totally recommend a high quality multivitamin, flax and other healthy oils, and amino acids. I will also say that creatine monohydrate works. Meal Replacement Powders, bars and protein are definitely easy and convenient ways to assist us in getting both the necessarily calories and nutrients that we need. Other than that, I pretty much stay away from everything else. As much as most people don’t want to hear this, there still hasn’t been a magic pill created. To lose fat, you have to safely reduce your calorie intake beneath what you burn in a given day, but not as much to where you’re burning muscle. To gain muscle, you must raise them the proper amount to be more than what you burn in a day, but not so much to where you put on fat. Both of these processes are slow. Typically, you shouldn’t lose more than 2lbs in a week (or you’re losing about 60% muscle). On the same token, you shouldn’t be gaining any more than 1-2 pounds in a week, unless you’re trying to gain fat.

I always try to emphasize that supplements are just that: SUPPLEMENTS. That word means “in addition to”. They should not be the cornerstone of any program. Using the house analogy, supplements could be considered a plasma screen television. They’re very nice to have, but not totally essential. Always do a cost and benefit analysis on any supplement. Is the cost worth the gain? Most supplements are quite pricey. Are the gains you receive (if any) worth your hard earned money?

Again, there are supplements that work, some do. But if you’re looking for a supplement that will give you steroid results, you’re going to be looking for a long time. If they worked like steroids, they would be illegal like steroids. This part of this article alone is going to keep it out of any magazines, but since I’m not trying to sell anything, so I think I’m safe.

Rest

If there are any X-factors in training, rest is one. Contrary to popular belief, more is not better when talking about fitness. You have to allow your body to recover between workouts. This does not simply mean work a different body part the next day. It means not breaking your body down to where it cannot recover. Working out not only taxes the body part you are working, it also puts incredible stress on your central nervous system. If you are lifting 5-6 days a week, there is a very good chance your body does not have the chance to ever recover and reach its optimum level of performance. It actually goes deeper than that. Your body is NOT recovering if you aren’t sleeping at least 7-9 hours a night. I know that it’s tough to get to sleep, especially with our jobs and families, but if you want to operate at your pinnacle, you need to be getting 7-9 hours of sleep every night. I do want to mention that you cannot catch up on sleep. If you only sleep 4 hours on Monday, don’t think that sleeping 13 hours on Tuesday will make up the difference. Remember, be consistent!

The house? Rest is definitely the maintenance. If you don’t take care of your inside and outside of your house by general repair and maintenance, it’s not going to be worth a whole lot down the road.

Basically, I can’t say that one factor is more important than the other. Everyone seems to have a different opinion. My opinion? Exercise, diet and nutrition, and rest are all pieces of a larger pie. If you want to reach your optimum level of fitness, you have to incorporate all of the pieces.

About the Author:

Boyd Myers is a certified personal trainer and performance nutrition specialist located in San Antonio, TX. He is well-known for his work with elite athletes and magazine cover models. His website is www.the-personal-trainer.com