Keep a
Log: Keep your own detailed notes of your progress; weight, strength and
ability. This will become your most important document whilst bodybuilding.
Scales:
At first, avoiding the scales is key because you will more than likely lose weight
due to excess water, but as you progress you will be able to keep track of your
weight loss and muscle gain by weighing yourself.
Tape
Measure: You can measure your muscles to see if they’re growing, and you can
track your body fat loss by measuring your abdominals.
Strength:
An increase in strength is not necessarily an indicator that your muscle mass
is growing, but it is a good sign that you’re progressing.
Health:
Adding exercise and healthy eating into your life will dramatically change your
insides as well as your outsides. Measuring the change in your heart rate,
blood pressure and cholesterol will let you know how far you have come.
Pictures:
Photographing your progress will give you a much more objective look at your
appearance than looking in the mirror. You can compare yourself to a time
period ago, which can be invaluable.
Calipers:
A skinfold caliper measures the thickness of a ‘pinch’ of skin. Behind the skin
lies fat, so as your muscle grows, this ‘pinch’ will become smaller. Body Fat:
You can get handheld devices to tell you your body fat ratio. Lower doesn’t
necessarily mean better – that all depends on your end goal.
Workout Recovery
Sleep: Your body naturally recovers when you sleep, so be sure that you are getting enough!
Workout Recovery
You
will want to recover from your workouts as quickly as possible, allowing you to
get back into the gym. There are a few methods you can use to help this process
along:
Stretching:
This can be anything from light stretches to aerobics. Anything which will stop
your muscles from seizing up during their rest times.
Bathing:
There is the contrast method, which is starting the deep bath with hot water
and ending with cold (unless you’re about to sleep, in which case work it the
opposite way).
Massage:
Soft tissue methods are great for recovery, particularly when injured. You can
also look into self-massage or electronic muscle stimulation if it’s something
you’d like to try at home.
Nutrition:
You need to balance your diet well according to your weight and goal, to ensure
your body is getting everything it needs.
Sleep: Your body naturally recovers when you sleep, so be sure that you are getting enough!