As the sun begins to rise a little bit later in the day and set a little bit earlier in the day, you can’t help but notice that summer 2012 is now gone and we are now in fall 2012. The trips to the beach and the days of walking around outside in shorts and a tank are nearing their end for 2012 as the number of warm days are in danger of extinction for the year.
But don’t worry, all this means is more time at home with the loved ones, Sunday’s in watching the good ‘ol NFL, and going heavy in the gym. Now that you are not worried about how you’re going to look at the beach next weekend, you can up your carbs and start bulking up again. Long story short, it is now time to stop trying to look like LL Cool J and time to start looking like Ronnie Coleman.
Up the weight
This should come as no surprise, but up the weight in the gym. It is no longer about just getting that pumped up look to look good in the sunny weather. Now you can focus solely on training hard and heavy in order to truly tax the muscle fibers and make the muscles grow.
One way to do this is to lower the rep range as you up the weight. Focusing on 8-10 reps, or even as low as 6 reps for some exercises, will help you hit some new personal bests in the gym as well as attack the muscles like never before. You’ll need to make sure you are focusing on the mass building exercises too.
Mass building exercises
Bench presses, squats, and dead lifts, oh my! With more calories coming into your body and an incentive to train heavier to get larger, you will want to put much more emphasis on the mass building exercises. Don’t be afraid of the bench press. Asking for a spot and struggling a bit with a heavier weight won’t make you less of a man. It’ll be the stepping-stone to becoming a much bigger man in the gym.
Squats. Some love them, and some hate them. Unless you have legitimate knee issues, then saddle into the squat rack, use your best form, and squat till your legs are tree trunks. If you need a spot here, again don’t be afraid to get one. And if you have to do leg presses, do what you gotta do.
Dead lifts are actually an exercise many love. It’s an exercise of pure, brute strength. Use these to work your back or legs, depending on your form. Just use proper form and don’t sell yourself short.
Eating
You can eat a bit looser now. We’re not all bodybuilders, so we don’t all have to stick to rigid diets that will keep us looking lean all year long. With the warm weather gone and the layers of clothing coming soon, you can up the carbs and calories. You can start eating out again. Don’t go crazy now and gain 40 lbs of fat over the next 5-6 months. But don’t be afraid to put on a bit of weight in order to give yourself more ability to really push the weight hard in the gym.
Rest
As the cold months settle in, it’s likely you’ll be spending less time going on vacation unless you’re dead set on hitting the snow in a few months. But nonetheless, with less weekend road trips to the beach or days out on the town and more sleeping in and watching football, you’ll grow even more. Recovery is one of the most important aspects of putting on muscle. Use your weekends to relax and get in some quality nutrition. Just because you’re not in the gym getting some reps doesn’t mean you’re not putting on size. Of all things you’re growing more sitting at home on Sunday on your couch watching TV than when you’re in the gym under the weight.
So as the warm weather goes away soon and the cold weather comes in, know that it is time to start lifting heavier. In the next few months, focus on putting on the size and increasing in strength and when it’s time for the warm weather in spring 2013, you’ll have more muscle to show off.
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