Human Training Essay, Research Paper

Human Training: Building a Strong and Healthy Body

There are a lot of Americans in this world who are looking for a way to look

and feel strong and healthy. The problem is that not everyone knows how to get

started and keep up the process of building a strong, healthy body. The use of

proper nutrition and supplementation with high intensity training and a good

amount of rest will be effective in building a strong and healthy looking body.

Anyone can train with weights, but training with intensity is a whole different

story. High intensity training gives better results from a good training

program. A lot of people forget that proper nutrition provides the body with the

fuel it needs to train effectively. Another thing people do not recognize is

that supplements are essential for the body, and they will also help give better

results from high intensity training. And a person must also remember one cannot

train with intensity without a good amount of rest. Rest and recovery is very

important for muscles to grow and for increasing muscle strength. Building a

strong and healthy body revolves around high intensity training, proper

nutrition, supplementation, and rest and recovery. Any individual is capable of

gaining not only physical but also mental strength.

In order to get any results out of a workout, it must be done with intensity.

A longer, low intensity workout is much less effective because it will not be

stimulating the muscles; it will be annihilating them. All exercises should be

performed with intensity, resting only one minute between each set and two

minutes between each exercise. ?It?s not so much what exercises we do but

rather how we do them that matters most. We must perform these exercises

intensely to

produce rapid results? (D?Orso and Phillips 58). In every intense workout

there is a high point,and everyone has the skill to create a high point. Hitting

a high point in an intense workout is when the body is pushed to the extreme.

Creating high points make people feel good about their workouts. ?When you

develop the skill to intentionally create high points, you can not only

experience more energy and greater success in life, you can also produce major

results in minimal time, in any area? (D?Orso and Phillips 60). Nothing will

be accomplished in a workout if he or she worries if free weights or machines

are better. ?Free weights and machines both have advantages in a workout?

and both should be included in a workout (Cardena). As long as the exercise is

performed with intensity, it does not matter if it is with a machine or a

dumbbell.

Exercise selection is an important part of a good workout. A person should

focus on only one or two exercises, that way more intense sets can be performed

of that single exercise. ?Performing a small number of exercises enables you

to perform many more sets,? whereas the more exercises performed the less sets

performed, which is not good (Cardena). There are three ranges of repetitions

that should be included in a workout: to enhance strength, between one and five

repetitions are performed; to enhance muscle power and growth, between six and

twelve repetitions are performed; and to enhance muscle endurance, between

twelve and fifteen repetitions are performed. ?The number of repetitions you

do determines the intensity of your workout? (Phillips, et al 298). All three

types of repetitions can be done in one exercise by performing multiple sets.

?High repetitions do not directly develop strength or mass, they contribute to

the process by supporting strength and mass development? (Phillips, et al

298).

For a workout to be intense it should only take forty-five minutes. Although

a ninety- minute workout may be more productive, it will not be nearly as

intense as a short, brief workout. ?Very short sessions allow you to bust your

butt with very high intensity? (Phillips, et

al 299). Too much rest between sets will cause the muscles to cool off and

add time to a workout. ?Short rest periods may limit the amount of weight

used, but they force the body to fortify its recovery mechanisms,? and they

also take time off of a workout which gives more time for muscles to recover and

grow (Phillips, et al 299). It should not take longer than a minute to perform

each set. Each repetition has a tempo to be performed in each set; a positive, a

negative, and a pause. ?Exercise tempo refers to the amount of time it takes

to perform a repetition? (Phillips, et al 300).

Every single workout that is performed should be planned out the night before

so everything will go exactly how it should from beginning to end. If the

workout is not planned out, a person will spend more time deciding what exercise

to do or how many sets they will perform, rather than going to the gym,

performing an intense workout, and getting out as quickly as possible. ?Before

each workout you should know what exercises your going to do, how many sets, the

number of reps, and how much weight your going to use? (D?Orso and Phillips

57). All workouts should be brief, intense, and highly effective. The upper and

lower body workouts should take less than four hours a week because ?too much

exercise prevents results? (Phillips, et al 38). The muscles do not grow

during a workout; they are actually being damaged during a workout. According to

a personal trainer at a local gym people should ?give their muscles three to

five days to rest and repair to ensure proper recovery? because the muscles

are growing while they are being rested and relaxed (Cardena). A lot of rest is

required in order to perform a high intensity workout.

The most important part of putting the human body through an intense workout

is feeding it the proper nutrition. A person cannot reach a high point without

eating right. Developing good eating habits will give a person much more

satisfying results from an intense workout. ?Proper nutrition provides the raw

materials your body must have to construct new skin cells, brain cells, muscle

cells, bone cells, new blood, and even a new heart? (D?Orso and Phillips

50). Without good nutrition it is basically impossible for any kind of exercise

to be effective. The only way to get sufficient results out of a workout is to

feed the body the proper nutrition it needs for everyday life. ?With a

regular, intense, training program, and good nutrition, you can actually

transform your body? (Phillips 50). The body should be feed six times a day to

develop a pattern for the body to get used to. And according to Phillips on the

Internet, everyone should ?make sure they?re eating six quality nutritious

meals and drinking ten glasses of water per day? (Q&A).

Every day should have a plan of what is going to be eaten and when. Every

meal a person eats is planned; never should a person just grab a bite to eat.

?Before we begin each day, we?ll need to plan what we?re going to eat and

when? (D?Orso and Phillips 51). By eating the proper nutrition every day,

the body is actually re-creating itself. Without feeding the body with the right

fuel the body will begin to lose muscle, gain fat, and feel sluggish. The

process of re-creating the body begins with quality nutrition, ?[w]hen you

nourish your body with pure energy, you transform from the inside out? (D?Orso

and Phillips 81). In order to look good and feel good for life, he or she needs

an opportunity to feed the body intentionally, instead of eating accidentally.

Eating quality nutrition is just as important as exercising intensely, and ?[o]nce

you discover the right method of feeding your body, you?ll never have to

relearn it? (D?Orso and Phillips 82).

Protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats are important for the body, but

water is more important for the body than anything else. Water transports many

of the quality nutrients the body consumes into the muscles. ?Healthy muscle

is comprised of more than 70 percent water?

(D?Orso and Phillips 51). The body cannot transport nutrients without

water, it will be hard to get any muscle growth and ?[y]ou could be the most

dedicated exerciser and the most responsible eater, but if you?re not drinking

enough water, all the benefits from your hard work can go right down the drain?

(Griffith 164). If protein is not included in a diet, it will be hard for an

individual to get any results out of a workout, ?[p]rotein is absolutely

necessary if you want to maximize your muscular gains?(Zulak 125). Protein and

carbohydrate intake should be spread out over all six meals, and ?under normal

circumstances, protein serves a vital role in the maintenance, repair, and

growth of the body tissue? (Phillips, et al 257). With a good carbohydrate

intake, the body will have energy in a high intense training session, and the

muscles will look and feel more full. The muscles may become depleted by not

eating enough carbohydrates, ?[c]arbohydrates are very important because if

your body doesn?t have enough, it has to metabolize more protein? (Phillips,

et al 257). And it is hard to remember, but no matter how much people eat, they

must drink as much water as possible.

A combination of good, quality foods gives the body more ability to gain

muscle mass and burn body fat. All six meals a person eats should be balanced to

get results from intense training. Each meal should be divided into thirds,

consisting of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. This will help spread out

the quality nutrients the body needs throughout the day. ?Each meal must

contain a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates, and a quality vegetable in

order for you to really get the most out of your weight training? (Phillips,

et al 259). Incomplete rest periods can cause the body to become overtrained.

When participating in an intense workout the body needs at least eight hours of

sleep: ?Without rest, over time the body cannot sufficiently recover,? and

it also makes it that much more difficult to consistently fit six meals into a

person?s busy schedule (Cardena). Another important thing for the body is to

take in as many calories as

possible. Calories are important so the muscles do not give up any quality

nutrients, ?if you?re ingesting too few calories, you?ll not only lose

muscle, you?ll also lose energy and endurance?(Phillips, et al 258).

Supplementation is another important aspect to building a strong and healthy

body. There are three general categories of effects from supplements. ?The

first way a supplement might help you build muscle, lose fat, and improve your

health is simply by making up for deficiencies,? and if the body does not

build muscle and burn fat properly it may be deficient in one or more nutrients

(Phillips 14). Vitamin supplements are used to protect the body against nutrient

deficiencies, which are taken every day of the year. If the body does not have a

nutrient deficiency, not to worry, the body can still benefit from supplements.

The second way a supplement can help the body is by ?providing a nutrient that

is under-supplied to cells or not normally available in optimal levels in the

diet,? but not all regular foods provide the quality nutrients that the body

needs because muscle cells require certain nutrients (Phillips 15). ?A third

mechanism by which a dietary supplement may work is when it produces a drug-like

effect on cellar processes,? which means that a supplement may not be required

such as caffeine, but it can still have an effect on that cell?s normal

function. Not all people will get positive effects from supplements because

there are so many different supplements for so many different people.

This is when foundation supplements come into the picture. Foundation

supplements are essential to everyday life and essential nutrients are essential

to life itself. ?A foundation supplement is something you take all year and is

usually an essential nutrient such as a vitamin, mineral, fatty acid, etc.?

and without essential nutrients, over time, the body will become weak and ill

(Phillips, et al 222). Multivitamins, multi-minerals, and essential fatty acids

should be consumed every day. ?We know there are approximately a dozen

essential amino acids, a multitude of vitamins and minerals, and two essential

fatty acids that must be obtained? in order for the body to maintain proper

bodily functions (Phillips, et al 223). Linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid

are the two essential fatty acids, and ?it?s virtually impossible to get

optimal amounts of unprocessed essential fatty acids from our heavily processed

food supply? (Phillips, et al 224). Our food supply does not provide for many

of the essential nutrients that our body needs every day. ?Specifically

linoleic and alpha linolenic acids are considered ?essential? because the

body cannot manufacture them and must obtain them from outside sources?

(Romano 190).

Then there are performance supplements that should be taken regularly to

increase muscle strength and muscle growth. Whey protein, antioxidants, and

creatine are examples of performance and health enhancing supplements. Whey

protein is great for muscle growth, but it ?may also improve immunity?

(Phillips, et al 225). ?A good protein supplement or high-quality

meal-replacement product which includes whey protein is an important part of any

supplement program? but they are not needed to survive (Cardena). Antioxidants

are important for the long-term health and muscle strength of the body. Some

antioxidants are essential nutrients, but not all of them. ?Antioxidants are a

special class of vitamins and other non-vitamin compounds which neutralize free

radicals,? which means a broad range of diseases have been implicated, ?such

as cancer, atherosclerosis, immune deficiency, and diabetes? (Phillips, et al

225). ?Though it may be the best performance-enhancing supplement around,

creatine isn?t an essential nutrient,? but

that does not mean it cannot be taken all year long (Phillips, et al 225).

Creatine puts lean mass on many people, increases strength, is not very

expensive, and it is safe.

Maximum results from an intense workout will not come without performance

supplementation. Without an intense workout, a person will not get any results

by using supplements. ?Only those people training on the edge, looking for

that extra 10-20 percent of growth that performance supplements can provide,

will know how much a difference they can make? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 131).

The people who are really interested in getting results are the people who spend

their money on supplements, and ?if you are training for maximum results, and

are willing to settle for less, you will probably see little effect from

supplements? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 131). Supplements provide more

nutrients to the body than most regular foods. A good diet is not enough to get

maximum results out of an intense workout, and in order ?[t]o get the

necessary nutrients for maximum growth into your body, at a time when you really

need them, you will need nutritional supplementation? (Costa, Horine, and

Platz 131).

Rest and recovery is something important that provides maximum results to

training, nutrition, and supplementation. Not a lot of people pay too much

attention to how important rest and recovery really is. Proper recovery from

high intensity training will provide an increase for muscle growth and muscle

strength. With a quick, brief, intense workout the muscles have a greater amount

of time to recover. A person should allow three to five days for their body to

fully recover from a high intensity workout. After a workout is the best time to

consume performance supplements because the muscles are in a recovery state, ?but

remember, it is between workouts that your body rebuilds itself. It is between

workouts that your muscles repair themselves, growing stronger and firmer each

time? (D?Orso and Phillips 40). The ability to recover is very important for

maintaining muscle growth. During a workout the muscle cells are damaged, and

?[i]f you work out again before the muscles have had time to rebuild, you will

short-circuit the recovery process: And that?s not good? (D?Orso and

Phillips 40). It is like trying to rebuild a building after it has been hit by

an earthquake. Getting the proper amount of sleep will also provide for a large

amount of muscle growth. The muscles and the body actually grow while it is

sleeping. A person should get at least eight hours of sleep a night because ?if

you do not allow for proper sleep, you will be cheating yourself of growth you

would otherwise be getting? (Cardena). Without being fully rested it will be

hard for a person to perform a workout with full intensity. The muscles will not

grow and a person would not be getting maximum results from his or her training

sessions. ?Not getting enough sleep will hinder your chances at maximum growth?

(Costa, Horine, and Platz 116). Even if the body is not being put through an

intense workout it still needs the proper amount of sleep.

Relaxation is an important part of the recovery process in order for the body

to be capable of proper recovery. A person should relax immediately after an

intense workout when recovery is most important. There are many different ways

of relaxing, ?[t]he ability to relax after a workout, and to stay relaxed, is

vital if you want to maximize recovery capabilities? (Costa, Horine, and Platz

116). By relaxing, the muscles are given a chance to grow and develop the way

they are suppose to and ?[y]our body needs an opportunity to respond to the

training stress it has received and time to transport vital nutrients to muscles

for energy and development? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 115). Another thing that

contributes to helping the body recover faster is a good massage. ?Massage can

speed recovery and enhance growth,? relieves stress from a high intensity

workout, and it can also prevent injuries during future workouts (Costa, Horine,

and Platz 118).

Overtraining is what will keep the body from proper recovery and achieving

maximum results from intense training sessions. If a person trains the same

muscle group two days in a row, the body will not recover properly and ?[o]vertraining

occurs when the body is stressed

beyond its ability to recover? (Cardena). It may not seem correct, but more

recovery than training is required for getting strong and staying strong. ?Your

ability to recover will be a big factor in maintaining and increasing growth?

(Costa, Horine, and Platz 115). A person who does not know how to recover

properly will fail to get results from intense training, that is why ?it is

essential that you become familiar with techniques to enhance recovery from your

workouts? (Costa, Horine, and Platz 115).

Building a strong and healthy body is not easy to accomplish. A person must

have the mental toughness to transform his or her body into a body for life.

There is not one individual that can say he or she is not capable of being

physically and mentally tough. Building a strong and healthy body takes more

than just exercise. It starts with a high intensity training program, which will

only be effective with proper nutrition, the use of performance-enhancing

supplements, and the proper amount of rest. All it takes is a commitment and a

little know-how to put these four pieces together for a quality program to build

the best-looking body ever.

5fc

Cardena, Pablo. Personal Interview. 29 Jan 2001.

Costa, Leo, Russ Horine, and Tom Platz. Big Beyond Belief. Serious Growth

III. Visalia:

Optimum Training Systems, 1994.

D?Orso, Michael, and Bill Phillips. Body-For-Life. New York: Harper

Collins, 1999.

Griffith, Meagan. ?Research Update.? Muscle Media Jul. 1999: 164.

Phillips, Bill. ?Q&A with Bill Phillips.? http://BodyForLife.com

December 5, 1999.

Phillips, Bill, et al. Sports Supplement Review. 3rd Issue. Golden: Mile

High, 1997.

Romano, John. ?Muscle Meals.? All Natural Muscular Development Mar. 1998:

190.

Zulak, Greg. ?The Muscle Molecule.? Muscle Mag Dec. 1997: 125.