How to Train Like a Fitness Athlete
It’s 2018, but many women are still afraid to make weight lifting a part of their workout. Instead, we have to permanently circle the cardio drain to avoid “swelling”. But strength training is an essential part of any fitness regimen, and bikini world champion Christina Silva wants you to know that looking at a muscle like her is extremely challenging – but also super fun.
Silva spoke to Metro.uk about how she is getting in shape, especially in big events like the WBFF World Championship. She started competing three years ago and won the 2015 World Professional Bikini Champion. From the usual bikini category, she moved to fitness, which is a completely different level of image.
Not many women can reach Silva’s level of certainty, or will necessarily want to – it’s mostly her job. But her advice on how she does it is useful for people looking to build muscle and get fit at the gym, rather than just burning a beer after work.
Don’t be afraid in bulk
Silva says that for most of the year she just concentrates on building muscle. She gets up and puts down her cardio. Then, before the competition, Silva builds up cardio again and starts burning fat from all the muscles she develops, demonstrating this definition. Ladies, welcome to voluminous and short hair store. There are many ways to do this, but generally, you eat more when you gain mass to support muscle growth, and contract later to flaunt it.
While you are most likely not preparing for a competition, it is recommended that you eat more calories while working on muscle building. This will give you a lot more energy to burn. Then, when you feel like you’ve reached your desired size (or can’t fit into your clothes), you can add cardio again, just like Silva. But be careful: you have to do strength training with added calories, otherwise you will just … eat a lot.
Here’s how she adds to cardio:
“I usually start with 20 minutes a day in a steady state, such as when walking at an angle or on a cross trainer. I always try to keep my heart rate in the 130/140 RPM range to stay in the fat burning zone. As the week progresses, cardio increases depending on how my body reacts to it and how quickly I lose weight. “
You don’t need to starve
When she ‘s in the “cut” phase, Silva says she doesn’t cut her calorie intake very much, she just changes her macronutrients. Macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The balance you consume can actually change your body composition. Your body metabolizes each of these components differently , so when competition time approaches, it switches carbs and fats for more protein, but consumes roughly the same amount of calories. The fat is burned, but the muscles remain.
Cutting calories too much will also disrupt the growth of the muscles you’ve worked on so hard. Silva uses a lot of nutritional supplements because she is represented by a brand that provides her with formulations for weightlifting. The average person probably won’t need that many protein shakes.
Work on both sides of your body
If you want to try strength training, then, according to Silva, it is really important to work each side of the body separately, which is very different from most of the upper and lower body workouts that we are taught. For example, doing burpees is a great way to work your legs and arms (and your heart) at the same time, but the stronger side of your body will continue to do most of the work. When Silva does the leg press, she does one leg at a time to bring them into a more symmetrical position:
“Most people are asymmetrical,” she explains. “Usually we tend to use one side of our body more than the other, this creates an imbalance, and therefore it is important to work with our body separately. Imbalance in your body can lead to injury. By training one side, we can correct this imbalance and avoid injury. ”
Consider your goals
Silva believes that people often exercise the wrong way for the body they really need. Women without high testosterone levels cannot easily build muscle, and many of them think that cardio will give them a certain shape, when in fact it can burn the muscles that they have. You can lose weight, but if you’re trying to reshape your silhouette, building these muscles will help the most:
“Cardio can help you lose fat a little, but the bad side of it is that the body adapts to it very quickly, so the number of calories you burn in the beginning will not be the same over time. To burn these calories, your body needs to do a variety of exercises.
“Another mistake is to think that we need to stop eating in order to lose weight. It’s about balancing protein, fat and carbohydrates throughout the day, choosing fresh, organic foods and avoiding processed foods. ”
She recommends combining squats with shoulder presses and upper body work that will strengthen your back and arms. This creates an hourglass figure that is wider at the top and bottom and a narrower waist. A very specific (but popular) aesthetic – and you can extrapolate it to any look you want.
Silva is pretty honest when asked if bikini models are in any category of “healthy” lifestyle. She says: “Extreme diets with calorie restriction and intense training for a long time can cause many side effects such as loss of menstruation, mood swings, hormonal changes, etc. However, if you exercise correctly and eat a good diet, it is achievable. “.
Silva competes in a specific area with demands that go far beyond what the average person should do, but the foundation of her advice for moving to a more moderate daily routine is solid. You can read more about this advice here .