Will High Rep Bodybuilding Workout Sessions Enhance Muscle Definition?
Posted: Thursday, February 26, 2009
by Francesco A. Castano
IncrediBody.com
One of the most popular bodybuilding goals is maximum definition, where body fat is lost so that muscles seem far more aesthetically pleasing, yet how is this goal achieved while maintaining already built muscle mass? This question has left bodybuilders perplexed and extremely frustrated as they chart significant muscle loss when seeking to enhance muscular definition. While a segment of the bodybuilding community may realize that improving definition is contingent upon tinkering with specific diet techniques for dramatic fat loss, others feel as if specific weight lifting principles are the primary thrust behind increasing muscle definition. When adopting such an ideology, one of the most popular bodybuilding techniques is to increase rep range, where lighter weight is used to allow for a higher than normal amount of reps per set, and quite a few bodybuilders believe that this weight lifting method will bring muscle definition to new levels, therefore some adopt an exclusive lower weight and higher rep approach to weight lifting during a fat loss period.
By modifying rep range to target muscle definition, the bodybuilder adversely impacts the overload he or she provides to muscle tissue, and will inevitably begin to lose a portion of muscle mass that was gained with lower reps and greater weight. Instead of improving definition, this specific weight lifting technique will work against this very goal by harming muscle, as higher reps per set have no more of a beneficial impact on muscle definition than low rep workout sessions, but they do blunt overload and fatigue, negatively impacting muscle growth, and risking the loss of muscle mass when following a lower calorie diet plan for fat loss.
Thus, a bodybuilder should continue to construct each weight lifting workout with a proper hybrid of high and low reps in order to sustain muscle mass while working towards enhanced definition, and focus on altering diet variables to promote fat reduction, which is the key behind improving definition in all muscle groups. But is there a workout addition or modification that will accelerate the fat reduction process? Yes, and the method does not involve any modifications to the weight lifting workout plan, but does stimulate the cardiovascular system to enhance metabolic rate and overall fat burning capability; aerobic exercise is the key to boosting the speed of fat reduction, and is often ignored by bodybuilders to the detriment of their physique. Even when seeking muscle mass gains, cardiovascular activity assists in controlling body fat percentage, so in addition to a properly structured weight lifting workout plan comprised of high and low rep ranges, aerobics is a vital concept in fostering maximum muscle definition, and should become required practice in any bodybuilding workout regimen.
If you are seeking muscle definition, and find results to be slow and disappointing, do not pursue a high rep range for your weight lifting workouts, but rather first analyze your diet, which is the primary factor behind body fat gain or loss, and then pursue consistent cardiovascular sessions, five days per week if you are able, and once these variables are intact, you will begin to notice body fat loss and definition improvements that will promote muscle gains to the skin's surface. If you are currently performing consistent aerobic activity, make sure intensity is adequate, as a walking pace is not sufficiently stimulative to the body for any substantial metabolism boost, and remember that no workout variable, whether it be weight lifting or cardiovascular activity, can take the place of a properly designed fat reduction eating strategy, so focus on fat loss eating techniques for the most dramatic improvements in muscle definition.
Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a weight lifting routine for muscle building without supplements or drugs. He also owns IncrediBody.com, an online fitness superstore selling fitness equipment at guaranteed lowest prices.
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