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The Villager

The Student News Site of The Village School

The Villager

The Student News Site of The Village School

The Villager

Suns Out Guns Out: Intro to Weightlifting

The master, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Weightlifting or Bodybuilding is a term most people have heard of.  Weightlifters obviously lift weights to achieve a goal such as toned muscle or strength. Some people go light in workouts and others like to go heavy, depending on their goals.

Weightlifters like to balance their workouts.  For example, a weightlifter will work on his arms one day, his legs the next day, his back the day after that, and so on.  Weightlifters need rest days so the fibers in their muscles can regenerate and grow back healthier and bigger. Weightlifters also need a balanced diet. For example, if a weightlifter is doing intense workouts every day of the week, on different muscle groups, then he needs to consume a lot of calories and nutrients since his body is using all of them just to heal and gain muscle mass.

The average man consumes 2500 calories per day and the average woman needs to consume 2000 calories per day, unless he or she is trying to lose weight. Eating is the biggest part of the equation when it comes to weightlifting and bodybuilding. Also, when picking up or lifting heavy weights, a weightlifter needs proper form or she’s putting herself at risk for an injury. Weightlifters can suffer broken bones, torn muscles, strains, and cramps due to either overworking the muscle or having bad form. Some weightlifters often take substances such as steroids, growth hormones, and synthol, all which are illegal, unless taken with a prescription from a doctor.  These substances will cause an individual to grow a lot of muscle mass, but also may affect other body functions and organs in dangerous ways. These substances can cause heart failure, acne, difficulty sleeping, easy bruising, high blood pressure, increased appetite, increased growth in hair, and much more.

Many weightlifters rely on protein and vitamin supplements to aid their training. 

Weightlifters should only be taking the nutrients that suit their bodies. If a weightlifter isn’t getting enough protein in his or her body, then she can resort to protein powder or protein shakes. Protein powder is a supplement which you put in milk since it mainly comes in vanilla and chocolate flavors and you stir it well then you drink up. Some powders can be up to 60 grams of protein which technically a full meal, but other most powders are only 20 grams of protein per serving. Protein powder is mostly for helping regenerate muscle fibers and it can also be used for daily consumption in case you need extra protein intake. Protein shakes are drinks with protein already are basically ‘ready to go meals.’

Protein powder mainly contains protein but protein shakes can also contain vitamins and minerals. People always ask how they get that protein into the powder but it’s a simple answer: they use plant- based extract or water-soluble milk. Bodybuilders and weightlifters also take pre-workout supplements which help give them a boost in their workouts. Don’t forget that when trying to build muscle mass, it’s not about instant results– it takes a little while to show results– usually about maybe a year or so of consistent effort, and a clean, protein-packed diet will help speed up the results.  Usually bodybuilders and weightlifters might have bulging veins all throughout their arms and legs and maybe their chests too that’s due to a low percentage of body fat.

Low percentage of body fat and bulging veins

Some people are able to get their body fat down to as low as one percent, which means every muscle they have and their exact shapes and layout can be seen through their skin. Although one percent of body fat is hard to accomplish it is also very hard to maintain and can also be unhealthy, so it’s not necessarily a goal to work toward, except for competitions.

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