I'm going to be honest...there are no real secrets to getting in shape fast, despite what the media loves to tell you about fad diets, pills, and miracle treatments. It comes down to a bit of discipline and good ol' fashioned elbow grease.
However, there are things that you should be doing on a regular basis which will really help you in your attempts to lose body fat, build muscle and get in shape fast. You'll find my top 3 tips below.
Focus On What You Eat and When You Eat It
The key to getting in shape fast and staying in shape largely comes down to diet. You've heard the old phrase that "you only get out what you put in", right? Well, this is very true of your body.
Whether you're looking to lose body fat or gain weight and muscle bulk, you need to tailor your daily calorie intake to reflect this. To lose weight you should burn more calories than you consume, and to gain weight consume more calories than you burn.
In both cases you should split your meals your meals so that you are eating 5-6 times per day...this will ensure that your metabolism remains consistent, keeping your energy levels stable and avoiding the need to snack on fatty or sugary foods, which is essential to getting in shape fast.
Weight Train 3 Times Per Week
To gain weight and build muscle bulk you need to perform a good weight training routine that is focused on muscle gains rather than "toning". This means that you should make compound exercises such as Squats, Deadlifts, and Bench Press the core of your getting in shape fast routine.
These compound exercises recruit more muscle tissue per exercise than isolation exercises which typically only work one muscle group (hence the term "isolation"). By recruiting more muscle fibre you increase the rate at which muscle growth occurs and build better, stronger and more functional muscles, while spending less time at the gym. You're also able to shift more weight per exercise which has been proven as the best way to see fast muscle growth.
Harness Your Natural Hormones To Build Muscle Fast
While there is a lot of talk in the media and fitness magazines about artificial hormone supplements and drugs, very little time is spent educating folks on the way our bodies naturally produce hormones and how they can be harnessed to help you gain muscle mass and get in shape faster.
By increasing the amount of muscular stimulation in your workouts (through the use of heavy weights and compound exercises as above) you will naturally increase your body's production of testosterone, which helps you get bigger muscles in less time.
Understanding your sleeping pattern is another way to harness your hormonal power when getting in shape fast. Deep sleep promotes the production of a natural growth hormone, which is anabolic and contributes to muscular repair and growth. However, broken sleep and excessive stress produces Cortisol which is a catabolic hormone that draws nutrients away from the muscles causing them to shrink or at least stunt their growth, and deposits excess layers of fat to the body.
Understanding these and other factors can help you to make better use of your body's own muscle building powers, and help you get in shape faster.
