Heroic Fitness
Tips to help you maintain a healthy and heroic life!
The Heroic Physique:
by Scott Cranford
HeroicWorld's Scott Cranford
The Heroic Physique inspires power, hope and confidence. For as long as man has been walking this earth, he has aspired to be at his greatest. Instincts tells us to strive to be balanced mentally, spiritually, and physically. Having control of all three will give you self- assuredness, well being and happiness. Although we know this, very few of us live to our full potential.
The ideal human form, broad shoulders, a massive chest and arms and a tapered waist is synonymous with superheroes and heroic characters. Heroes have always looked this way weather they were drawn in the comics or on the big screen.
As a young man I remember looking up to the heroes in the movies,TV shows and comic books and dreaming of having that kind of physique.
I was a teenager in the the eighties. A time when the fitness scene was exploding and the heroes in the media had never been bigger or more ripped. Heroic Physiques hadn't been this much in the spotlight since the days of Steve Reeves in the fifties.
Guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone set a new standard. But was this realistic? Could this type of physique be obtainable by anyone? Could I achieve this too? Despite how difficult it seemed, I became determined to achieve the Heroic Physique.
Steve Reeves
|
|
The first book I read on bodybuilding was by Lou Ferrigno. He was playing The Hulk on TV at the time. It was a good read but it did not compare to Arnold's: The Education of a Bodybuilder. Another book I find to be one of the greatest on the subject is, Building a Physique the Natural Way by Steve Reeves. Steve Reeves is a good example of the heroic physique because he was around before steroids. I have always considered steroids to be cheating and wanted nothing to do with them. It later bothered me that some of my physique heroes were using them and setting an unrealistic standard. I was determined to achieve The Heroic Physique without them...
Although I looked up to guys like Steve Reeves, Lou Ferrigno and Sylvester Stallone for their physiques, I focused on Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was considered at the time to be the best built man in the world and his physique looked the way I wanted to look, massive, rugged and heroic. I was six foot one, the same height as the Austrian Oak, so I set out to model my physique after his.
For more of The Heroic Physique hit back soon!
Although I looked up to guys like Steve Reeves, Lou Ferrigno and Sylvester Stallone for their physiques, I focused on Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was considered at the time to be the best built man in the world and his physique looked the way I wanted to look, massive, rugged and heroic. I was six foot one, the same height as the Austrian Oak, so I set out to model my physique after his.
For more of The Heroic Physique hit back soon!
Being fit is important for several different reasons:
Health: You have to stay fit if you want to be around awhile.
Confidence: Exercise builds not only builds muscle it builds confidence. If you lack it, you need it.
Strength: The stronger you are the more you can do!
Fortitude: Do you want to be the one who gives out first or the one who makes it till the end?
Health: You have to stay fit if you want to be around awhile.
Confidence: Exercise builds not only builds muscle it builds confidence. If you lack it, you need it.
Strength: The stronger you are the more you can do!
Fortitude: Do you want to be the one who gives out first or the one who makes it till the end?
Scott Cranford's Training Tips to remember for getting started on a Super Workout:
*Always Check with your physician before starting any exercise routine.
* Stretch properly to loosen up before doing any exercises, especially before using heavy weight.
* Warm up properly before hitting the weights. Start off slowly!!
* Do the hardest exercise first. I call these Power Exercises. They are the hardest to do and produce the best results.
* Use free weights if you want your muscles to look rock solid and strong. I would recommend free weights to the machines. They give you a more rugged look than the machines give you. Picking them up, carrying them around also builds joint strength and balance.
* Always finish. Finishing is extremely important. If you go into an exercise program, you had better do everything you set out to do, even if the last few reps or sets are just going through the motions. It’s good discipline, and you won't have any regrets after the workout.
* Stomach and calves daily. These body parts do not need the time to recover as major body parts do and can be worked daily. I never use heavy weight when training stomach. You don’t want to build up the muscle in your abdominals, or you will look thick in the waist. I do leg raises and twists with the pole for stomach and sometimes sit ups.
Stomach and abs can be worked every day. They don’t need the healing time like the major body parts, and you should increase the repetitions when working them.
* Train hard. If I am not sore the next day, I feel the workout was a waste of time.
I feel lucky because I have always loved working out. I started when I was 14 years old and have not missed more than a week since that first day in the gym.
The feeling of getting under heavy weight and then controlling it always gave me a spiritual lift. In my opinion, there is no greater feeling than being fit and carrying lots of muscle.
* Stretch properly to loosen up before doing any exercises, especially before using heavy weight.
* Warm up properly before hitting the weights. Start off slowly!!
* Do the hardest exercise first. I call these Power Exercises. They are the hardest to do and produce the best results.
* Use free weights if you want your muscles to look rock solid and strong. I would recommend free weights to the machines. They give you a more rugged look than the machines give you. Picking them up, carrying them around also builds joint strength and balance.
* Always finish. Finishing is extremely important. If you go into an exercise program, you had better do everything you set out to do, even if the last few reps or sets are just going through the motions. It’s good discipline, and you won't have any regrets after the workout.
* Stomach and calves daily. These body parts do not need the time to recover as major body parts do and can be worked daily. I never use heavy weight when training stomach. You don’t want to build up the muscle in your abdominals, or you will look thick in the waist. I do leg raises and twists with the pole for stomach and sometimes sit ups.
Stomach and abs can be worked every day. They don’t need the healing time like the major body parts, and you should increase the repetitions when working them.
* Train hard. If I am not sore the next day, I feel the workout was a waste of time.
I feel lucky because I have always loved working out. I started when I was 14 years old and have not missed more than a week since that first day in the gym.
The feeling of getting under heavy weight and then controlling it always gave me a spiritual lift. In my opinion, there is no greater feeling than being fit and carrying lots of muscle.
