Body Sculpting Basics

Body sculpting is the process in which you mold your body shape through strength training, aerobic exercise, and diet. Instead of general weight loss, body sculpting involves working and toning specific muscles to achieve a certain look. There are many facets to a fitness program in order to obtain the desired shape.

Eliminate Body Fat

• Before the fruits of your labor can be visible from the sculpting end, you must dissolve excess body fat first. In order to do this, you must do aerobic exercise. This type of exercise burns calories, fat, and controls weight gain. The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 30 minutes a day five days a week. This includes jogging, swimming, bicycling, and high impact aerobics. Remember, the more cardio exercise you can do, the better the results for sculpting the body!

Interval Training

• Interval training should be incorporated into any fat loss program. It is not enough to simply keep the heart rate at a constant level for a long period of time. To gain the greatest fat loss benefit, you must have your heart beats increase speed for a few minutes then bring the heart rate back down for a few minutes. For example, run in an all-out sprint as hard as you can for 1 minute then walk for 2 minutes. Repeat this cycle three to five times depending on your level of fitness. This can also be done on a bicycle where you pedal as fast as you can for 3 minutes and coast for 3 minutes. Interval training can be done on any cardiovascular exercise you enjoy. Fifteen minutes of interval training a day will yield better fat loss results than 60 minutes of an activity where heart rate remains the same through the entire work out.

Diet

• To improve your body shape, you must have a well balanced diet full of essential nutrients. All of the exercise that goes into body sculpting can tear down muscle tissue. It is important to consume lean sources of protein and antioxidant rich foods to repair this tissue. Tuna, salmon, baked chicken, spinach, broccoli, strawberries, and blueberries are great examples of these types of foods. You also want to have most carbohydrates come from complex forms rather than simple. This means that multigrain breads, fortified cereals, and wheat bran are desirable and pastries, cupcakes, and candy bars are not.

Strength Training

• This is the key ingredient to body sculpting. If your goal is to tone muscles into a sleek, streamlined shape use lighter weights with more repetitions and sets. For someone who is more interested in strength, heavier weights with fewer repetitions and sets is necessary.

  An example for someone who wants to tone muscles only: Lift 8-lb. weights 10 times in a set. Repeat this set five times.

  For those who wish only to get strong: Lift 25-lb. weights 5 times in a set. Repeat this set two times.

  Target all major muscles groups for optimum body sculpting. Do not focus on one area of the body and forget about the other as this will cause an uneven appearance in muscle tone. Give each major muscle group a day to rest in between workouts. You don't want to increase the risk of injury by working any group two or more days in a row.

Warning

• Before beginning any exercise program, consult a doctor first. Body sculpting requires a lot of discipline and exercise that may not be suitable for everyone. If at anytime during a workout, you feel like you are going to faint, feel dizzy, or sharp pain, stop immediately. Do not continue program until it is suitable for your individual needs.