Do you know who Modern Talking is? If you don’t, you should. When I asked on facebook what people want to read about, there were 3 votes for Modern Talking. Just what is Modern Talking? It’s quite possibly the best band in the history of time. They’re a German band (that sings in English), and were very popular during the 1980s. Since it’s my favourite band, how can I say “no” to a request to write about them? So here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB57CuT4smM
And now, let’s get down to business. Today’s real topic was suggested by Jessica Culver, a very talented fitness writer for a number of big-name magazines. Her suggested topic was how different types of training give you different aesthetics. It’s very true. After all, I get told all the time that a client wants a swimmer’s body or a dancer’s body.
Original source for all these pictures: here.
Bone structure
So first, let’s discuss nature vs. nurture.
It’s the sad truth that no matter how you exercise, you may never achieve a certain body. Can you make tremendous changes, and get jaw-dropping results? Sure. Can you change bone structure? Nope.
Here’s an example. Take a guy like Mike Tyson. Does he have a great physique? Sure. But could he get a swimmer body type? Not a chance. He can swim all he likes, but because of his naturally large frame, wide hips, and large muscles he won’t get a swimmer body. He should stick to ear biting, leg biting, and nipple biting (he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997, Lennox Lewis’s leg in 2002 at a press conference, and Kevin McBride’s nipple in 2005, his last professional fight).
Original Source: here.
However, if you have the right bone structure, but just not the right muscular development or body fat percentage, then there is hope. What if you have a dancer’s bone structure, but you carry too much body fat? You can certainly slim down, and gain a dancer’s body.
Mold a body
But what if you have an average body, and you started training in an activity of your choice? You can really mold it. Different activities develop different muscles as a side effect of doing those activities. As my old gymnastics instructor used to say with a heavy Serbian accent “male gymnasts have big arms, big shoulders, and woman legs.”
Or use my favourite way to mold a body. Sure, you can dance and swim, and take years to develop the body of a dancer or swimmer (or whatever other body you want). Or you can use very targeted weight training exercises to develop certain body parts, so that you develop a dancer’s or swimmer’s body without really dancing or swimming. And you get it much faster, too. See, in most sports, the right physique is not a direct goal in and of itself. It’s more of a side effect of their training methods. But what if you went for a certain physique directly? Well, in those cases, since your focus is on the physique, it will develop faster. We can help you do that with our Dream Body MAP Session.
I can hear what you’re thinking “but weight training makes you bulky, and swimming/dancing makes you long and lean.” Not true. Throw that old misconception out the window.
Bodies can only do 4 very simple things:
- Gain muscle
- Lose muscle
- Gain fat
- Lose fat
That’s it. So strictly speaking, there’s really no such thing as “toning” or “building” or “lengthening.”
Weight training will only make you bulky, if you choose to take it to that extent. And make no mistake about it, it is a choice. Here’s an example. Do you think Jessica Biel looks bulky and muscular? No? And yet, she weight trains. And not these wimpy “toning” exercises, either. I read an interview with her trainer, and she was reported to have been deadlifting over 300 pounds! There goes that myth.
Short Summary
- You can develop a great physique regardless of your bone structure
- You can change your body fat percentage, but not your bone structure
- Often, athletes are born before they are made
- You can develop an athletic physique without participating in the sport. This is done through certain targeted exercises