Connecting the Dots: Mind, Body, and Fitness

By Anita Munday

This book is for the sole purpose of showing you that training is not so much about the how-tos of an exercise but much more about the why we have certain beliefs and, oftentimes, bodies to match those beliefs. Although this book talks in detail about the sport of bodybuilding and the training that goes along with it, there are parallels throughout that fit the everyday person who desires to make changes in his or her body. So take the challenge and go deep into the studies of the theories in this book and then take a look at how your thoughts and beliefs have a very strong connection to your exercise/training/workouts. Whether you are male or female, an athlete, bodybuilder, powerlifter, runner, aerobics junky, instructor, or just the average person who wants to make a lifestyle change, this book is for you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781662453632

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Connecting the Dots

Mind, Body, and Fitness

Anita Munday

Copyright © 2023 Anita Munday

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

LEFT SIDE TOP TO BOTTOM

RYAN SNAADT - Unsplash

LEON ARDHO - Pexels

SUNDAY II SUNDAY - Unsplash

JULIE LARSON - Pexels

PNC PRODUCTIONS - Pexels (Center pic)

KETUT SUBIYANTO - Pexels

TIMA MIROSHNICHENKO - Pexels

DANI ALEXANDRO - Pexels

EDUARADO ROMEO - Pexels

ISBN 978-1-6624-5362-5 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-5363-2 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

1

Who Are You?

1.1. Man in the Mirror

1.2. Building a Strong Body Requires a Strong Mind

1.3. Visualization and Belief—the Keys to the Body You Desire

1.4. Your Transformation Is Driven by Your Thoughts

1.5. Bodybuilding—Muscles: Often the Antidote for the Pain from the Past

1.6. How You Unintentionally Sabotage Your Success

1.7. Female Muscle—Understanding the Power of You

1.8. Learning Your Body Type

Body of the Ectomorph

Body of the Mesomorph

Body of the Endomorph

1.9. Bodybuilding—Mental Vision

1.10. Using Imagery to Create the Body You Want

1.11. Your Greatest Competitor Is Yourself

You as an Ally

You as a Threat

1.12. Female Muscle—How to View Yourself Naked and Love What You See

1.13. Female Muscle—Loving What You See Even When Others Don't

1.14. Understanding Inspiration for Growth

1.15. Building Muscle Builds Confidence

1.16. Belief—the Body's Crucial Connection to Change and Growth

2

Healing Your Body

2.1. Alleviating Back Problems and Pain through Exercise

2.2. When You Need a Break, Take It

2.3. When Training Meets Injury

2.4. Training after Having Suffered an Injury

2.5. Your Body, Your Temple

2.6. Dealing with Stress through Bodybuilding

2.7. Physically Muscular, Mentally Skinny

2.8. Muscle Dysmorphia—the Anorexia of Bodybuilding

2.9. Bodybuilding and Sickness

2.10. How Weight Training Can Help You Battle Depression

2.11. Bodybuilding—Combating Fatigue

2.12. Bodybuilding—Pain and Soreness: Can You Tell the Difference?

2.13. Bodybuilding—the Most Common Injuries and How to Prevent Them

3

Going the Distance Anyway

3.1. Training Your Way through Life's Setbacks

3.2. Why Motivation Will Not Sustain Your Fitness Goals

3.3. How to Conquer the Obstacles Standing in the Way of Your Fitness Goals

3.4. Bodybuilding—Facing Your Fears through Fitness

3.5. What's Limiting You?

3.6. Each Workout Brings You a Step Closer to Your Goals

3.7. Keeping Your Goals in Focus

3.8. When Your Love for the Iron Loses Its Luster

3.9. Why the Need for Preparation

3.10. Bodybuilding and Accountability

3.11. A New Year, a New You

3.12. Breaking through When You Feel like Quitting

3.13. Motivation versus Consistency

3.14. Don't Let Poor Genetics Hold You Back

3.15. Weight Loss Pitfalls and Triumphs

3.16. How Self-Defeating Thoughts Will Sabotage Your Success

3.17. Managing Grief through Building Muscle

3.18. Bodybuilding—When Life Gets in the Way of Training

3.19. Fighting against Burnout

3.20. Clarity and Purpose

3.21. Knowing When It's Time to Take a Break from Training

3.22. Bodybuilding and Balance

3.23. Turn Your Bodybuilding Vision into a Reality

3.24. Pushing the Body Beyond Your Perceived Limitations

3.25. The Benefits of Taking a Break from Training

3.26. Start Where You Are Right Now

3.27. Gym Fears—How to Overcome Them and Get into Shape

3.28. Using Fear for Drive

4

It's All Relative

4.1. What the Mind Believes

Fixed Mindset

Growth Mindset

4.2. Great Health Builds Confidence

4.3. Twenty-One Days to Consistency

4.4. Genetics and Illusion

4.5. Creating Change One Muscle at a Time

4.6. Bodybuilding Success—Five Things You Need to Know

4.7. The Importance of Building a Solid Foundation

4.8. How Fear Can Keep You Fat

4.9. Weight Gain Triggers

4.10. When and Why You Hit Plateaus

4.11. Fast and Slow Developers

4.12. Bodybuilding—Being an Inspiration for Others

4.13. Visualization Trains the Mind and Builds the Body

4.14. Bodybuilding—Focus

4.15. Setting an Example for the Kids

4.16. Bodybuilding—the Scale versus Appearance

4.17. The Best Tools in Bodybuilding Come from Within

4.18. Female Muscle—Top Priority Begins with You

4.19. Bodybuilding with a Full-Time Job

4.20. Bodybuilding—No Pain, No Gain: A Literal Truth

4.21. Using Music to Power Your Workouts

5

Getting Healthy from the Inside Out

5.1. Exercise—the Underutilized Remedy for Anxiety

5.2. Bodybuilding—the Greatest Antidepressant with the Least Recognition

5.3. Holding on to Negative Emotion Often Means Holding on to Weight

5.4. Channeling Aggression and Anger through Weight Training

5.5. How to Spark Growth and Change in Your Body

5.6. Fat Loss and Muscle Mass Made Simple

5.7. Your Lifestyle on a Budget

5.8. The Effects of a Slow Metabolism and How to Increase It

5.9. Myths and Facts about Muscle and Fat

5.10. Bodybuilding and the Power of the Mind

5.11. Here's the Truth about Body Fat Percentages in Women

5.12. When You Feed Your Mind, You Feed Your Body

5.13. Bodybuilding—the Importance of Staying Hydrated

5.14. Bodybuilding and its Crucial Connection with Sleep

5.15. Bodybuilding—One of the Greatest Gifts to Finding Inner Peace

5.16. Bodybuilding Equals Mind over Matter

5.17. The Importance of Patience

5.18. Mental Barriers Dead-End Success

5.19. Sleeping Your Way to the Body You Want

5.20. Change Comes with a Price

5.21. Bodybuilding—When the Cravings Creep In

5.22. Staying Mentally Focused on Training without Growing Bored of It

5.23. You Are What You Eat—an Intellectual View

6

Age and Muscle

6.1. The Most Effective Way to Slow Down the Aging Process

6.2. Bodybuilding—the Ageless Sport

6.3. Teen Muscle—the Benefits of Teen Bodybuilding

6.4. Exercising as a Teen and Older Adult

6.5. Over Fifty and Fit

6.6. You're Never Too Old to Build Your Body

7

Training Made Simple

7.1. Bringing It Back to the Basics

7.2. Coming Back to Training after a Hiatus

7.3. It Never Gets Easier, You Just Get Stronger

7.4. Creating a Base to Build Upon

7.5. Deciding What Works for Your Body

7.6. Developing the Weakest Parts of the Body

7.7. The Strengths and Stresses of Training with or without a Partner

7.8. The Truth about Six-Pack Abs

7.9. Bodybuilding—the Importance of Keeping a Training Journal

Getting a Handle on Your Diet

Planning Your Workouts

How Writing Down Your Accomplishments Keep You Motivated

7.10. Bodybuilding—How Training with a Partner Can Advance Your Success

7.11. Maximizing Your Muscle Growth

7.12. Reassessing the Value of Your Personal Trainer

7.13. The Importance of Controlled Breathing during Exercise

7.14. The Season of Muscle

Spring

Summer

Winter

7.15. Train in Future Tense

7.16. Bodybuilding and Muscle Maturity

7.17. Journaling for Success

7.18. Who Sticks with Training, Who Falls Away, and Why

7.19. Practical Necessities for Building a Great Body

Outdoor Activities

Supplements

Diet

Sleep

7.20. How to Keep Your Training Routine Exciting

7.21. Free Weights or Machines—Which Do You Choose?

8

Exercise/Instruction/Nutrition

Form

8.1. The Importance of Using Correct Form When Training

8.2. Proper Lifting Techniques Minimize Injuries

Back

8.3. Bent-Over Barbell Rows Develop a Mighty Strong Back

8.4. Training the Muscles of the Back

The Upper Back

The Lats

The Lower Lats

The Middle Back

Weak Point Training

Quadriceps

8.5. Creating the Quadriceps Sweep

Warm-Up

Isolation Training

8.6. Training with Bad Knees

8.7. Building Massive Quads with Sissy Squats

8.8. Bodybuilding—Leg Extensions

8.9. Leg Extensions for Shapely, Sculpted Quads

Hamstring/Glutes

8.10. Building and Training the Hamstrings

Stiff-Legged Dead Lift Execution

Lying Leg Curl Execution

Standing Leg Curl Execution

8.11. Developing the Hamstrings

8.12. Bodybuilding—Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts

8.13. Female Muscle: Building and Shaping the Glutes

Shoulder/Traps

8.14. Bowling Ball Shoulders Can Be Yours

8.15. Shoulder Training Tips

8.16. The V Taper

Lat Pull-Downs

Pull-Ups

Shoulder Presses

Abdominals

8.17. The Arnold Press

How to Perform Arnold Presses

Arnold Press

8.18. Shoulder Shrugs to Create Massive Traps

8.19. Bodybuilding—Training the Shoulders and Traps

Training the Deltoids

Chest

8.20. Decline Bench Press

8.21. Chest Development with Lying Dumbbell Pullovers

8.22. Constructing a Massive Chest

The Three Main Bench Pressing Exercises

The Four Flye Exercises

Triceps

8.23. Kickbacks—a Great Shaping Exercise for the Triceps

8.24. Female Muscle—How to Tighten and Tone Flabby Arms

8.25. Female Triceps

Biceps

8.26. Female Muscle—Peaking the Biceps with Concentration Curls

Concentration Curl

8.27. Female Muscle—Beauty and Biceps

8.28. EZ Curl and Pump Up Those Biceps

8.29. Short, Quick, Simple Steps to Building Bigger Biceps

8.30. Male Muscle—a Start for Beginners to Build Huge Biceps

Abdominals

8.31. Training the Abdominals

8.32. Rope Cable Crunches

How to Perform Rope/Cable Crunches

Execution Pointers

8.33. The Importance of a Strong Core

Calves

8.34. Bodybuilding—Understanding and Building the Calf Muscles

Muscles of the Calves

Training the Calves

Beginner Calf Training

Advanced Calf Training

Weak Point Calf Training

Nutrition/Supplements

8.35. Choosing the Right Fat Burner

Stimulant-Based

Stimulant-Free

8.36. Simple Nutrition Principles for Making Changes in Your Body

8.37. Taking Your Body into the Off-Season

8.38. Enjoying Holiday Meals with No Regrets

8.39. The Best Proven Effective Diet Is Lifestyle Change

8.40. Bodybuilding and Chicken

8.41. Bodybuilding and Beef

8.42. The Benefits of Glutamine

8.43. Eating Often Sometimes Means Eating Alone

8.44. Exercise Replacements—Don't Be Fooled

9

Get Competition-Ready Right Here

9.1. Bodybuilding—Choosing Your Competition

9.2. Bodybuilding—Choosing Your Posing Suit and Music for Competition

Posing Suit Choices

Music Choices

9.3. Bodybuilding—Getting Ready for Competition: The Physical Prep

Training

Diet

Shaving

Tanning

Oils

Hairstyle

9.4. Bodybuilding—Perfecting Your Poses for Competition

Required Competition Poses (Round One)

Relaxed Poses (Round Two)

Freestyle Posing (Round Three)

The Posedown (Round Four)

9.5. Bodybuilding—Competition Day

Prejudging

The Panel of Judges

Elimination Round

The Individual Posing Round

The Basis of the Judges' Scores

The Evening Show

The Posedown

9.6. The Lesson Learned

Bibliography

About the Author

Introduction

People all over the world have different beliefs and theories about how we think, how we feel, and how we cope, all of which, in my opinion, are based on how we think and how we feel. Some people are taught that as we go through life, we will eventually reach a point where health will fail, minds will tire and fail, and bodies will follow suit. Other people are taught that with a strong mind and body to match, we can live a full life and defy the aging process. Many people believe in staying active and fit. However, it's not clear to some how limiting beliefs can affect their overall health and well-being. Connecting the Dots: Mind, Body, and Fitness is designed to show you how powerful your thoughts and beliefs are and how much influence and weight they carry. Usually, if you are training a certain way or not training at all, it will be in line with what you believe, even if those beliefs are inaccurate. It will affect not only your body but also your life.

This book is written and brought to you for the purpose of providing a different perspective on how we think and how those thoughts create a base for how we react to certain thoughts and beliefs.

1

Photographer: Scott Webb

Who Are You?

1.1. Man in the Mirror

You can channel who you truly are by taking a few minutes to examine what's within; harness it and set it free.

Try this when you have a moment. Go to a quiet place, away from the gym, away from distraction, away from the world, and stand before a mirror. When you get there, just stand and look at yourself. Really stare. What do you see? Now it is obvious that you see your physical self, the muscles you have, the muscles you want to have, the body you love, even the body you loathe. But this exercise is about more than what is on the outside. You need to go deep within. Now what do you see? What lies beneath everything on the surface? What's in your soul? Do you see someone who is inspiring and inspires others? Do you see someone who gives freely, who is compassionate, strong, yet sensitive? Do you see someone who possesses far more than what has been allowed to shine? Or do you see someone who is frightened, someone who portrays fear through anger, someone who lives with regret, pain, and discontentment with self? If you do this exercise and truly allow yourself to feel what is really beneath the surface, you begin to unlock the door to everything that can free you to become the best that you can be or stay locked away and wonder why you don't see change. If you truly want to get in touch with who you are and why you tick the way you tick, you need to go within, find whatever is there, and bring it out, be it good or bad. This is the first step to real transformation.

Change in the body begins when the mind is clear and expectant of it. If the mind is clouded, filled with clutter and negative views of self, ability, and worth, it doesn't leave your body much hope in making a transformation in a positive light. Going deep within is for the sole purpose of figuring out how many demons you allow to destroy everything you are and rob you of everything you can become. Your demon may be that voice in your head that tells you that you are not good enough. It may be that self-loathing nature that keeps you tucked away in a box. It may be the voices you allow from others to seep into your mind, criticizing you or telling you all the ways you will fail. Whatever it is, it slowly chips away at everything you are. When this happens, your best is no longer any good, as it is hidden behind self-created delusions.

A healthy soul is a happy soul. When everything is in alignment within, what's without will be in alignment as well. Nothing can get you healthy without your consent. Think about that for a second. When you have a cold, you make a choice to either take something for it to aid in relief or you suffer through it, sometimes running the risk of it worsening. Or when you go to the gym to train, you make a choice to go and to lift. It's not done by the power of suggestion but by sheer effort.

Positive efforts yield positive results. If you look forward to the best, above all that comes your way, the best will also come your way. You simply have to focus on the outcome you desire, even if you find yourself going through a challenging, unwanted process to get there. What better way to go through the process than to understand who you are along the way? Now back to the mirror. What do you see?

1.2. Building a Strong Body Requires a Strong Mind

Your will creates the power you use to fuel the body and make it grow beyond standard, because your mind sees no limitations.

Working out for some is nothing more than a going through the motions activity just for the sake of being able to say they work out. Die-hard training and achieving phenomenal results go way beyond the motions of just working out. Someone who wants to completely transform his or her physique has to first make a decision to embody a change in the thought process, because in order to build a strong body, the mind has to be strong and sound first. Without these tools, the body will not transform much further than your state of mind at that time.

Many people fail to understand how important it is to open their minds and allow themselves to go beyond what they think is possible. They don't equate the close connection of the mind and body. It's as simple as realizing that in order to grow, you must stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone. You actually have to venture past what you are most accustomed to in order to experience any new growth. This is often seen as a blueprint for life, but it most definitely applies to the body. To get there, you need to open your mind to the possibilities of the unknown becoming well-known and normal for you.

If you come from a world of doubt, disbelief, and disappointment, it is hard to stretch beyond what you are accustomed to. If you have dieted and failed time and time again or worked out and failed to make any significant changes or feel that you have tried everything possible to no avail, developing a sound mind won't seem doable. In fact, you may feel that your mind is sound based on this disappointing history you've experienced thus far. But if you really want to challenge this theory, maybe you should look at the dialogue you speak about your failures. If you examine them, you can easily see how your dialogue simply feeds the doubt and disbelief. Negativity is around every corner if you look for it, but so is positivity if you look for it. In order to find it, you have to focus on what you can develop, instead of the reasons you feel you can't.

The biggest battle most people fight is the battle in their own minds. This is the reason for food addiction, alcohol addiction, sex addiction, and any other issue that seem to destroy their confidence and knock them completely off track. There is tremendous power in the way a person chooses to think. Those thoughts alone can work toward shaping the body or destroying it.

Developing a sound mind simply means renewing your mind by encompassing a different set of views about yourself and possibilities. When you erase the old tapes that play to your failures, you begin to open doors that were closed by negative beliefs and locked by limited thinking.

1.3. Visualization and Belief—the Keys to the Body You Desire

There is more to working out or training than just getting into the gym, picking up weights, and working out for hours on end. But is it safe to say that in deciding to transform your body, you have to first think of yourself as the person you desire to become? Some people think it's quite silly to envision yourself as something that visually you are not. However, it's actually a very smart thing to do. When you see yourself as the image you desire, you are merely allowing your mind to believe that it is indeed possible. This simple process is a form of visualization that is very much needed for the success of transforming your body.

Visualization and belief are almost synonymous, in that they require the same process from the mind. To visualize, you have to see what it is you are striving toward, whether it's a huge muscle-bound body standing on a stage winning first place or a chiseled, sexy body at the center of attention on the beach. Belief is to know without a shadow of doubt that you can be that huge muscle-bound body standing on that stage winning first place or that chiseled, sexy body at the center of attention on that beach. With both scenarios, the mind creates the assurance that what you want will come to pass and, therefore, works to make it a reality.

Is it possible to visualize and not believe it? Of course it is. Using visualization is something everyone does at some point in life. It can even be a fantasy of some sort that they enjoy imagining but is purely fiction and cannot take place. But when it comes to desiring something for yourself, such as having the body you've always wanted, that mental image will become ingrained in you, and your subconscious mind will start working to help create the body you envision. The mind works the same way when you think of yourself in a negative sense. The images are negative, and the self-conscious mind supports the negative images you envision. Whether positive or negative, you create what you see, and your mind will follow your visions and make them a reality.

It is extremely important to program yourself with positive thoughts, especially when it comes to transforming your body. You have to truly focus and believe in what you are striving for because there will be enough people who will tell you all the ways you will fail. But if your vision for yourself is strong and all your efforts are working toward creating that vision, then no one can tell you anything different.

The best ways to keep your visions at the forefront of your journey is to already see yourself where you want to be. Carry yourself as if you are wearing the body you have created in your mind. This not only gives you the confidence to train hard and work harder toward your goals, but it also gives you confidence in trusting your own thoughts and visions, all the while strengthening your self-image. If you can believe it, you can achieve it.

1.4. Your Transformation Is Driven by Your Thoughts

Transformation is to thought as bodybuilder is to muscle.

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7)—powerful words when you really examine the meaning of them. And when you do, you will find that whatever is driving you and whatever drives others around you is determined first by thoughts. Take a look at this scenario: You wake up to a rainy, dreary morning, and already you are filled with dread, nothing to look forward to, so you begin to think of all the ways it is going to be a miserable day. Well, don't be surprised if your day turns out just as you planned. However, let's say that you wake up with the same scenario, but this time, you are happy, and your focus is on how good you feel, how good life is. In the second scenario, the focus was happiness, so the rain and dreary weather just didn't matter.

What if you are determined to change your body and you decide that you will not stop until you do everything possible to make it your reality? Guess what? Your determination will pay off in the end, and it's all because of your thoughts. That's right. What you tell yourself, what you focus on, what you choose to believe about yourself, about your body, and even about your day is given its power through your thoughts. Thoughts begin the process of change in any direction, be it positive or negative. This is what makes the difference in someone who is committed and someone who easily gives up.

A committed bodybuilder understands that discipline, hard work, and dedication are the keys to getting into contest shape. A committed bodybuilder is also aware that he or she will have to make sacrifices that the average person takes for granted if he or she wants to successfully pursue a fitness goal of any magnitude.

Nothing can enhance or destroy your training more than your own thoughts. Your thoughts have power. Whatever you tell yourself going in, your mind will start to focus on it, setting the stage for whatever comes next. This is why it is so important to train yourself to take in thoughts that are positive and will push you forward, causing you to grow and develop, rather than thoughts of doubt and defeat, causing you to give up and settle for less. The transformation of a bodybuilder or anyone who chooses to make dramatic changes to the body has to first believe in order for it to become a reality. It doesn't matter how many people you get to advise you, how much you train, or how much you go through the motions, if you don't believe that transformation is possible, you will undoubtedly stop your own progress because you have chosen to discount anything you will not allow yourself to believe is true.

Be careful of listening to and taking advice from everyone. Keep in mind that all people do not think or share the same beliefs. When someone tells you that your body is not capable of looking a certain way, you don't have to choose to accept that belief. What's important for you is, What do you believe? See, when your own thoughts are not strong enough to hold an opinion for you, you will allow someone else's opinion to keep you from achieving your best. Always remember, someone else's opinion of you does not make it a fact. If your goal is to be a successful bodybuilder, you must look to yourself first and develop a mindset of success and then look to others who hold those same beliefs. The power of your thoughts will be your greatest transformation. When your thoughts are generated in a positive manner, you are well able to create the physique you have always envisioned.

1.5. Bodybuilding—Muscles: Often the Antidote for the Pain from the Past

Nothing is more freeing than to emerge from the shadows of the past and transform into that monstrous, mythical being you always were inside.

Have you ever wondered just what causes a person to desire to become a bodybuilder? What is it that causes one to crave massive muscles to resemble a fictional comic book hero and another to slim down to become super thin and lean? So many people equate the desire to build huge muscles as being very strange. Through research, observation, and personal knowledge, it really isn't strange at all. In fact, when you take a look at the makeup of the individual, it makes perfect sense as to what prompts the muscle-building mindset.

Some bodybuilders start from a very low place before they morph into muscular masterpieces. When it comes to the male population of bodybuilders, it's not uncommon to find that many of them were once outcasts as kids. Often, they were not popular; some were scrawny and awkward, timid, and bullied or teased. It is also common that many of them were small and felt intimidated because of their height and size. Of these same kids, some suffered the emotional problems of dysfunctional families, coupled with the pressures of trying to belong somewhere, anywhere.

Many of the female population of bodybuilders dealt with much of the same issues as kids but usually felt as if they couldn't measure up to other girls from a feminine standpoint. Girls, just as boys, at an early age, are trying to find their place, trying to decide just where they fit in or if they fit in. Being unable to fit is where their self-esteem is sacrificed. When they don't find their place, they start to believe that something is wrong with them and start to feel like outcasts and sometimes doubt their own worth.

Developing a sense of self-loathing has a tremendous effect on who you become. If others are asserting the same negative behavior toward you, it creates an unrealistic view of who you are, which is even more painful. When your view of self is extremely poor, your attitude will follow the belief. You simply become what you believe yourself to be. This mindset continues to feed on itself until you decide to take back your power. Somewhere deep within, you realize that you have to do something to show them all, including yourself. It may take years to get to this place, but when it happens, everything changes.

For many bodybuilders, the boost in confidence only comes through when the body starts to change. Carrying a sculpted mass of muscles take tremendous mental strength. Once this level of personal growth is achieved, bodybuilders seem to have no problem with being the center of attention, which would've made them cringe years earlier. Maybe it is an indication that their strength always existed but only needed a boost in confidence through show of the muscles.

When you are a bodybuilder who comes from a place of emotional lack, building a huge muscular structure creates power. You feel confident, and your presence commands respect. Whether people are a fan of your craft or not, more than likely, they will not be so quick to stand before you and disrespect you outwardly. Even though whatever they feel may be shared with others, they will not dare face you with any ridicule.

Female bodybuilders deal with quite a bit more. They often become a target for controversy because of society's disbelief in whether these women are still deserving of the title. For this reason, female bodybuilders develop an even thicker skin than the males since their looks alone create such an upset to the masses of people who can't understand their muscle mindset.

Bodybuilders, male and female, go to extremes in their quest to ensure that the pain of lack that was once felt emotionally will never be felt again. Their bodies alone command attention, be it positive or negative. Either way, they will be noticed.

1.6. How You Unintentionally Sabotage Your Success

Having the right attitude will spark the right talk and enlist the right beliefs to accomplish and get the job done.

When you are a bodybuilder or training to become a bodybuilder, your intentions are usually high. They have to be in order for you to be successful. But sometimes, situations, as well as decisions, can get in the way and cause you to begin to move in the opposite direction from whence you started. There are several ways you may be sabotaging your bodybuilding success and not even be aware of it.

Let's take a look at some of the ways sabotage can take shape and ultimately destroy your plans for bodybuilding:

You don't have a plan. Deciding to become a bodybuilder is more than a decision. It must also be followed by action. You must execute a plan in order to realize any success along the way. A plan can be something as simple as deciding when to train, what body parts you will train today, or what and when to eat, sleep, etc. The best plans are put on paper. This makes it tangible and more doable because you can see it. You must have some idea of what it will take for you to get to the different levels in your training and transformation, and it all starts with a plan.

You don't have belief in yourself. Not only do you want to become a bodybuilder or the best bodybuilder, you have to believe you can as well. You cannot accomplish any dream if you go into it with doubt, if you are in the midst of it with the same doubt, and if you come out of it with doubt. Your doubt and disbelief in yourself or your ability to make it happen will cripple your decision. Not believing in yourself will hold you back from accomplishing any goal you set.

You procrastinate your way through life. Nothing can get rid of a goal or vision quicker than procrastination. When you procrastinate, you put the brakes on anything you desire because you always look to do it tomorrow. Thing is, tomorrow never comes. If it does, it doesn't come with the fire and belief to sustain it. Successful people teach themselves how to do it now and get it done today, not tomorrow. Procrastination is also a close relative to doubt. Usually, if you have a strong belief in something you want to accomplish, you will possess a certain energy that causes you to want to act now and not put it off. Procrastination can be a silent dream killer.

You fear the risk, and you fear failure. Any decision to change anything—your body, your mind, your visions—takes risks. You even risk feeling fear, and that's okay. Fear is a very powerful emotion to have because it can either push you to follow through or hold you back from going through. Either way, there is risk involved. Following through causes you to experience the newness that everyone else may not agree with or even understand. Holding back causes you to risk feeling like a failure, which ultimately does more harm than following through, with a fear of risking the same outcome. However, moving forward and facing the fear of risk and failure will enable you to experience empowerment whether you accomplish what you set out to do or not. This is simply because in most cases, the biggest risk is normally the fear placed at the forefront of the dream or desire.

You have the wrong attitude. Are you negative, closed-minded, critical? If your attitude is not in the right place, you will fail. When you are negative, you do not allow opportunities to show themselves because you pick apart what could be right in front of you since you are so used to seeing what you don't want to see. When you are negative, you attract negativity. You simply have to break that mindset and learn to change the things you say and feel about yourself before you can see and appreciate the opportunities that lie ahead.

You listen to and take advice from the wrong people. This can be a very big deal and usually comes from a lack of self-esteem and belief in self and abilities. Many people go through life hoping to gain the approval of others. In bodybuilding, people's approval will either be a hit or miss. Some people will love it; some people will absolutely hate it. This is why you have to own your choice regardless of the people around you. This is where belief in yourself, an action plan, attitude, walking through risk, and the potential failure scares will come in handy. Many times the people you listen to will not have a clue about what you need in this endeavor. Many of them don't even work out, let alone are in good shape. Whenever you decide to take advice from others, you must first consider the source. Look at that person's life, decisions, etc. and ask yourself, Is this person's advice worthy of my actions to follow it?

You are a small thinker. Some people only allow themselves to dream about what they feel they might be able to accomplish. They don't dare dream any bigger than what they can conceive in their own minds because they automatically know that it will never happen. This is a small thinker. A dream is a dream. It will stay a dream if you leave it in your mind. It becomes a reality not just when it happens in real life but when you also decide to give it life. Bodybuilders don't start out with perfectly sculpted, humongous muscles that win competitions. Even when good genetics, hard work, and dedication are involved, some bodybuilders start out just as average as the average person on the street. What transforms these bodybuilders are the dreams that were first dreams, later brought to life through belief, vision, and hard work.

The list doesn't stop here. There are so many more ways you sabotage yourself without even knowing it. If you see these traits in you and feel that it is a habit you want to break, be on guard for the behaviors and characteristics of the behaviors. When they begin to creep in, change direction and move through them by doing the opposite of what they bring in the form of sabotage. Once you free yourself of these negative characteristics, you will begin to see your dreams grow and inspire those who, at one time, thought you couldn't…even you.

1.7. Female Muscle—Understanding the Power of You

Realizing the power of your own strength, both mental and physical, creates the freedom to stand out and above.

What a great freedom to have the ability to do whatever you see fit with your body, regardless of how others feel about your choices. What a great country we live in when you can decide to go against the grain and do you in whatever way you choose.

Working out with weights has always been considered a man's sport. Women have been expected to remain dainty and soft with curves that have nothing to do with muscle and more so to do with cooking, eating, and having babies. Nowadays, women have decided that they can be soft but also strong and independent in work and in play. Some decide on muscularity and can have it if and when they choose. Even more than that, women have decided that they can be muscular, have babies, and still carry on. However, it's not for the purpose of rising above man but to show themselves that they too are worthy of strength yet can remain feminine and woman.

Seeing women train with weights is not as common as seeing men. This would explain the fascination of women weight training in the gym. In general, women seem to accept and adhere to the negatives of society and therefore choose to view weight training and building muscles as masculine. For this very reason, women forgo the weights. Their idea of exercise is Pilates, yoga, and lots of cardio instead. This is many women's idea of remaining feminine. Put a weight in their hands, and start a firestorm, not just because of the fear of building muscles but the fear of being viewed and booed by the world. For these women, their decisions are filled with limitations because they tend to only make their decisions with the approval of others.

Women possess so much power but often use it in ways that yield little to no benefit. Many times, women choose to use that power to tear one another down. They don't stop to think that this is their reaction to what frightens them. Sadly, even with the freedoms in this country, there are still those who choose to belittle those who choose to be different. Although they don't see this as fear, it can be defined as an uneasiness that sparks questions within themselves, although they will never admit to it. If it's so repulsive, why do they stare? That's the question of the day.

Female muscle is beautiful. In fact, it's not only beautiful, it's healthy. What's even more beautiful are the women who are not afraid to wear it. There is so much strength in having the ability and discipline to be consistent and push your limits to places you never even knew existed. How do you get there? By doing what you want to do and not what everyone else thinks you need to do. Sometimes you will have the support you need. Sometimes it will be a lonely road. Either way, the biggest supporter of you should be you. If you decide to build your body, you must put yourself in a frame