The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character. A double mastectomy, colloquially known as “top surgery”, can be one of the most life-changing experiences for a gender-diverse individual who was assigned female at birth.
Since the beginning of my coaching career, I’ve had the honour of helping multiple clients prepare for this procedure and safely return to training once recovered. In this article, I’m going to share training and nutrition practices to create a sustainable and effective top surgery prep plan that I’ve been learning, perfecting, and developing for years. So, if your top surgery is coming up, read on.
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2021
It’s April 16th, 2021. I wake up with a flutter in my stomach. Today it’s the day of my first fitness photoshoot. It means a lot for so many reasons. The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens. To build muscle effectively, you need to train hard.
Muscular or technical failure is the epitome of “hard training”, but doing this all the time can have a number of downsides – like an increased injury risk and an inability to recover – that can actually prevent you from maximising your progress. However, it’s easy to tell when you hit failure. On the other hand, it’s not so easy to stop before failure and still train hard enough to stimulate meaningful muscle growth. The reps in reserve-based (RIR) rating of perceived exertion scale (RPE) is an evidence-based tool that helps you do exactly that. I’ve personally applied it in my own and my clients’ training with great success for the past three years. If you want to learn more about what the RPE scale is and how to use it, read on. For me, sometimes it’s more important to perform well in training and know that I am improving rather than scoring in a game. It’s doing the hard work, day in, day out. If you’ve ever lifted weights before, I’m sure you’ve come across repetition ranges, such as 6-12 reps.
In a well-structured training program, these ranges won’t be assigned at random. In fact, by selecting an appropriate range for each exercise, you can make your workouts more effective to achieve your fitness goals. This article will focus on how to choose the best rep range to maximise muscle growth, but you’ll pick up on some fundamental concepts to improve strength and endurance, too. Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s make some brain gains. |
Nikias TomasielloAn online fitness coach who likes bodybuilding, superheroes, and bread. Want to work with me? Check out my services!Archives
March 2023
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