One of the most commonly asked questions that I receive from clients on a regular basis is how to bring up lagging body parts. During all of my years of working with fitness competitors, athletes and the rest of the general population, I’ve yet to meet a single person who is completely satisfied with his or her own physique. Whether it be washboard abs, bigger arms, a chiseled chest, a firm butt, toned thighs, I’ve heard it all. Lagging body parts are common and everyone has them. Nobody has the perfect body. These so-called “troubled areas” are usually a result of your genetics combined with your daily activities/lifestyle. Now you can’t change your genetics. Your parents are your parents for life. What you were born with is what you’ve got. Accept it and be proud of it. You can however make changes and improvements to your physique by simply incorporating specific exercises to target the areas you wish to improve on as well as altering your daily activities. But what exactly should you do and how should you do it? Well the answer is actually not as simple and clear cut as you may think.

If you go to the gym and workout with weights on a regular basis you are what I call a “Bodybuilder”. Okay, I know what you’re thinking – Aren’t bodybuilders those big, jacked dudes training in the gym with heavy weights who grease themselves up with oil and self tanners while wearing speedos on stage? Yep, those are bodybuilders. But guess what? So are you. A bodybuilder in my opinion is someone/anyone who goes to the gym to build up their body, hence the word – “Bodybuilder”. To the general public, bodybuilders are perceived as steroid monkeys and meat heads who throw around heavy weights all day while consuming copious amounts of food to help build and maintain their massive physiques. To me, bodybuilders are artists. Their bodies are their canvases and the weights are the tools they use to paint, chisel, form and create their work of art/body. This is the mindset that I use before I begin each and every workout. Rather then simply go to the gym and lift weights, I work methodically through each training session. Every single set, rep and exercise that I do in the gym has purpose. As I tell all of our clients, if you are going to change your physique, you’re first going to have to change your mindset.

I truly believe in using the power of the mind when trying to accomplish any goal that I set out for myself to achieve. In the case of enhancing and improving my own physique I’ve always practiced and focused on creating and establishing a strong mind to muscle connection with my body while I workout. In other words – I put my mind into the muscle that I am training.

For example, as a competitive bodybuilder who’s been on stage dozens of times in front of panels of judges, critiquing my physique, I’ve received some very informative and constructive feedback on my strengths and weaknesses over the years. One particular critique that I received from my very first show was that my back was too narrow and needed to be thicker for me to place higher in my class. I took this advice, went back to the drawing board and developed a plan. I studied and read every thing I could find on the muscle groups of the back. I learned which exercises were responsible for creating width and which ones were designed to help establish thickness. Every time I did an exercise for the back I put my mind in the muscle of the area that I was working. I focused hard and actually visualized my back growing at the very same time I was training it. A year later, I stepped on stage again and received compliments on the improvements I had made on my back from the very same judge who provided me with the initial feedback. It was then that I realized that I might be on to something with this whole visualization thing….

The point that I am trying to make here is that rather then focus all of your attention onto your lagging body parts and dwell on your troubled areas, shift your thoughts over to what you can do to improve these areas. If that means researching and studying the particular muscle group that you are having trouble with bringing up, then do it. If it means seeking out the advice of a trained fitness professional such a Personal Trainer or local fitness competitor who’s got an eye for detail, then do it. If you truly want to change something you have to start by taking action.

Just remember that having the information alone though is not enough. It’s what you do with that information once you have it that matters the most. This is where visualization is key. If for example, you store a great deal of body fat in your glutes, don’t simply just go to the gym everyday and train your bum. This is actually counterproductive and will only lead to overtraining the muscle. Instead, learn about all the muscles that surround your glutes and understand their movements and functions. Then when you are doing an exercise like squats you will no longer just think you are solely working your legs. Instead you will most likely think of working your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves. In turn, by developing this thought process you will have a better understanding of the exercise itself and the muscles used to perform the exercise thereby allowing your body to recruit more muscle fibers to the area that is being work which will ultimately lead to an increase in muscle stimulation and better results.

Finally, never and I mean NEVER give up and accept the fact that you will never change your lagging body parts. Bodybuilding is a 24/7 sport as well as a job that lasts for a lifetime. However rather then think of working out as a chore, try to change your perception on the task at hand. Learn to embrace and enjoy the challenges you will face while trying to alter your physique to your ideal body image. Savor your accomplishments along the way and reward yourself for your constant efforts and determination to reach your target training goals. Most importantly, as cliche as it may sound,  accept your faults and use your strengths to empower your weaknesses.

So pick up your paint brush, er…ummm….. I mean dumbbells and start creating your masterpiece.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove