Promote Muscle Definition w/ Summer Training

Summer Training – Show Off Your Hard Work

Summer time means beaches, sun tans, bathing suits, and for the guys, going shirtless. As such, summer training is often the most intense in order to keep the body well defined. Additionally, many competitions take place in the summer months, requiring athletic bodybuilders to be in top form if they want to take home the prize, trophy, or title. Where winter training focuses on bulking up and spring training focuses on cutting and burning off fat, the summer months are all about maintenance. Most bodybuilders have trimmed the fat gained during the winter by late spring and can now shift their focus to maintaining muscle mass and keeping down weight gain.

Dietary needs can vary greatly depending on the specific athlete’s summer training program. Where some bodybuilders and weightlifters may merely maintain and thus keep their diet limited to only essentials, others benefit from the increase cardio activities such as outdoor sports, swimming, or other additional activities in addition to their workout routine. As such, these athletes can afford to bump caloric intake slightly higher than maintenance without worrying over weight gain. However, the primary goal over the summer months is still primarily maintenance and further conditioning.

Bodybuilders and weightlifters who participate in other organized sports such as football often have a vastly different summer training routine. Rather than doing the winter bulk, spring cut, summer maintain standard, these athletes often have to adjust their routines to meet the demands of the football season. For these athletes, their season to season routines change based on off season or football season. For example, these athletes may have intense winter and spring workout routines, but lax routines in the summer and fall due to the need to reserve stamina for football practice, training, and important games during the season.

Each athlete will have a slightly different approach to their summer training, winter training, and other seasonal workout programs. Some begin spring cutting right after the New Year. Others wait until later in the spring. When an athlete starts spring cutting will also affect their summer routine. You most often see differences in spring start times based on a person’s geographic location. Northeasterners will usually wait until later in the spring due to a longer winter cold. Those on the west coast will often start spring cutting as soon as possible, creating a bigger opportunity to get their physiques ready for beach time and competitions.