Bodybuilding in College: It Can Be Done!
Tom Ambrozewicz
Transitioning from high school to college is difficult for most people,
but bodybuilders may find that being away from their home gym and
kitchen is extra tough. The first week or so may be a little
intimidating, but bodybuilders can stay successful in college with high
levels of dedication and motivation. When you enter college, set your
goals for the year and try to motivate yourself to stick to your
workout and diet plans.
College meal plans vary, but nothing about college food is good for a
bodybuilder. Many colleges offer plans that include three meals a day
at most, but your diet will probably call for more meals each day of
smaller amounts of food. Don't load up at the cafeteria if that's not
what you are used to doing! Instead, invest in a small refrigerator for
your dorm room. Set aside some extra money each week for food, and
schedule your classes so that you have enough time to eat. Most
professors don't mind if you carry a snack to class, so if you must
take a class that's during your normal mealtime, have some energy bars
or protein shakes on hand as a back up plan. When you do eat in the
cafeteria, make healthy meal choices. It's ok to splurge on one or two
rewards, such as pizza or ice cream every week, but in general, stick
to the foods you would normally eat at home-eggs, grilled chicken, bran
cereals, salads, cottage cheese, and the like-even if there's a buffet
of other things available.
One of the first things you should do when you get to college is
explore the gym and weight facilities. Note the hours of operation-most
schools are aware that students have busy schedules, so your gyms will
probably open early in the morning and still be open late at night, but
get a copy of the schedule so you never have to question the times. If
the gym is too small or inconvenient for you schedule-wise, check out
the gyms in town to see if any would better suit your needs. Students
even get discount memberships at some places.
Lastly, be conscious of your other habits. Continue to get enough sleep
even with your new workload, and be aware that activities such as
smoking will only have an adverse effect on your health. A big part of
college for many students is drinking, and you will probably be faced
with this as well. If you are just bodybuilding for the sake of looking
and feeling good, a few beers every week won't hurt you as long as you
are responsible, but drinking is out of the question for competitive
bodybuilders. Not only will it pack on the fat, but drinking will also
cause you to lower your levels of testosterone and become dehydrated.
Volunteer to be the designated driver instead, and you will find that
it is easy to fit in while still maintaining your healthy lifestyle.
Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio
technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional
narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you
hate printed files. Check spectrum of bodybuilding tips on
http://www.ask-how.info/bodybuilding
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