Training for Grooms

Sorry if this article heading was a bit misleading… no, we are not here to TRAIN your grooms how to be a groom, but Nats is here to shed some light on pre-wedding training for grooms!

Girls, you have had your turn. It is time to focus on the man in your life.
(If you missed any of Nats’ articles, click here to have a read through our Wedding Wellness section)

Yes, yes we know. You are the bride and this is YOUR day, but guess what? It is also his day! And maybe he is looking for a little advice on losing a couple of kg’s or how to build that muscle up.

Well look no further as we have Natalie from GetFit here today sharing her amazing knowledge on how to lose weight, build muscle, or even tone up before your wedding day – whatever your choice, she has some advice just for you!

Take it away Nats…

All images via Unsplash.

When It comes to weddings every one always hears about the bride’s journey of “fitting into her wedding dress” or “shredding for the wedding” … but who we always tend to forget about is our grooms. Sometimes we forget that this special day is not just about our brides but that our grooms also want to enjoy the “spotlight” and make sure they are in the best shape for their wedding day. They want to be “photo-ready” just as much as their beautiful bride. 

So if you are a groom and you are wondering what you can do to get rid of those extra few kg’s, build your muscle or tone your body, here is my advice:

Your first step is to decide what your goal is…

1. Are you wanting to lose those extra kgs, OR
2. Are you perhaps wanting to put on some extra muscle and have a “Bruce Wayne” look on your wedding day, OR
3. Are you wanting to tone up?

If you are wanting to lose those extra KG’s, here are some helpful tips:

• Lower your carb intake at night
  Cutting your carbs at dinner is always a fast way to shred those extra KG’s, cutting out sugar and carbohydrates will definitely help with lowering the numbers on the scale
• Cardio, cardio, cardio
  Cardio is always a big contributing factor for wanting to lose weight. Try to go for a run, swim, cycle, or paddle a few days a week. If you battle to motivate yourself to train, get your groomsman involved with a weekly squash game, rugby match, or maybe even a game of cricket – anything to get you moving and sweating. Awesome, I am ready to get started but I have some questions:
  How far in advance should I start exercising?
  12 weeks is the recommended time to see results.
  How long should my cardio sessions be and how frequently should I be doing them?
  You should be doing 40 minutes or more, with your heart rate being elevated. I would suggest training 2-3 times a week. Also, please note, you should be doing cardio on your alternate weight training days
  My fiancé wants us to take dance classes before the wedding. Could these count towards my weekly cardio?
  Yes they could, depending on how much you are getting your heart rate up. In the learning phases of your dance class you might be learning the steps and not getting too much of a sweat in, so I wouldn’t count it as my only cardio and would still incorporate 40 minutes of a good sweat into my weekly workout routine.

If you are wanting to put on some muscle, here are some helpful tips:

• Meal Plan
  A lot can be achieved by changing your diet. Most guys work a full day, forget to eat during the day, and end up having a huge meal in the evening when they get home, starving. Preparation is key! Pre-pack your meal and protein shakes, remember to gain muscle you must increase your daily protein intake. Protein shakes are a fast convenient way to make sure you are getting your daily protein intake with little preparation.
• Weight training.
  When going to the gym, make sure to increase your weight selection and lower your repetitions of each exercise.
  Awesome, I am ready to get started but I have some questions:
  How far in advance should I start exercising?
  I would suggest 8 – 12 weeks before the wedding.
  I am not the biggest fan of lifting weights. What other exercises can I do to help put on muscle?
  Unfortunately, to build muscle you need to be doing weight training coupled with having a high protein intake (you would need to consult with your dietician or nutritionist on your protein intake, it is not a “one size” fits all case)
  How long should my weight training sessions be and how frequently should I be doing them?
  I would say 3 days a week, for 45 minutes – 1 hour.

And the final option, toning your body, this is my advice:

If you are not wanting to lose weight but are rather wanting to tone up, then I would suggest that you rather spend more time doing weight training and muscle splits than cardio. Therefore you would need to plan your weekly workout accordingly, targeting your training on the muscle groups you would like to enhance. 

At the end of the day, this journey must be a choice you make. You cannot force yourself to do something that your body just does not want to do. If you would like to increase your exercise, without making it a chore, then perhaps start doing something that you and your fiance both enjoy doing. Perhaps going for a hike over the weekend, or a stroll on the beach is what makes you happy and comfortable – then do that. Anything to get your body moving is good, big or small.

Nats, thank you so much for sharing your insight on training for grooms.

If you are interested in doing one of Natalie’s kickass 12-week transformation challenges, click here to get in touch with her. We promise it will whip you into shape while helping deal with relieving your wedding planning stress!

The post Training for Grooms appeared first on Hooray Weddings.