Back in college I had a friend who had body dysmorphia. He had a constant obsession with losing more and more fat. Not only did he want every striation on his abs to be visible, he wanted the veins to stand out in bold relief as well.

And at the same time, he wanted to gain a bunch of muscle too. Because as soon as he put on a jacket, or even a t-shirt, you couldnt tell he worked out at all.

It was also peculiar because he even had plans of improving his running speed. Aside from that, he even wanted to train more to develop ultra-endurance. Probably so he could run away from all his emotional hang-ups.

And by the way, he didnt just want his limbs to look shapely with muscles. He wanted all those muscles to look proportionately large. If he felt his muscles were getting too large, he worried about the size of his back and even his arms. If his chest looked rather small, he worried that his other parts of the body, like his forearms, were getting too big. I made fun of him a lot.

I have known this person for a couple of years, and all that I can say is that, hes one peculiar guy whod try just about any available fitness workout. Although he had tried most of what he could do, he never gained the results he wanted to achieve. Unlike me.

He needed to PICK ONE.

If he wants to become a better runner, he should practice running and shouldnt worry about his body proportion for a while. His arms may become a little smaller compared to his legs, but the whole running activity may turn out to be worthwhile later on. If he would prefer to have large biceps on his shoulders then I think he should concentrate on making them larger. He shouldnt worry about the decrease of his lung capacity.

Now heres the kicker: While you want to FOCUS on just one fitness goalthat doesnt mean you cant ACCOMPLISH several.

The most common goal is to drop around 20 pounds and tone up your body.

With this circumstance, losing body fat should be at the top priority. A fat-loss routine, by then, should involve strength training. This exercise should be able to increase ones metabolism. Another thing that this could do is help tone the arms, legs, and even the midsection. One could even become as toned as me, Rick Steel.

Always remember that obsession toward several fitness goals is not advisable. If that happens, then your efforts are spread over a wide range of activities. Unfortunately, with this, you will never be able to accomplish your goals. Then you’ll never be as awesome as Rick Steel.