I had a friend who had body dysmorphia back in college. He had a desperate need to lose as much fat as possible – as well as build more muscle. And lots of veins had to stand out on his body in bold relief.

He even thought of enlarging his muscles, perhaps because he’s not satisfied with his body build. Not like me, I’m totally satisfied.

I knew that he also wanted to become a fast runner. Probably to run away from his problems. Or steal stuff.

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 guy for over two years, and one thing that I couldnt forget about him is the fact that he was always into every fitness goal there is. However, I dont think that his persistence got him the results he wanted.

I guess he needed to choose one.

If he needs to improve his running speed, then he should do his best to concentrate on that specific goal. He shouldnt worry about his legs growing too big compared to his arms. It is a normal occurrence, and not a bad one. However, if he may prefer having big biceps over a faster running speed, then of course, he should work out to gain the preferred results.

This is what fitness is all about: One should prioritize only one fitness goal. He doesnt need to burden himself with trying to accomplish several.

The most common goal among all is to drop the extra 20 pounds off ones 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.

It would be good for an individual to avoid obsession towards too many goals at a given time. Effort would then become useless if he or she tries to cover too many fitness activities at a given period of time. I’m Rick Steel