Building muscle does not happen in a day or two. On the contrary, it is a long and complex process which requires a lot of determination and strength.
But, if you’re looking to get a little spooky in time for Halloween you will need to intensify your training regime without disrupting your overall fitness. By making some changes to your workout routine you can get your body in a stellar shape for the Halloween.

Healthy Lifestyle and Good Eating Habits
While everyone will be focusing on their preparations for Halloween, it is imperative to still keep the focus on your fitness goal and objectives. That is why it is crucial to stay dedicated and to avoid falling into the excuses trap. Finding the best costume for the scariest night of the year should not prevent you from working on the process of building a lean muscle body physique. In the same time, it is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits. Avoid consuming an excess amount of candies as this can have a negative impact on your fitness goals. The processed sugars and the increased number of consumed calories can come back to haunt you.
That is why it is recommended to lower the sugar intake. And even though it is Halloween and everyone is thinking about sweets, the fact is that sugar is hidden in items that don’t even taste sweet. To be more specific, bread, sauces and other foods do contain sugar and can add an additional amount of calories. These two elements can transform into fat on the fast track thus jeopardizing your progress. Also, it is recommended to pay attention to processed grains as they can contain high levels of processed sugar. Make smart decisions about what you put in your body.

Go for The Healthy Snacks
It's so easy to get your share of empty calories from candy bars and sweets without even feeling it. The various mini chocolate bars may not seem like much, but they can be hidden source for unwanted calories and fat.
As a gym addict, staying in good shape is something that should go beyond any holiday including Halloween. However, this does not necessarily mean that you should avoid the candies and snacks at all costs. Go for the healthier options and instead of sugar based sweets, try the various granola bars, trail mix, dried fruits etc. This will have a galvanizing effect on your overall wellbeing and will prevent a potential weight gain. In the same time, it will enable you to enjoy the fun with trick or treat at the spookiest night of the year.

Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is something that can offer numerous benefits for the overall wellbeing and health. However, it is also important to stay hydrated during Halloween as it can have a significant impact on controlling your sweet cravings. Also, from a fitness perspective, it can be beneficial as it can rinse down the sugar and can stop a prolonged presence of the sugar in the body system.
Combined with this, the recommendation is to avoid alcohol in the pre- Halloween days as it can have a negative impact on your muscle gains.

Stay Active

As we are getting into Halloween mode, many of us will focus on costume and holiday preparations. However, the potential downside of this is that we may opt to skip the gym days in order to get ready for Halloween. That is why it is necessary to make a compromise between the two.

Train at least three times per week in order to see results in time for that ab-baring costume. The ideal combination should be based on strength and cardio exercises as both elements are important for a sculptured body physique. Change things up and confuse those muscles to burn more calories.

Change Your Routine
Another notable advice is to change your routine. Although this sounds like a general tip, the reality is that incorporating new exercises or completely changing the workout plan can stimulate muscle growth. Moreover, it can take the muscle mass out of the comfort zone. Many bodybuilders have reported that switching their routine for several weeks they made quick gains. Adding additional exercises can help you get more toned and pumped – an ideal shape for a Hulk Halloween costume!

Celebrate
While it is important to maintain focus on your shape and fitness goals, you should also celebrate and enjoy Halloween. Eating unhealthy and enjoying the sweets for a day or two will not prevent yours from achieving your fitness objectives. Halloween is a holiday that happens once a year and you should enjoy it in the best way you can. It can also be an opportunity to show off those muscle gains through your Halloween costume choice.

All in all, Halloween is a great celebration and the opening of the holiday period. By following these short tips, you can maintain your fitness levels while still having fun and enjoying the scariest night of the year. However, it is important to be well prepared
to get back on track when the celebration is over. Remember, you will still have to get back to the mission of building the best lean muscle body physique possible.

Chris Hazen | @thechrishazen