As seen earlier on, bodybuilding is a progressive regimen that you can start at any age. Likewise, as a beginner, your success in bodybuilding will be as a result of your careful attention to the following points:
- Capitalize on doing compound movements. Focus on the basic movements first and avoid trying any other possible exercise you see. Compound exercises normally target a muscle group simultaneously. Such movements constitute extending or flexing at least two joints. Some of the best exercises to try out are the shoulder press, squat, Lat pulldowns and bench press.
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The bench press works your shoulders, triceps, chest and to a small degree, biceps. The hamstrings and the squads are worked by the squat exercises at the same time; while the shoulder press works on your triceps and shoulders.
Using a maximum 2-3 per training day will be very helpful.
- Sticking to free weights will help you build a solid foundation of muscle mass. In particular, barbells and dumbbells will greatly help you build your muscle mass as a beginner.
- Always draft a training program and adhere to it. Formulating a strict routine and sticking to it will be of great benefit to you; your personal trainer or your mentor in bodybuilding can help you come up with a program. The program must clearly state the exact exercises you need to do, the associated number of sets and reps (a complete execution of a particular exercise) per set (a combination of any number of reps of a particular exercise). A program outlines the exact things you do whenever you go into a gym.
- It is important to train each muscle group every week; avoid very few workouts. However, do not overdo it by training every day.
- Make every attempt to learn the correct form of each exercise. Begin with lower weights and progress as you learn the right form of each exercise. Then start increasing the weights periodically. Take note of how much you lift on each exercise and gradually increase the weight fortnightly to increase your strength and result to muscle gain.
- As you begin using big weights, consider using safety belts for your lower back protection. This is because you are likely to develop back problems if you don’t take extra caution.
- Your diet should consist of a lot of proteins, fruits and vegetables. You can get proteins in fish, chicken, eggs, nuts and dairy products. It is mostly recommended that you take 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight to get the best results. You may add protein shake if you find it hard to consume enough proteins daily. Also, remember vitamins and minerals are needed by your body. As you do that, ensure to always avoid junk food and consume fast absorbing carbohydrates just after exercises; these are foods that are rich in sugar and flour. Finally, avoid being hungry; eat as often as possible, with 4-5 meals per day that are taken every 3-4 hours; and take plenty of water.
- Ensure that you eat more calories than you burn in order to build your muscles. You can calculate your Basal Metabolic rate (BMR) using this calorie calculator. Essentially, if you have an active lifestyle, you need more calories; but if your lifestyle is sedentary then you need fewer calories.
- Ensure to rest sufficiently to allow your body enough time to repair and build muscles. Normally, when sleeping, your body releases the HGH (growth hormone) during the REM part of sleep, which initiates muscle growth. Therefore, always avoid sleep deprivation as well; aim for 10 hours of sleep, and sleep for a minimum of 8 hours a night. However, do not exercise every single day; your routine should consist of 3-4 workouts per week. Spend the rest of the days resting and recovering. Also, spend 1-2 minutes to recover in between sets. If you take a longer resting time, you will be developing strength. However, the short recovery time allows you to maintain blood flow to your muscles; your strength drops set after set as more and more muscle stimulation is achieved. It is important to bear in mind that if you don’t allow yourself recovery time, your muscles will experience improper healing and make you train exhaustively.
- Be consistent and patient. Muscle gains take a long time to be noticed. Therefore, don’t miss too many workouts and train for the long haul.
- Keep challenging your body to get stronger as time goes; you must get stronger. Therefore, always stress your muscles by giving them extra loads and see the reaction.
- Exercise balancing your body part training. Your major muscle groups such as shoulders, back, squads and chest require 9-15 sets in a week while minor muscle groups such as calves, hamstrings, triceps, biceps and abs require 6-9 sets within a week.
While training, note that bodybuilding is not as complicated as it may appear. By observing the above basics and quality suggestions, you are able to get on track and progressively make great gains. However, another important point to note is that your body type matters a lot. This is because your body type determines how you physique evolves as you train.
