Bodybuilder Beginner Basics

Let’s face it, we live in an image conscious society, not a health conscious one. Many people confuse the two, but the difference is clear. Because of the extremes that many people are willing to go to try to look good including calorie restricting diets, taking pills and potions to lose weight, and even cosmetic surgery, it is clear that people are more concerned with looking good rather than feeling good or even being healthy for that matter. The fact is, there are plenty of activities we can take part in that can make us not only look fantastic, but get into fantastic healthy condition as well. One of these is bodybuilding.

Bodybuilding is the act of improving one’s physique through weight training, aerobic training, and eating a healthy diet. This activity can make you look incredibly younger and feel better than you have in your entire life. Because of the lack of knowledge that many have about bodybuilding, many decide not to try it, but really, it is pretty simple to get started with this effective and physique improving activity.

First of all, it is important to understand the different types of routines you may encounter in the world of bodybuilding. There are two basic types and they are called full body, and split body routines. Full body, as the name suggests, are exercises that involve your entire (or most of) your body. These include exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Split body exercises are those that focus on individual muscles such as dumbbell curls. As a beginner bodybuilder, you will want to focus on the full body ones as they will provide you with the best “bang for your buck” when it comes to adding significant amounts of muscle in a short period of time. Begin with a routine that will see you completing several sets of full body exercises during each workout and schedule workouts at least 3-4 days per week. It is important to start with light weights so that you don’t hurt yourself, but make sure to increase weights incrementally so that your progress will continue.

In this early stage of bodybuilding, nutrition and rest are EXTREMELY important. You will want to be taking in adequate amounts of protein in order to provide your muscles with the nutrients they need to grow, and carbohydrates as well as this will provide the fuel for your muscles during your grueling workouts. In addition, make sure to get PLENT of sleep (at least 8 hours) each and every night as it is during this time that your muscles actually repair themselves and GROW. Many beginning bodybuilders experience significant growth with a one day on one day off workout routine. This gives their body one full day of recovery in which to grow between workouts.

So remember, beginner bodybuilders need to start light, but gradually add increasing weight. You need to concentrate on full body movements and don’t worry so much about split body routines at this stage. Finally, make sure you eat the proper foods and get plenty of rest. If you follow this simple but effective advice, you will have much success in positively transforming your body through bodybuilding.

1. Prev:Eat Healthy: Be Political - An Interview with Dr. David Kessler author of The End of Overeating
2. Next:6 Key Self-Motivation Strategies for Losing Weight