Beginner Bodybuilding
Guidelines & Tips
1) The first thing you
should do is evaluate your current health to see if
bodybuilding is right for you. In most cases you should be
fine, but seeing a doctor before hand would be a wise thing
to do.
2) Secondly you need to know what your goals are. Your
general choices are: do you want to gain muscle/weight, or
lose fat and maintain muscle? If you try to build muscle and
lose fat at the same time it will be very difficult and
gains will come very slowly and you will get mentally
frustrated and most likely quit altogether. Generally if you
have a lot of fat to lose, I would jump right into a fat
loss program. If you are skinny, I would jump in to a
muscle/weight gain program. Or do you simply just want to
tone up?
3) If you have access to a bodyfat percent analysis tool,
you can use this as a guideline:
30% bodyfat and above - This means you are obese,
which is classified as a disease in my book (and many
others). If you have this much bodyfat I would immediately
go on a fat loss program and focus on that 100%, don't worry
about gaining muscle just lose the fat first.
20% - 30% bodyfat (for males) - I would personally
treat this range the same as 30% and above category. I would
generally start worrying about fat loss before trying to
specifically trying to gain muscle. And keep that in mind,
when trying to lose fat, muscle gains will either be
extremely slow or non existent because of the lack of
nutrients you will be giving yourself. Beginners will still
find muscle gains during the first couple of months even on
a fat loss program.
15% - 20 bodyfat (for males) - In this range, you
simply need to make a decision for yourself and what is most
important to you. If you want to get real big and muscular
it would not hurt to go into a muscle gaining program. I
would still focus on doing some cardio workouts, but not to
over do them.
10% - 15% bodyfat (for males) - In this range you
will be pretty lean already and once again the choice is
yours in your decision. Do you want to get leaner? If so you
will want to focus on fat loss, eating less and doing more
cardio workouts. If you want to gain muscle quick, then cut
back on the cardio and up the calories.
10% or lower - In this range you are already super
lean but you may be very skinny with no muscle, in that case
a muscle gaining program will work best for you. If you have
lots of muscle and are lower than 10% than you are probably
not a beginner and should not be ready this article :)
4) No matter what personal goal you chose for yourself, have
a set nutrition plan before you begin training. 5-6 meals a
day are an absolute MUST whether you want to lose bodyfat or
gain weight.
5) Have a set training regimen. If you have to, hire a
personal trainer for a couple of sessions to show you how to
perform the basic exercises. Ask for advice on your
routines, either from knowledgeable people in the gym or you
can watch videos online to see how exercises are performed.
6) Choose a gym that will have all the basic equipment
(benches, squat racks, smiths etc). If you go during peak
hours (5pm-8pm) you should try and join the gym with the
most equipment around. This will help you finish your
workout faster and not wait for someone to get off your
machine. Make sure your gym has personal trainers and
helpful staff. Cleanliness is also a MUST!
7) Don’t just go to the gym to train chest and arms! If you
want your progress to be fast you MUST train all muscles at
least once per week.
8) Do not tax your body with unnecessary time in the gym. Go
in, train hard and get out of there as fast as you can!
Growth takes place OUTSIDE the gym while you are eating
healthy meals and while sleeping and resting.
9) Cardio training is a good tool for all beginners in order
to help them gain some cardiovascular strength for strenuous
weight workouts. Some beginners may have not done cardio in
a LONG time and their cardiovascular system may be very
inefficient. So I recommend doing at least one cardio
workout a week to get your hormones pumping out smoothly,
this will start shaping you up in the right direction.
10) Increase your protein intake. If you cant get enough in
your diet, then you can always turn to protein powders, the
best place to get your protein powder from is the
Protein Factory.
11) And lastly - TRAINING + MEALS + REST = GROWTH! If one or
more components are missing, growth simply won’t take place
and you'll end up being very frustrated.
General Info Articles
Is this site for Women?
Common Bodybuilding Myths
Motivational tips
How to get 6 Pack Abs
Beginner Body building Guide
Teen Beginner's Natural Bodybuilding Guide
How to do Natural Cutting and Bulking Phases
Common Misconceptions In Bodybuilding Diet Advice
General Bodybuilding Diet Info
Zig-Zag Calorie Diet
Ketogenic Diet for Rapid Fat Loss
Great Tasting Bodybuilding Recipes Workout Info and Routines
Weight Workout Routines and Info
The Importance of Deadlifts
Dumbbells vs. Barbells - Which is Better?
How to Increase Your Bench Press
Is a Military Press the same as a "behind the neck shoulder press"? Cardiovascular Info
Understanding What Cardio Does for Bodybuilders
Track workouts
Understanding The Fat Burning Effects of Cardio Supplements
What Supplements are Important for Bodybuilders
What You need to Know About Whey Protein Improve Bodybuilding With Health And Lifestyle
Is this site for Women?
Hormones And Bodybuilding
The Importance of Growth Hormone
Lifestyle Factors that Effect Bodybuilding
Smoking Effects on Bodybuilding
Alcohol Effects on Bodybuilding Best Supplement Stores:
Protein Factory - The Best Place to get Your Protein Supplements
Netrition - Easily the best Online Supplement Store Links to Other Sites:
Tim's Bowling Guides
Acne Prevention Tips and Information
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