Before you start hitting the gym ask guidance from pro gym trainers, fitness experts, and doctors. There might be some health-related issues, like tendon damage or bone deficiency, that will not let you do some of the workouts in a general bodybuilding program. If you got the all green clearance then let’s start building those muscles in the gym.
The first thing you need to do is determine your ideal body shape and the pro gym trainer will help you with that. Then follow the program and do not give up early in the program because it takes time for the body to build up that mass and it takes a very long period of time to maintain.
Muscle building fitness routine is a long road where commitment is essential. Stopping immediately may give you adverse effects and will be harder to take off when you start again. It is important to not skip a day so choose a gym close to work or home.
weight lifting workouts
A major part of bodybuilding exercise is weight lifting with barbells, dumbbells, and body lifting. The body builder must begin from the light weights and move on to the heavy weight as time goes on to slowly build the necessary muscles to progress the lifting chart.
Most of these exercises are done in sets of 2 and with 10 to 12 repetitions.
| Dumbbell Bench Press | Leg Press | Hack Squat |
| Seated Dumbbell Curl | Leg Curl | Hammer Curls |
| Standing Military Press | Leg Extensions | Chin-Up |
| Butterfly | Crunches | Dips – Chest Version |
| Lying Triceps Press | Calf Raise | Triceps Pushdown – Rope Attachment |
| Side Lateral Raise | Seated Cable Rows | Cable Crossover |
| Preacher Curl | Incline Dumbbell Press |
These are just some examples of weight lifting exercise and most would require an intensive set of gym equipment and cannot be done easily at home. These exercise are strictly done to have maximum result in a safe environment where there are always someone there to help you when accidents happen.
It is not recommended to have daily workouts because your body needs time to heal after being over capacitated by all those extra weight. Start with the basics and let the body incur controlled and limited damages so it knows where to put more muscles on and have it repair itself and overcompensate as preparation of the coming workloads.
This healing and overcompensation of muscles is what we basically call as body building. Eat a proper diet when you are body building so your body won’t have irreversible damages and malnutrition.
The muscle building diet
The workouts must be followed by proper portions of food in a strict diet plan tailor fit for the individual. Each person need their own recipe and amount to eat, it differs from one person to another but all follows the same basics. The basics of any body building diet is nutrition, minerals, protein, and the proper amount of calories.
Fruits – Fruits are essential as they provide natural sugar or glucose that fuels the body. However, you must limit your intake of sugary fruits like bananas and apples.
Vegetables – They have the minerals and vitamins necessary for the body to function properly. A bodybuilding proper meal consists of plenty of greens. Vegetables will be the bulk of a bodybuilder’s diet.
Whole bread and oatmeal – fibre is important in the digestive tract to sweep away undigested solids from the intestines.
Water – forget the sports drinks unless you are in an endurance marathon. Plenty of water is needed for the body to support itself. A human will survive days without food but die in hours without water. Drink water as often as possible. A few litters a day to one gallon or more is needed and the amount will depend on your body mass and weight.
Protein-rich foods – if you are a bodybuilder chance are that you need a protein shake with added vitamins and minerals. Protein is the building blocks of the body and is important for the healing of damaged body parts. The best source of natural protein might be fish like tuna and salmon which is also rich in omega-3 which is essential to the body.
Eating a well-balanced meal more frequently in lesser amounts is ideal since the body is constantly digesting and building itself. Eat every 3-4 hours and the plate has to be complete and the food is balanced. But be careful of eating before sleep as unused energy is stored as fat for future use.
Final fitness tips
Before any exercise, one must do dynamic and warm up stretches to let the body prepare for the workouts ahead. Finishing the workout would be static stretches.
A little bit of cardio after the bodybuilding workout will help to boost the body’s endurance to the workload and help the body be flexible.
Tai chi or yoga is a good additive to your workout. Of course, ask your trainer if it is possible to add this to your routine.
Do not eat junk foods and those greasy fast food items that gives you only calories and nothing else. If you want to snack on something, snack on fresh fruit or a mix of fresh well washed vegetable greens without the dressing.
