BodyBuilding Workout Guide

What To Eat To Gain Weight And Build Muscle

2010-03-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Are you underweight and don't know what to eat to gain weight?

Millions of dollars are spent each year on magazines, books, and weight gain supplements. Gaining weight does not happen overnight and requires a commitment from you, but does not have to be hard if you work out and eat the proper foods in large enough amounts.

Numerous people are continually searching for the fastest ways to gain weight and don't know what to eat. If you truly want to learn what to eat to gain weight and maintain it, a diet rich in calories and protein combined with a regular weight-training regimen will help you accomplish your goals.

If you are looking for the best weight gain supplement for you, take into account your diet and exercise routine before making a decision. Weight gain supplements can be very beneficial when used in conjunction with the proper diet and weight training routine.

The major part of your calorie and protein consumption should come from the foods you eat. Substituting a weight gain supplement for a meal is never a good idea. Your body needs the natural nutrients found in lean meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, and carbohydrates. Weight gain supplements can be used effectively as a weight gain aid when they are used to supplement your diet, not replace part of it.

A diet consisting of large amounts of protein, fats, carbs, and high in calories is essential to any weight gaining effort aided by weight gain supplements. Training with weights is necessary if you want to build new muscle tissue, and a weight gain supplement can be used after a workout, in between meals, or as a snack but should never replace a meal.

Protein is a major component of any diet designed to add body weight. Lean red meats, fish, poultry, and eggs are excellent sources of protein. Several small meals per day containing large amounts of protein are crucial to your weight gaining effort. The question of what to eat to gain weight is not as complicated as some believe.

Along with plenty of protein, fats and carbohydrates are a big part of any weight gaining diet. By avoiding sweets and empty calories, you will give your body the fuel it needs to add body mass and build new muscle tissue through the nutritious foods you eat at regular intervals during the day.

If you are finding it difficult to stick to a weight gain diet, try eating five or six smaller meals per day instead of three large ones. Keep in mind that a piece of chicken and a baked potato is always better than a shake, bar, or pill.

If you should decide to use a weight gain supplement, make certain you consume adequate amounts of food each day in addition to the supplement. Weight gain supplements can give you added protein and calories and may be especially helpful if used immediately following weight training. Always be certain your diet contains all the required elements and use weight gain supplements wisely.

Learning what to eat to gain weight is a relatively simple task. Increase your calorie intake and make certain you are eating healthy, protein rich foods. This combined with weight training and plenty of rest should allow your body to bulk up effectively and help you maintain your new body shape.

Rules to follow to build muscles

2010-03-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

Do not underestimate breakfast.
Breakfast is the most important meal on the day. Breakfast counteracts your muscles to breaking down on the most effective way. On the night the blood sugar is goes down and if you not eat a good breakfast you stop your muscle from growing.

Nutrition
Do not take nutrition instead of food. Nutrition works best as a compliment to your food or as a boost before training. But never believe that nutrition makes your muscle grow the way that real food does. Also test different to see what nutrition that fits your body best.

Eat every 3-4 hour
You muscle grow as long as you have the right amount of blood sugar in your body. As long as you have that the body knows its okay to build muscles. You have that right amount in your body about 3-4 hours after your last meal. That means you have to eat every 3-4 hour to maintain the right balance in your body and to continue to grow muscle.

Drink Water
Every chemical rejection in your body happens in a water based environment. If you do not drink water you are going to dry and your functions in your body works poorly. Functions like fat burning, muscle grow and condition.

Control what you eat
Analyse what you eat and see if you get enough to build muscle. One way to do that is to whey your food for three days. This is to see your how much protein, carbs and fat you get. Do this a couple of times a year to see your development. This is easy to do with help of a diet program that you can find on internet.

Vary the food
This is a key for success. The big advantage you get is that your body do not get used to one certain nourishment. The risk is also minimal that you get lack of something, and surely will get the right amount of vitamins and minerals that your muscles need to grow.

Eat right before training
You need to load your body right before you can perform a good workout. If you are training in the morning it can be good to eat lot of carbs the night before. If you are training in the evenings you have many meals to get you prepared for your workout.

Eat right after training
After breakfast this is the most important meal for you. After training you muscle are broke down, and you need to eat as fast as you can after training. Your muscles need both protein and carbs to grow, and here can your nutrition drinks be very important. This gives you both carbs and protein fast.

The Science Of Muscle Building

2010-03-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Bodybuilding involves more than just lifting weights. It pays to have an understanding of human kinetics. How do muscles work?

Muscles develop by making them work. Muscles can only work when the body is in motion. They work extra when we are in full motion. Thus, to develop the muscles to the maximum, we must make them work to the best of our abilities. Hence, the bodybuilding principle of “No Pain, No Gain.”

You can’t grow your muscles by doing nothing. You have to move around a lot. The only thing that will grow in points of inertia, if you remain stationary, is your weight. If you want muscle growth and power, you must work your body methodically. Muscle training is called a workout.

Muscles can be toned (or conditioned) by regular activities like brisk walking, jogging, and doing other slightly heavy works. But toning muscles will not grow them in size and beauty. You have to do more —lots more — to have stunning muscles. You have to workout. By the very term “workout,” you can have a good idea of what it takes to grow muscles.

Bodybuilding procedures using weights and other heavy-duty activities are the best-known muscle growers so far. You have to devote your life into this if you want extra visible muscles on you. You also have to do away with vices like smoking, drinking liquor, eating junk foods, etc.

Muscles grow in size only when they are moving. Try to be still in front of a mirror and you’d see no sign of any bulking muscle taking shape. Now, clench your fist hard, and muscle evidence will show at least on your forearm. This simple principle illustrates the potential of muscles being developed through repeated and graduated motions. As muscles are subjected to repeated exertions that gradually increase intensity, they grow and toughen.

The more intense the muscle activity, the better and faster the muscle is developed. Hence, a systematic muscle development program incorporating increased muscle stimulation builds more muscles effectively. If your exercise features no such system of increasing efforts and challenges to your muscle strength, your muscles can only grow so much. Some exercises do form muscles, but only to a certain extent. The muscles built only become regulating muscles that enable you to perform normal tasks effectively. But they cannot exceed in performing beyond such tasks.

On the contrary, a fully developed muscle does not only allow you to do normal tasks; it is calibrated to reach its full potentials — far beyond what regulating muscles can do. Bodybuilding helps you develop your muscles to the extreme.

Learn To Gain Weight And Build Muscle

2010-03-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

If you want to increase muscle mass and gain weight, remember that in order to effectively bulk up, you will need to be persistent in your efforts. Increasing your caloric intake is an important part of gaining weight and building new muscle tissue. When you feed your body more food than it can burn, you gain weight. Weight training is also an important part of gaining weight and increasing your muscle mass. Weight training stimulates the muscles and promotes growth. The combination of weight training and proper diet is the best, most effective way to gain weight and increase muscle mass.

Failure to eat properly while weight training could result in loss of muscle tissue. Make certain you get plenty of protein, fats, and carbs and in large enough quantities to allow your body to gain weight. Supplements can play a role in building body mass if taken while adjusting your diet and training with weights. Meal replacement bars, powders, and protein drinks can be an excellent way to increase your daily caloric intake. In order to increase muscle mass, you must give your body approximately 500 more calories per day than the number of calories your body uses.

Exercise and diet are the most important things to consider when attempting to gain weight and increase muscle mass. Weight training and the adequate food intake will leave your body with no choice but to gain weight and add mass. Make sure to get enough rest between workouts to give your body time to recuperate and build new muscle tissue.

If you want to get the maximum benefit from your mass building routine, you must avoid the most common reasons that cause people to fail at building muscle and gaining weight. A quality mass building routine combined with proper nutrition and plenty of rest can produce results that you never dreamed possible. Consistency, smart eating habits, the proper weight lifting techniques, and lots of rest are the common elements shared by every successful body builder.

Building muscle is a slow process and it could possibly take several months before you see noticeable results. If you are determined and consistent in your muscle mass building routine and your eating habits, you efforts will pay off in time. Nutrition is also crucial in building muscle mass. The right amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats must be included in your diet in order to give your body the fuel it needs to add muscle tissue. The trick to building muscle is to find the combination of foods that allow you to add new muscle mass. Trial and error combined with sound dietary guidelines will allow you to find just the right nutritional plan for you.

The proper weight lifting techniques are a very important part of a muscle mass building routine. If you don't work your muscles, they won't grow. You will need to find the right amount of weight and the right weight lifting exercises for your body. Determination, trial and error, and a consistent effort will eventually give you the results you want. The most important thing is to stay focused and realize your reward is waiting for you down the line.

Choosing The Right Bodybuilding Supplement

2010-02-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

Before wasting your money on a pile of bodybuilding supplements you really need to work out what you are hoping to achieve. Don't lose sight of the fact that sound nutrition forms the basis of any muscle building program and no amount of supplementation with the latest and greatest products will make up for bad eating habits. The bottom line is, bodybuilding supplements should be used IN ADDITION to regular food, not INSTEAD OF it.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's go on to think about what supplements could be of use and this is something that can only be determined by your physical and performance goals. Don't make the mistake of copying your training partners or believing all the garbage spouted in magazine ads. Decide first what you want to achieve and then choose the supplements that will help you reach your goals.

To help you make an informed choice, the most popular and useful bodybuilding supplements available today are listed below, broadly divided into two goal-related categories.

Determined to build muscle? This cannot be achieved without dedication, sheer hard work and sound nutrition. With a solid foundation in place you can help the process along with supplements like creatine, whey protein, prohormones, testosterone boosters and amino acids.

Need to lose fat? There is no point in building awesome muscles if they're covered by layers of fat. Once again, the key to success is hard work but you can boost fat loss by using products from supplement categories that include fat burners, stimulant-free products, appetite suppressants and carb blockers.

Many more supplements are available to support your bodybuilding endeavors. These include energy boosters and products aimed at enhancing the condition of your mind and body. As we progress through this series of articles we'll look at each of these in turn.

Rock Hard Abs! Do You Have What it Takes?

2010-02-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

If your abs look good, your whole body looks good. Having Big arms and chest is one thing but having rock hard defined abs is so another.

Everyone knows that nothing turns heads like a defined full set of abs. And hey, chicks love em. What more needs to be said.

Contrary to popular belief, the abs or Rectus Abdominis is really only one muscle. It stretches from the top of your pelvis up to your ribcage. The "six-pack" as it is called is merely sections of this one muscle.

Dispelling the Ab Myths:

The action of any muscle is simply to contract. And as you can't contract half your bicep or quad, it makes sense that you cannot contract half your abs as well. Therefore the myths about "upper ab" and "lower ab" training are total nonsense. I'm not discounting those training methods but the simple fact is that if you can't see your lower abs, it just means you've got fat covering them, not that you need to work them harder.

Say goodbye to hanging knee-raises, straight-leg raises, and any other type of leg raises for building your abs. They simply don't work. The primary role of your abs is to stabilize your body. When you raise your leg for example, your hip flexors pull on your spine and arch it forward/downward. Your abs stabilize this action by resisting and essentially keeping your back from breaking. Take note that this is the static action of the abs. It doesn't build or strengthen. Leg raising exercises only feel like they are effectively working your abs because of the repeated strain and exhaustion of your muscle producing catabolic, lactic acid build up. Search for "lactic acid" at http://www.muscle-body.com for more information.

What Really Works:

What does strengthen your abs is what strengthens any other muscle in your body. Contraction! In this case - Decreasing the distance between your rib cage and your pelvis.

So we come back to the good old sit-up. But there are a few things to keep in mind.

Firstly, forget about the cool all-the-way-up sit-ups you see in the movies. Your abs are fully contracted when your shoulders are about 5 to 6 inches off the ground. So don't bother trying to impress or outperform someone by touching your elbows to your knees. It does nothing for you. Crunches as they are sometimes called are the way to go.

Secondly, don't wedge your feet under something to help you get up. You don't need to do this if you are doing crunches properly anyway. Your legs should be at 90 degrees to each other and your knees at 45 degrees to your waist. If you need to, use something to press your heels back against to stabilize yourself. This way you will use your hamstrings instead of your hip flexors which will keep the focus on your abs.

Thirdly, keep your hands lightly held against the side of your head or crossed on your chest. Don't clasp them together behind your head or neck. If you do you will be tempted to pull with your hands to get the last few reps out, which will put unnecessary strain on this fragile part of the spine.

Alternative:

Another good exercise for abs is kneeling crunches. You will need special equipment to perform this exercise. This is where you kneel and contract your abs so that your upper body arches forward/downward. You hold a rope attached to a pulley with weights for extra resistance. Most gyms will have a rope attachment to the triceps pull down to perform this exercise. The idea is to lock your arms against your upper body so that you pull down only with your abs and not your arms.

Ab Training Devices:

In 2 words - Forget it.

You don't need them. Most of them do nothing for you. Building muscle is hard and it hurts. Most of these devices are designed to take the pressure off your body making the exercise seem easy and con you into thinking you are really targeting your muscles. Don't believe the hype. Ab training is definitely hard work but definitely worth it's reward.

The Secret:

How to Get Six Pack Abs is just what you need.

Body Building for Beginners

2010-02-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

Body building or even just showing up at a gym can be intimidating for a beginner. Provided below are some tips that can help you get into body building, and into your first fitness club:

Seek Advice - There is no sense trying to learn it everything yourself when starting out in Body Building. Take some time to talk to others who are more experienced, and learn what you can from them. When using new equipment or a new exercise it is also always a good idea to talk to someone, to ensure that you don’t get injured.

Sleep - When working out for the first time it is important to ensure that your body is getting the rest that it needs. This will usually be more than what you were taking before.

Diet - Just as important as sleep it’s important to ensure that your diet is keeping up with your exercise. This doesn’t just mean eating more, it means eating better. Think of your body as an automobile. The more you drive a car, the more fuel you need to put into it. You need to ensure that you are putting the proper fuel in your car as well, to ensure that it will drive consistently and perform to spec.

Set Goals - Set goals that are attainable. Out of reach goals only set yourself up for failure. Take it one step at a time, and enjoy/celebrate your success all the way up the ladder. Whether it’s another 10pounds to your bench press or just making it to the gym 3 days a week, you need to set goals, otherwise it’s easy for your workout to get pushed aside when life gets busy.

Visualize Success - It’s important to see yourself succeeding before you even begin working out. This winning mind set will take you to new levels in your training and will set yourself up for success!

Be smart about getting into body building to ensure that you will achieve success both mentally and physically.

6 Tips For 6-pack Abs

2010-01-21T02:48:00.000-08:00

No matter if you are a teen trying to get into shape or a grown woman returning to the world of fitness, a harder and flatter stomach is the final goal for many a person. Because of this, this topic is covered in plenty of fitness myths and is especially susceptible to fancy machines and ideas that claim to give a rock hard 6-pack in weeks, yet do absolutely nothing. This article does not claim to give "rock hard abs" in a week, but instead serves to try to change the views some people have gotten from watching too many infomercials at 2AM.

1. You Can't Spot-Reduce

This means that you can't burn fat only from a specific spot on your body. All the sit-ups in the world will not burn the fat on your gut. Body fat is lost from all over your body and is caused by a caloric deficit, not from activating a certain muscle group.

2. Cardio is Important

The key to getting a 6-pack is not in building up the abdominals, but in burning the fat that is covering them. The way to achieve this is is to have a caloric deficit, which can be achieved by both taking in less calories and using up more calories. A form of cardio that is very effective for burning fat and boosting your metabolism is HIIT. HIIT is exercising in short bursts of intense cardio followed by a short cool down. An example of a session would be a 30 second run, followed by a 30 second jog, followed by another sprint, and so on for 4 to 15 minutes depending on the fitness of person.

3. Abs are made in the kitchen

This is the least complex and yet the most difficult aspect in getting a 6-pack. The key to getting a 6-pack is to cut down on food and lose body fat. Here are some easily applicable tips:

* Stop drinking soda and start to drink only water. It can make a huge difference.

* Eat 5-6 small meals a day. This helps boost your metabolism and keeps your appetite in check.

* Try to find your calorie maintenance level and gradually decrease 100-200 calories per week until your are shedding about 1-2 pounds a week.

4. Sit-ups are useless

Sit-ups are supposed to target the abs but really the hip flexors and spinal erectors are doing the work in the movement. The abdominals are only used isometrically as stabilizers. This means that sit-ups are terrible for your back and do not benefit your abs anyway.

5. Other Exercises To Do

Now this would be the time for me to plug some new life-changing product or idea, but that is not the point of this article. Here are some ab exercises for beginners to do instead of the traditional sit-up:

* Crunches - There are many different types, but try to think of it as pulling your bottom rib directly to your hip

* Weighted crunches - Do normal crunches except hold a plate to your chest

* Hanging leg raises - hang from a bar and pull your knees directly to your chest

6. Don't Give Up!

While achieving your goal of a 6-pack may not be as painless and easy as infomercials may have you think, it is still a very realistic goal even for a beginner. All it takes hard work and determination. Giving up a week after you started will not help you get a six pack or help your your overall fitness.

2 Steps To Six Pack Abs

2010-01-17T02:13:00.001-08:00

First off, I want to mention that, for most people, getting six pack abs is not an easy task. It requires dedication, but it is possible! Below is a general 2-step guide that, if followed religiously for 3 months, will
First off, I want to mention that, for most people, getting six pack abs is not an easy task. It requires dedication, but it is possible! Below is a general 2-step guide that, if followed religiously for 3 months, will produce results.

Step 1: Nutrition

This is the single most important part of the puzzle, hands down. You can have the most impressive set of abs, but if they're covered with a layer of fat, you won't see them! Break up your day with 5 or 6 mini-meals because this jump starts your metabolism. And stop eating the food that is preventing results: white bread, loads of pasta, soda, candy, fast food, hydrogenated oils, sugars and fructose corn syrup.

Instead, replace them with foods that will help you reach your goal: oatmeal, olive oil, whole grain breads, fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs, natural peanut butter, chicken, fish, protein and water. Be realistic- you'll slip here and there, but make a conscious effort to radically improve your eating habits because getting a six pack will be impossible if you don't.

Step 2: Exercise

You need to concern yourself with 3 different exercises: cardio, weightlifting and ab exercises. And aim to workout 3- 4 times a week.

The cardio you do can be anything: walking, running, biking, swimming....whichever cardio you don't mind doing so that you'll stick with it. Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week.

Weightlifting is important because 3 pounds of added muscle burns as many calories as a 1 mile jog...and this is while you're just sitting around! Aim for 30-45 minutes, a minimum of 2 times a week. If you're confused as to what exercises to do for each body part, check out out the following website. It features professional bodybuilders, but the information is great and can be used by anyone.

The last exercise you need to incorporate into your workout is ab exercises. Aim to work your abs a minimum of 3 times a week. There are a ton of different ab exercises you can do so try to find 3 or so that you enjoy doing so you can mix it up. Tip: mix up your workout routine every 2 weeks to keep your body guessing and changing. Add or take away different weight or ab exercises, or at the very least, vary the weight, reps or form of cardio you do.

Well, there you have it. Follow the above for 3 months religiously, and while results will vary from person to person, you will experience improvement. It will take dedication on your part, but imagine the feeling you'll get when you look in the mirror and like what you see.

Free Bodybuilding Workout Program

2009-04-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample three day workout.

Day 1 - Back, Chest, and Abs

Do three sets of 12-15 reps each.

- Bent over barbell row

- Stiff legged barbell dead lift

- Barbell bench press

- Incline dumbbell press

- Dumbbell flies

- Crunches

Day 2 - Legs and Shoulders

Do three sets of 12-15 reps each.

- Barbell squat

- Seated calf raise

- Front dumbbell raise

- Side lateral raise

- Upright barbell row

- Lunges

- Barbell squats

Day 3 - Biceps, Triceps, and Abs

Do three sets of 12-15 reps each

- Barbell curl

- Incline dumbbell curl

- Lying triceps press

- Barbell triceps extension

- Front dumbbell raise

- Dumbbell hammer curls

- Crunches

About an hour before your workout, you should eat some protein and carbohydrates. This is to make sure that you have enough energy to make it through your entire workout. By doing this, you are putting your body into an anabolic state that will provide the necessary energy and power to effectively work your muscles.

During training, there is increased blood flow to the muscles. When you consume protein and carbohydrates prior to a workout, your body can take advantage of that extra blood flow and work the muscles more efficiently.

Many people opt for a protein shake and a bowl of rice, but you can choose whatever foods you want to get what you need.

Bodybuilding Routines

2009-03-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

It would be ideal if we could build muscles as quickly as possible by performing any kind of bodybuilding routines that we like. In reality however, this is simply not possible. Certain bodybuilding routines are practically time-wasters and ineffective at recruiting the most muscle fibers thus offering very little in term of muscle gains and strength.

Let's face it; we all want to put pounds of solid mass onto our bodies chop-chop, but in order to accomplish that, we need to thump the weights with bodybuilding routines that work. Given the huge number of people who quit the battle after many sessions in the gym, it's evident that many are uninformed regarding the proper routines to induce lean muscle growth.

So it's essential that you pick only bodybuilding routines that work, otherwise all the sweat and pain you endured in the gym will be for nothing. Check out the 5 fab routines below to help you cut the right path.

# 1 Bench Press

For a massive chest, look no further than the basic bench press. You may include other bodybuilding routines from time to time but this one be should be regularly sought for total pec development.

# 2 Overhead Press

It doesn't matter whether you use a barbell or dumbbells, as long as it's an overhead press, either tool can help you get a pair of coconut size delts.

# 3 Deadlifts

This is a must do exercise. I repeat, deadlifts is a MUST do exercise. You shouldn't attempt it if you have some type of lower back injury however. With that said, deadlifts is certainly a powerful bodybuilding routine because it allows you to pound your entire back complex with heavy emphasis on the lower back region. It also stimulates the traps, biceps and improves your grip strength.

# 4 Chin-ups

A pretty laborious exercise but stick to it and you will be rewarded with the highly coveted V-shaped back.

# 5 Squats

Obviously you don't want a pair of chicken legs to go along with that muscular body of yours. You also want a set of tree-trunk legs to complete the look. Thus squats are just what the doctor ordered.

These are the bodybuilding routines that work like a charm. Try them and prepare for some solid gains.

Bodybuilding Workout

2009-03-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Setting up a bodybuilding workout plan is very important, if you really want to get in shape. You might not know that bodybuilding workouts are actually a great way to build muscle. There are lots of people out there who wish they could build muscle and lose fat, but can't get to a gym, for whatever reason. If you're such a person, what can you do?

Well, you can create a bodybuilding workout and bodybuilding routines that you can do in your own home. Can you clear forty-five minutes a day three or four days a week from your schedule, in order to work out? If the answer is "Yes!" you're on your way to a healthier body.

The right bodybuilding workout and bodybuilding plan can give you a whole other approach to body building. It's not just about weight lifting. These bodybuilding workouts can be more interesting and more effective, too. So, why bother going to the gym to do boring workouts?

Many bodybuilding workouts are only designed to be done for three or four months. That's just twelve to sixteen weeks! What are you supposed to do after that? They might temporarily increase your metabolism, but what you really need is a total bodybuilding workout and bodybuilding plan that will allow you to build muscle and give you long-term energy.

Another problem with the gym is that the routine can become a habit. Your body can get used to that habit and your workout routines can become less and less successful.

Brink's Body Building Revealed is a great bodybuilding workout guide that reveals all sorts of bodybuilding secrets and they are really easy to start. The trick is not to focus on body workout and bodybuilding plans, but, rather, to do repetitions and sets certain amount of times, in order to receive the results you're looking for.

Sometimes you might be forced to adjust your workout. If you only have thirty-five minutes, instead of forty-five, you might have to do the same exercises as the previous session in less time. That can work to your advantage, though. It can cause you to build up muscle faster.

Just remember that, behind each bodybuilding workout and bodybuilding plan, there's a warm up routine. You should try to warm up for at least five minutes, prior to exercising. You can also do some simple activities, like sit ups, and some stretching, before you work out.

Although the number and type of reps you do is important, try not to focus too much on it. There are other things that are important too. So, keep everything in mind, when you're creating the perfect bodybuilding workout and bodybuilding plan.

Best Bodybuilding Workouts

2009-03-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Best Bodybuilding Workouts

Bodybuilding continues to be a popular sport that attracts enthusiasts who enjoy it as a hobby or prefer to compete among peers. In either case, in order to be successful, it is imperative to implement and remain committed to a comprehensive bodybuilding workout that will build and maintain muscle and maximize performance.

For many bodybuilding workout means a daily trip to the nearby gym. For others, the workout happens at home. But no matter where you choose to conduct your best bodybuilding workouts, there are a few general rules to keep in mind. First and foremost, safety is the key to successful bodybuilding. Performing bodybuilding routines that do not utilize proper technique will not only hinder you from reaching your maximum potential; it will put you at risk for serious injury. For those who are just beginning a bodybuilding workout, therefore, it may be beneficial to begin with the help of a personal trainer who can give you a bodybuilding workout guide and assist you in learning the best bodybuilding workouts.

An effective bodybuilding workout combines a number of elements in order to achieve maximum physical fitness. A successful workout should include adequate cardiovascular work – such as running, walking, or aerobics – to increase the heart rate and improve cardiovascular health; committed core work – such as Pilates or yoga – that improves flexibility, strengthens abdominal and core muscles, and keeps muscles limber; and, most important to bodybuilding, weight training that utilizes a combination of weights to build and sculpt muscle.

In addition to safety, commitment is just as important to a bodybuilding workout. While a three-day-a-week workout may be adequate for those who are not bodybuilding but still trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle, this schedule will not be enough to successfully meet bodybuilding goals. Those who are serious about bodybuilding often spend many hours a day in the gym; a bodybuilding workout is a serious commitment that requires quite a bit of sacrifice. Most bodybuilders will adopt a very particular schedule when it comes to their workout routine – scheduling cardiovascular and core work and planning weight training to work certain muscle groups on one day and other muscle groups on others.

Bodybuilding is not for everyone. But for those who are enthusiastic about participating in this sport as either a hobby or in order to compete, they will tell that a committed and comprehensive bodybuilding routines is imperative to your success.

BodyBuilding Workout Guide - Adding Size To The Biggest Muscle Groups First

2009-03-14T03:01:00.000-07:00

Are you looking to add some significant size to your physique? Most people who go to the gym usually are. This excludes the fitness bunnies and the leotard men, of course. Most people lifting weights are looking to add muscle to their bodies. They tackle various pieces of equipment and use a variety of movements with the same goal in mind - getting bigger. However, they often neglect a few simple tenets to gaining size which could help their cause tremendously.

If you're looking to gain size, then you should be looking to add size to the biggest muscle groups first. It will arrive faster and will weight more. Let's face it- an inch of mass on your thighs comes a lot faster than a new inch added to your arms. Therefore, if you'd like to make the most possible gains in the shortest amount of time, you're going to want to focus on those larger muscle groups. You can train the bejesus out of calves, forearms, and arms - but you're only going to get BIG when you manage to greatest stimulate your back and quadriceps. For this reason, it makes sense to utilize a bodybuilding routine which places the most emphasis upon these largest muscle groups when you are fresh, well-rested, and at your strongest. Being able to devote more resources to lifting for these groups means they will grow at a faster rate than the other body parts.

You might stop yourself and say "Why would I want to make the biggest muscle groups bigger right away? Won't that destroy my symmetry?" Chances are, if you're still sitting at a body weight of under 200 pounds in your off-season shape, you shouldn't be too worried about your symmetry. You can focus on capping off your delts and matching your neck, bicep, and calf measurements down the road once you enter the refinement stage. In the meantime, your emphasis should be placed upon adding as much muscle to your body as quickly as possible. Here is a training split which will allow you to devote the most resources toward the biggest muscle groups of quads and back.

Day 1 - Thighs, hamstrings, calves
Day 2 - Chest
Day 3 - REST
Day 4 - Back
Day 5 - Shoulders
Day 6 - Biceps & Triceps
Day 7 - REST

As you can see, this routine allows you to hit the major body parts of back and legs after a full day of rest. No cardio is to be completed on this rest day, to ensure your energy reserves are at their highest at the start of your workout. The chest muscles would be the third-largest muscle group. The chest is trained immediately following legs, with a full day of rest following it. The smaller muscle groups of shoulders and arms are trained at the tail end of this routine. After completing your Biceps & Triceps routine on Day 6, you'll have a full 3 days of upper body rest before your next chest workout. If you want to gain the most size in the shortest amount of time, make back and quad bodybuilding workout your focus!