|
Now that you have decided to start bodybuilding, we will not
question your dedication; we will only try to give it the
right direction. Everybody dreams of having a body like Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s, but only a few know the right way
to achieve it.
There’s an old saying: well begun is half done, and
nothing can be more apt when you’re talking about bodybuilding.
The correct beginner bodybuilding routine goes a long way
to make a successful bodybuilder, although you must prepare
yourself for the hard work too.
Have no doubts, bodybuilding is a technical field. It’s
not quite just grunt-work as it might look. As a novice in
bodybuilding, there must already be so many doubts in your
mind, so many misconceptions about bodybuilding that the huge
amount of information available will surely make you confused.
Nothing can beat having an intelligent instructor to guide
in you quest to get that perfectly toned body, but arming
yourself with a lot of information helps, so read this article
and find out how a good beginner bodybuilding routine can
help you go the distance.
You should plan your beginner bodybuilding routine in
consultation with the gym trainer. Don’t be reluctant
to talk if you feel the routine is too strenuous or too
easy. Every person’s body is different with different
needs.
Beginning Bodybuilding
The most difficult time in a budding bodybuilder’s
life is the first three months in the gym. Bodybuilding
is not called power training for nothing. You’ll
need a huge amount of stamina and energy to hang in
|
|
| there and go on doing rep-after-rep. Your
beginner bodybuilding routine shouldn’t be that
grueling. If you aren’t already involved in any
kind of exercise or sports activity, your body will protest
before it adjusts to the strain of weight lifting. |
So don’t rush and join the big well-muscles guys in
the corner lifting those huge barbells with such apparent
ease. At best you’ll find you can’t lift them,
at worst you might injure yourself. Take care and plan your
beginner bodybuilding routine carefully to avoid injury.
When you start your beginner bodybuilding routine, you should
start with a lighter workout. Concentrate on the machines
– you’ll find plenty at the gym. You’re
better off lifting lighter weights and doing more repetitions
then risking back-injury because of wrong technique. The machines
have an advantage; they’re made to support you, and
to help you do exercises the right way. So go ahead and work
that nautilus until you can push yourself no more.
Training
Train 3 - 5 times per week and keep your sessions short. By
short I mean under an hour. Train one muscle group per week
or every 5 days... do not combine 2 large muscle groups on
the same day. Your big muscle groups are chest, back and upper
legs. Below are three examples for splits that are perfect
for a teen:
3 Day Week
Monday: Chest, Triceps
Wednesday: Biceps, Back
Friday: Shoulders, Legs
4 Day Week
Monday: Chest, Triceps
Tuesday: Biceps, Forearms
Thursday: Shoulders, Back
Friday: Legs
5 Day Week
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Biceps, Forearms
Wednesday: Legs
Friday: Triceps, Shoulders
Saturday: Back
As you can see no 2 "big" muscles are done on the
same day. Now, for exercises, do compound movements such as
bench press, shoulder press, rows, squats, and dead lifts
first in your workout, and make sure you do the big muscles
first as well. As for volume and intensity, these are inversely
related, the more volume, the less intensity and vice versa.
For reps and sets, shoot to fail between 6-10 reps and if
you are training intensely do only 5-8 sets per body part
(more sets for the bigger muscles, less for the smaller ones).
Soreness of Muscles
During the first few weeks of your beginner bodybuilding routine
you might also find yourself getting tired easily, and taking
longer to recover. That’s natural, it’s just your
body groaning as it settles down to the strenuous schedule.
If you work out too much during this time you might experience
soreness in your muscles, sometimes for as long as a week.
If that happens avoid working out on that particular muscle
group, or just do some stretches without weights until the
soreness disappears. Remember, the most important aim of your
beginner bodybuilding routine is to build strength while avoiding
injury.
If the soreness persists for more than a week you should immediately
see a physician, because you might have hurt the bones. This
can happen if you try to lift too much weight when you start
off. Another little peace of advice: don’t let the soreness
frighten you, or discourage you, as your body gets more accustomed
to working out you won’t get sore anymore, and will
actually relish the feeling of power that working out will
give you.
Warming Up and Warming Down
Trust me, the warm up is the most important part of your bodybuilding
routine, just as important as the actual workout. Those seemingly
ineffective ten minutes of jumps, stretches, bends, and pulls
will give you the necessary suppleness to lift heavy weights.
For a beginner the warm up is even more important because
your body is not used to heavy weights yet.
Never, go straight to lifting heavy weights. Warm up at least
for ten minutes before you exercise otherwise you’ll
multiply the risk of injury many times. The reason is simple:
warm-up is like oiling your muscles, preparing them for the
tough work. If you don’t warm up properly your muscles
will be taken by surprise when the big weights hit them, and
they’ll cry out.
The warm up in your routine should consist of jumps, bends,
stretches, in short try to work out every muscle group in
your body, leaving nothing ignored, right from the neck muscles
to the calves.
It’s also recommended that you do some more stretches
after you’ve finished your workout. This actually helps
in muscle growth by freeing up the coiled muscles. It also
helps prevent soreness of muscles. So remember, make warm
up and warm down an integral part of your bodybuilding routine.
The Workout
Like we told you earlier, if you’re in the beginner
bodybuilding routine, you’re a beginner. Period. Remember
that and treat yourself like one. Don’t try to go straight
to the free weights, instead concentrate the first couple
of months on using the machines as much as possible. The equipment
in the gym is there for you to use! So use it.
Every piece of equipment in the gym is made after a lot of
research. It’s designed to help you do exercise the
right way, with proper technique without injuring yourself.
The first two months that you spend will help increase your
body’s stamina and power, preparing you for free-weights.
They will also help you get the hang of bodybuilding. Yes,
your routine should help you develop a feel for all the different
muscle groups as you exercise so that you can work out properly
when you graduate to a more advanced level.
Related Articles
Being a Natural
Bodybuilder
Fundamentals of
Bodybuilding
Guide to Beginning
Bodybuilding
| Popular Products! |
 Legal Gear Methyl 1-D
Everyone wants to be the "Alpha Male", the guy who gets all the woman, who other men look up.. |
|
BSN
Nitrix
Nitrix has just tapped into one of the most powerful
muscle building..
|
|
Optimum
Nutrition 100% Whey
100% Whey Protein by Optimum Nutrition is a truly
unique Whey Protein. |
|
