You’ve seen those photos of successful bodybuilders that made their bodies look extremely good and you’ve decided to go for it yourself? That is a great decision, and you can do it! The path towards serious mass and carved abs is a bit tricky, but you are no different than the rest and you can succeed. However, you have to learn a few things first. Read the ‘introduction’ to bodybuilding below so that you know what to do and what to expect once you start.
Training
Considering that you are a beginner, you are able to train more frequently than intermediates and advanced lifters. Sounds weird, right? Well, the more experienced you get, the more you’ll push your muscles. That way, you inflict more damage, which requires more time to recover from. Beginners surely get sore, but they bounce back faster since the damage inflicted on the muscle isn’t as severe. And, don’t worry; the ‘damage’ is not something bad. Damage makes your body recover and slightly overcompensate (grow) so that you are prepared for future workouts. And that’s what bodybuilding is all about. Now that you are familiar with the concept, let’s move on to your first routine.
It consists of three days a week, full body routine (Monday-Wednesday-Friday) sessions. Allow your body that valuable recovery time between the sessions since no growth can occur without some healing time. Stick to this routine for a month or so, and that way you’ll develop good form, rep performance, and you’ll get an overall feel of what exercises target specific muscles. During this period of time, after you are done with warming up, stick to 2 to 3 sets per body part. When it comes to reps, you can do 10 to 12 and you should be okay. Last but not least, it is important that you learn how to perform correctly. Use a weight that allows you to hit the mentioned 10 to 12 reps with 1 to 2 tough reps at the end.
Equipment
Having a good routine isn’t enough if you don’t come well-prepared. That’s why it is important that you know a few things about the much-needed equipment.
You can start off by buying a good training t-shirt, shorts and proper shoes. Make sure that your clothes aren’t affecting your freedom of movement. You know how those advanced bodybuilders wear tank tops. That’s not only because they want to show off. They are able to see each and every muscle contraction, and they know that their movement won’t be obstructed. So, investing in a good t-shirt is definitely something to consider. Just remember to look for t-shirts made of lean and breathable materials. The same can be said for shorts.
However, what you really have to pay attention to are the shoes. Since you’re planning on becoming stronger and heavier, you need to protect your joints. You can use your running shoes in the beginning, but you’ll have to buy more sophisticated bodybuilding shoes as you progress. Quality bodybuilding shoes have strong soles and they are built to protect your ankles. When you start lifting heavy weights, you cannot afford to do it in some old pair of training shoes. If they start to tear, you are done! You can hurt yourself pretty badly. Also, many bodybuilders nowadays like to start things off with wearing a hoodie. They do that because they want to get their body temperature up quickly. In addition, consider buying some athletic tape to tape up your hands and protect your skin and ankles.
Diet
Our bodies revolve on nutrients from the foods and supplements that we consume in order to grow muscles. So, let’s see what you need to eat more in order to build more. First of all, incorporate egg whites into your diet. With a protein to fat ratio of 60 to 1, egg whites are one of the purest forms of protein in the world. In order to pack some serious mass, lean meats such as chicken and turkey breasts have to be present on your plate. These provide you with high quality protein and they are low in saturated trans fats, too. Fish is also what you should aim at because it is rich in healthy fats and proteins. Add beans or legumes to the picture, and you will be more than okay. Remember to drink lots of water since you need to stay hydrated. Especially when you are about to have a tough workout.
Conclusion
This guide will steer you into the right direction; be sure to bear everything you’ve read in mind because it will prove to be useful. As you progress, the exercises you do will get more complex, but this is a good starting point. Good luck and stay persistent. Remember, great things take time to happen!