I've been wanting to get into bodybuilding for a long time but I have no idea how to start. Any suggestions?
Bodybuilding advice
- Thread starter SundayMorning88
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@SundayMorning88
My first piece of advice is go to places where the people know what they're talking about and is centered around health and body building.
Body building forums or sites dedicated to health and/or body building may yield better answers than what random responses you may get here. You don't want to take wrong advice and hurt yourself.
I actually have a female friend who won the first competition she entered. So verifiable, healthy information is out there. You just have to go to the right sources.
My first piece of advice is go to places where the people know what they're talking about and is centered around health and body building.
Body building forums or sites dedicated to health and/or body building may yield better answers than what random responses you may get here. You don't want to take wrong advice and hurt yourself.
I actually have a female friend who won the first competition she entered. So verifiable, healthy information is out there. You just have to go to the right sources.
Go slow and steady. Allow your body to adjust to the extra demands you are about to place on it. Workout 5-6 days a week, performing calisthenics before lifting. You also must alternate muscle groups from day to day.
Also, a well balanced diet with lots of protein and vegetables, as well as proper rest are every bit as important as exercise itself. Our bodies grow when sleeping, so don’t cheat yourself out of sleep, you’ll only be cheating yourself out of getting bigger and stronger. Blessings on your journey.
Also, a well balanced diet with lots of protein and vegetables, as well as proper rest are every bit as important as exercise itself. Our bodies grow when sleeping, so don’t cheat yourself out of sleep, you’ll only be cheating yourself out of getting bigger and stronger. Blessings on your journey.
There are plenty of fitness centers which provide personal trainers. There are also plenty of books on the subject. Starting should be easy. Continuing on a daily basis takes discipline. It is important that every part of the body be exercised.
Definitely start with a personal trainer...I find female instructors distracting so I'd go with a male myself.
Just to get the basics down. I would also encourage you to find a workout partner. Incredibly useful.
In regards to diet, not all proteins are created equal. Do some research on the differences between Soy, Whey, Animal based and plant based.
Everyone's body absorbs proteins differently...
I'm about to start myself after an incredibly long hiatus. What I used to do was pre-load with carbs for energy. Burn off said carbs and the post-load with protein with a tiny bit of fat/carbs
Worked rather well. I am of the opinion that it is ALWAYS important to eat "something" post workout. Ideally protein rich but if you eat Fast food let's say...you will still get "somewhere". You can always trim down with diet later on if you have issues with that. I know that some people don't start or give it a half effort because they are hyper focused on proper foods. Your body will let you know.
If you like fish it's packed with protein. Eggs are good also. Dairy has solid protein but brings up other issues so bear that in mind. I'm not sure if first-pass metabolism is a thing with workouts but it applies to chemicals and in theory it may apply to protein shakes
There's conflicting info but it seems that your body has limits on types of proteins that can be absorbed and the rate so have a few sources. Like I said though it's different for different people.
Just to get the basics down. I would also encourage you to find a workout partner. Incredibly useful.
In regards to diet, not all proteins are created equal. Do some research on the differences between Soy, Whey, Animal based and plant based.
Everyone's body absorbs proteins differently...
I'm about to start myself after an incredibly long hiatus. What I used to do was pre-load with carbs for energy. Burn off said carbs and the post-load with protein with a tiny bit of fat/carbs
Worked rather well. I am of the opinion that it is ALWAYS important to eat "something" post workout. Ideally protein rich but if you eat Fast food let's say...you will still get "somewhere". You can always trim down with diet later on if you have issues with that. I know that some people don't start or give it a half effort because they are hyper focused on proper foods. Your body will let you know.
If you like fish it's packed with protein. Eggs are good also. Dairy has solid protein but brings up other issues so bear that in mind. I'm not sure if first-pass metabolism is a thing with workouts but it applies to chemicals and in theory it may apply to protein shakes
There's conflicting info but it seems that your body has limits on types of proteins that can be absorbed and the rate so have a few sources. Like I said though it's different for different people.
Many of the problems with aging come from loss of muscle mass, weight training helps that a lot. I offered to arm wrestle anyone at my 50th class reunion, I got no takers.
T
tasha66
Guest
I trained with a body builder years ago & can set my own routine now.
Body building is also not about speed: it's about control and concentrating on what you are doing. I find it's a good mental work out too & relieves stress.
I lost more weight doing body building than aerobic exercise at times, but you lose it slower. I used to love running for aerobic exercise, but can't do that anymore due to left knee problems, so I try to swim instead.
Body building is great cos you don't have to be fit to do it. It also depends whether you want to do it in your home with equipment or at the gym. I've bought equipment in the past and it does help, but you have to be dedicated in using it. Most people I know who have bought equipment for use at home, haven't ever used it or not much, and given it away or re-sold it on. Gym memberships are expensive and can be hard to cancel - most people re-sell them on or transfer their membership.
You can train at home & make your own equipment if you can't afford to buy any. I've made hand weights by putting sand/dirt in water bottles, when I couldn't afford to buy them. You can also buy 2nd hand equipment online on gumtree for example, but make sure it's safe. Or if you are unsure re equipment to buy, go to a gym/exercise store to discuss this with the staff - but be warned: they will try to sell you alot of stuff you don't need. An exercise bike is probably the best thing to start with, but I always find the seats uncomfortable so do try them all out first.
I've also walked for 4-5 kms on the weekend, and done training on ovals by myself with no equipment, and become fitter that way.
Body builders divide eveything up into reps (repetitions) and sets. For example, with leg lifts, you might do 8 leg lifts each side then have a rest - this is one rep. Rest for about 20-30 seconds. You would do three of these reps, so that's 24 leg lifts altogether. Don't rest too long inbetween reps as your heart rate will go down.
Start off with doing simple leg lifts to get your heart rate up. You just stand there and lift your legs up and down, bending the knee towards your chest - there's no magic to it. There are many different leg exercises you can do variations on. Later on you can add in lifting hand weights as well.
If you get hand dumbbells, you should firstly stand tall, with your head up looking forward, and ensure your knees and elbows are always slightly bent (so you don't hurt your back). Pull in your stomach & back muscles whilst lifting, so you don't hurt your core muscles (core muscles are the large, inner muscles that help support your back, bones and organs). Don't keep your back so rigid that it hurts - you shouldn't feel like you are hurting your back or other muscles when lifting weights. With hands at your sides with the weights in your hands, lift them SLOWLY up to your side to a 90 degree angle. Concentrate on feeling the muscles working to bring the weight up. Do not ever lift weights fast, as it won't train the muscles and doesn't do any good. Hold for about3- 5 seconds, then lower again. You can alternate between each arm. Do 3 sets of 8 reps each arm (of if that's too much, do 4 reps for each arm which equals 8 altogether). Always rest inbetween a set, then do the next one.
Also with body building, for example, you may work on your arms one day, then do your legs the next day, have a day off, then your core the next day, but most body builders will give themselves a day or mores rest inbetween all of this. It depends on what training regimen you want to get into & what suits you.
There are millions of variations on exercises too, so you can change your routine so it doesn't get boring.
You also won't bulk up either so don't worry about that, but you do get that nice toned look, though it might take a while. To be really serious, you have to follow a very good diet with very little fat, but if you don't, you can still get that nice definition.
I typed in Google 'body building for beginners with pictures' and there are a million sites with pictures. Some of these I think are not really for beginners, but give you an idea re how to hold yourself & the weights, etc.
Pilates uses no or very little equipment, can be done at home on a mat with no fancy work out gear, and still tones you. You can also do pilates with no equipmment and add in body building or swimming with that as well. You can get pilates and body building DVDs online but there are heaps on Youtube.
Good luck!
Body building is also not about speed: it's about control and concentrating on what you are doing. I find it's a good mental work out too & relieves stress.
I lost more weight doing body building than aerobic exercise at times, but you lose it slower. I used to love running for aerobic exercise, but can't do that anymore due to left knee problems, so I try to swim instead.
Body building is great cos you don't have to be fit to do it. It also depends whether you want to do it in your home with equipment or at the gym. I've bought equipment in the past and it does help, but you have to be dedicated in using it. Most people I know who have bought equipment for use at home, haven't ever used it or not much, and given it away or re-sold it on. Gym memberships are expensive and can be hard to cancel - most people re-sell them on or transfer their membership.
You can train at home & make your own equipment if you can't afford to buy any. I've made hand weights by putting sand/dirt in water bottles, when I couldn't afford to buy them. You can also buy 2nd hand equipment online on gumtree for example, but make sure it's safe. Or if you are unsure re equipment to buy, go to a gym/exercise store to discuss this with the staff - but be warned: they will try to sell you alot of stuff you don't need. An exercise bike is probably the best thing to start with, but I always find the seats uncomfortable so do try them all out first.
I've also walked for 4-5 kms on the weekend, and done training on ovals by myself with no equipment, and become fitter that way.
Body builders divide eveything up into reps (repetitions) and sets. For example, with leg lifts, you might do 8 leg lifts each side then have a rest - this is one rep. Rest for about 20-30 seconds. You would do three of these reps, so that's 24 leg lifts altogether. Don't rest too long inbetween reps as your heart rate will go down.
Start off with doing simple leg lifts to get your heart rate up. You just stand there and lift your legs up and down, bending the knee towards your chest - there's no magic to it. There are many different leg exercises you can do variations on. Later on you can add in lifting hand weights as well.
If you get hand dumbbells, you should firstly stand tall, with your head up looking forward, and ensure your knees and elbows are always slightly bent (so you don't hurt your back). Pull in your stomach & back muscles whilst lifting, so you don't hurt your core muscles (core muscles are the large, inner muscles that help support your back, bones and organs). Don't keep your back so rigid that it hurts - you shouldn't feel like you are hurting your back or other muscles when lifting weights. With hands at your sides with the weights in your hands, lift them SLOWLY up to your side to a 90 degree angle. Concentrate on feeling the muscles working to bring the weight up. Do not ever lift weights fast, as it won't train the muscles and doesn't do any good. Hold for about3- 5 seconds, then lower again. You can alternate between each arm. Do 3 sets of 8 reps each arm (of if that's too much, do 4 reps for each arm which equals 8 altogether). Always rest inbetween a set, then do the next one.
Also with body building, for example, you may work on your arms one day, then do your legs the next day, have a day off, then your core the next day, but most body builders will give themselves a day or mores rest inbetween all of this. It depends on what training regimen you want to get into & what suits you.
There are millions of variations on exercises too, so you can change your routine so it doesn't get boring.
You also won't bulk up either so don't worry about that, but you do get that nice toned look, though it might take a while. To be really serious, you have to follow a very good diet with very little fat, but if you don't, you can still get that nice definition.
I typed in Google 'body building for beginners with pictures' and there are a million sites with pictures. Some of these I think are not really for beginners, but give you an idea re how to hold yourself & the weights, etc.
Pilates uses no or very little equipment, can be done at home on a mat with no fancy work out gear, and still tones you. You can also do pilates with no equipmment and add in body building or swimming with that as well. You can get pilates and body building DVDs online but there are heaps on Youtube.
Good luck!
One of the teachers I gain the most Spiritual wisdom from speaks of how then yoga and following it, pilates is linked to hinduism and the poses are actually prayer positions that can give permission for spirits to enter.
I need to stretch more than I do and will probably seek out that way of getting this help for the "temple".
Best wishes with your pursuit, please keep us posted.
I am using a Bowflex XTL with the old fashioned power rods, offered to arm wrestle any and all at my 50th class reunion, got zero takers.
I have a recumbent exercise bike which is a great help, our local "Play it Again Sports" had it, they move a LOT of used exercise equipment.
I need to stretch more than I do and will probably seek out that way of getting this help for the "temple".
Best wishes with your pursuit, please keep us posted.
I am using a Bowflex XTL with the old fashioned power rods, offered to arm wrestle any and all at my 50th class reunion, got zero takers.
I have a recumbent exercise bike which is a great help, our local "Play it Again Sports" had it, they move a LOT of used exercise equipment.
As a person who is not a bodybuilder in any way, all I can say is when you do leg pressing reps do NOT lock your legs. Especially when you have a very heavy load. I saw a video that very sadly showed the result of leg locking (I won’t show as not to frighten you) and it basically resulted in both his legs breaking back under the weight. Your muscles may be strong enough, but your bones are not.
One of my first pieces of advice is to avoid Bodybuilding.com's forum. Next, look to see if you can find a local gym, but not Planet Fitness. I recommend building a solid foundation through compound movements, this would be based on squats, deadlifts, bench press etc. If you are just starting out, you shouldn't worry too much about isolation exercises. Build that foundation, refine it as you increase in musculature. Nutrition is your next goal. I recommend using an app called MyNetDiary, which one uses to log all of your nutritional data (mostly scanning bar codes). You'll be able to track what you ingesting and keep to a calorie plan. You'll need roughly 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Never forget to sleep, at the appropriate hours. Sleep during the day isn't the same as at night - the body has specifics processes at certain points during the night.
You may choose to utilise bands in your training. I began moving away from weights and have experienced a very good spike in strength gains after a couple of years out with injury.
Exercises:
- Deadlift
- Squat
- Bench Press (I prefer dumbbell bench press)
- Bent Over Barbell Row
- Chin Ups (Supinated grip)
- Pull Ups (Pronated grip)
- Dips (Superior to bench press)
- Push Ups
- Leg Raises
- Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise
Notes:
Some advice concerning hand position when performing shoulder exercises. If you hold your first out in front of you, think of the thumb side as being the front deltoid side, the top as the middle deltoid side, and the pinky side as the rear deltoid side. Which point is pointing up, that's going to determine which deltoid is the primary mover. You'll find this useful when performing rear delt raises in particular, something you should get a feel for early.
Don't lift too heavy, learn to pull with the appropriate muscle(s) for each exercise. Start lighter and learn to control the right muscles, you'll avoid injuries and increase the efficacy of your workout.
Bands and weights have different properties. If you try to perform a biceps dumbbell curl with both, you'll find that the hardest portion of the lift is the beginning, once you pass that point, reaching the apex of the movement is easier. The bands follow our natural strength curve, which means that tension increases the further you pull, so at the apex of the movement you will have to exert more force achieving a tight contraction.
Bands:
These are the set of bands I use. There are numerous offers, most being good. I strongly advise you avoid the tube bands as they are inferior. I chose these because the green band has the highest resistance of those I found. I weigh 96kg right now and they could still support me for chin ups and pull ups if I needed them to do so.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/FORTIFI-Re...rds=fortafi+bands&qid=1572457253&sr=8-1-spell
YouTube Channels:
Athlean-X: https://www.youtube.com/user/JDCav24
ScottHerman Fitness: https://www.youtube.com/user/ScottHermanFitness
James Grage: https://www.youtube.com/user/JamesGrage
OfficialThenx: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMiamiTrainer
Austin Dunham: https://www.youtube.com/user/GeekAMD
I cannot stress enough how useful Athlean-X's Jeff Cavalier is.
I hope that was somewhat helpful. If you have any further questions I'll be more than happy to help.
T
tasha66
Guest
Some of the changes I made on my post didn't save. it should read:
Body builders divide everything up into reps (repetitions) and sets. For example, with leg lifts, you might do 8 leg lifts each side then have a rest - this is one rep. Rest for about 20-30 seconds. You would do three of these reps, so that's 48 leg lifts altogether.
Body builders divide everything up into reps (repetitions) and sets. For example, with leg lifts, you might do 8 leg lifts each side then have a rest - this is one rep. Rest for about 20-30 seconds. You would do three of these reps, so that's 48 leg lifts altogether.
Excellent point! I neglected to cover this.
Rep ranges: Generally 1-5 reps for strength building. Powerlifters will work in lower rep ranges. To train for hypertrophy, train around 8-12 reps. There are so many details to consider, you really must get to know your own body and what works for you. I found this articles, which I believe covers the subject of splits etc very well.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/the-ultimate-muscle-building-split-reference-guide.html
If you follow the following article past the exercises, they cover types of sets.
https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a759236/complete-guide-to-bodybuilding/
Apologies if it is against the rules to post in older threads. But I recently learned that it is the last 5 or so reps before failure that promote the most muscle growth. I tend to aim for 10-15 reps, with the last rep being my failure point.
J
JovanniHowell
Guest
I actually also wanna start working out and get into bodybuilding. I don't wanna go to any extremes, just to maintain good shape and be healthy.