Bodybuilding is an awesome sport! I personally love all aspects of the training, eating and preparation required to compete onstage. However, there are many aspects to bodybuilding (competitive and non-competitive) that have to be learnt and abided by if you want a long and enjoyable run in the sport. Below are the first 5 ways to ensure you are on the right track to attain success in bodybuilding!
GOAL SETTING
Having goals gives you direction, motivation and purpose! If you want to compete set a date for a show and stick to it. If you don’t want to compete set concrete goals like lifting more weight or losing body fat within a specified time period. You will be amazed at how fast you will progress if you begin to do this. A word of advice though, just don’t talk about it (It’s only a dream at this stage), write it down and plan all the steps necessary to ensure your goals are met. See my post on Goal Setting 2009, 2012
LISTEN TO EXPERT ADVICE
I can remember the first time I went to a fully equipped gym run by some police officers in my home town of Waipukurau. They were all old school bodybuilders/power lifters (they all looked big and muscular) and their workouts were centred on using the basics; squats, deadlifts, presses, chins and rows. At the time I had been following programmes in muscle magazines, doing lots of workouts and unproductive exercises with too much volume and not getting anywhere. As soon as I started listening to them on how to eat and train I started to make progress. So what I’m trying to say is if you want to be a bodybuilder find people who actually know what they are talking about and follow their advice. Not your friends who have little experience and never competed before, but people who have achieved results naturally and consistently through years of experience.
LEARN WHAT EXERCISES SUIT YOU BEST
Although we can agree that there are a number of proven exercises which elicit muscle growth, we also have to consider our own unique body characteristics, such as leverages, muscle belly lengths, postural differences and even bone structures to name a few. Sometimes you will need to adjust an exercise or drop it for something that works with your body. If you spend the time to find these gems you will enjoy productive injury free training and gains for years to come. I have written a number of articles in relation to this (See archived article “Finding what works for you Part I-IV”).
TRAIN SMART & HARD
When I was in my teens it was generally accepted that training a body part/exercise once a week was plenty for natural athletes and that training more was for the more ”enhanced” trainer. However, every article I have read lately suggests the other way around. Training body parts 3 times per week when you are a newbie is acceptable as the weights are normally lighter and the impact on the joints and nervous system are not as great. However when you become more advanced you will need to allow for more recovery time. I realise recovery ability of individuals is variable and is dependent on a wide range of factors but my personal experience is if I want to get stronger and bigger, I need to train harder and rest more often to compensate for it. So train smart for you- find your optimum volume and training frequency through trial and error while using the exercises that suit your body. This will definitely help you reach your genetic potential and ensure success over the long term. I currently Bench, Squat and Deadlift every second week alternating that with lighter versions of these exercises and making the best progress I have made in years. It is actually hard for me to accept that training these exercises hard every second week is best for me because I love training but if I want to continue to make progress and remain injury free this is the smartest way for ME to do it. (See archived articles for further training ideas).
EAT RIGHT FOR YOU
I have written a number of articles on this over the years but here are some basics to get you started. Eat a minimum of 1.5g- 2g of protein per kilo of bodyweight a day from meat, eggs, fish, nuts and dairy. Drink 8-16 glasses of water. Eat small amounts of fresh fruit and plenty of vegetables while limiting or totally avoiding grain based products. Use supplements like whey protein, multivitamin/minerals, fish oil to ensure you meet all your macro and micronutrient needs to maintain your health and to ensure you recover and grow from your workouts. Consider looking at the blood type diet too. For more information see previous posts.
There you have it, 5 ways to ensure you have a better chance of achieving success in bodybuilding. So, set some goals, seek expert advice in regards to training and eating and watch your progress soar!