It takes more than big muscles.If you've got an interest in fitness and muscle growth, you can learn to get started training and eating right to build your muscles in a targeted and organized way, as well as how to crack into the competitive world of professional bodybuilding.
Step 1: There is a good gym.
You can get started getting into shape and building muscle at home, but without access to professional gym facilities, it's not possible to become a bodybuilder of the sort that adorns the cover of Muscle & Fitness.It's important that you find a good gym in your area where you can train to become a competitive bodybuilder.Gold's Gym in Venice, CA is one of the notable bodybuilding gyms.
Step 2: Familiarize yourself with the basics of the human body.
Bodybuilders are both athletes and artists.A body builder uses sweat and determination to train the muscles and sculpt the body into a specific shape.A big part of the process is planning how you want to shape your body.The following books can be used to research the body.
Step 3: Make sure to prioritize your goals.
It will take some planning if you want to become a body builder.If you want to plan and sculpt your body, it's a good idea to sit down and talk with other people.If you're overweight in the beginning, you need to focus on burning calories and not worry about building your pecs into chiseled works of art.Cardio and circuit-training can be used to lose weight.If you're already lean and want to start building up muscle, you should focus on compound movements first, then work your way up to isolation exercises, targeting the specific muscle groups that need work.
Step 4: Proper form is needed for each exercise.
It's important to learn to lift properly by doing different exercises with an empty bar, then moving on to the weighted barbell to make sure you're getting the fundamental movements down.When you're first starting out, consider consulting a personal trainer.It's probable that you'll train wrong if you don't know how to do it, which will result in injury and a huge waste of time and effort.It's important to learn from other people in a gym.If you want to learn how to do the workouts properly, join the community.
Step 5: Don't hesitate to consult a nutritionist.
Supplementary nutrition for building muscle is slightly different for everyone.It's a good idea to meet with a health counselor to get a diet plan tailored to your body and what you want to do with it.It is not possible to give a single, generalized diet plan that will work for everyone.
Step 6: Pick out a way to pay the bills.
It will take a lot of your heart and soul, but you will also need to figure out how to take care of yourself if you want to become a professional body builder.You have to support your body builder with other kinds of work to pay the bills.If you're a gym rat, you should consider becoming a personal trainer.You will get paid to talk weights and training with others, and you will have lots of free gym time.Win-win for an aspiring athlete.Bodybuilders have an easy time getting jobs.If you're interested in working in a warehouse, consider looking into being a bouncer.
Step 7: For the long haul, prepare for it.
It's important to know that you're not going to bulk up quickly and start doing the same things every day.It can take a long time for you to see the kind of results you're hoping for, but with the proper time and dedication, you will start seeing those results.This is not a field for weekenders who love action movies.Do you know what it takes?Get some training.
Step 8: You should develop a strength training routine.
Your goals for your body and stage in the training process will affect the exercises you perform.It's suggested that you stick to the same major compound movements that most people use, making this the cornerstone of your strength training.Squats Deadlifts Standing overhead press Bench press Pull-ups Dips Rows are the exercises you should be doing right now, because later you can incorporate isolation exercises and machines into your routine.
Step 9: Start with weights that are moderate.
It's important to pick the right amount of weight to lift to avoid injuries.If you want to lift the heaviest weight you can, you need to know your max-out weight.If you use a spotter, you can find out your max.Beginners should be lifting 70 to 80 percent of the single rep max.The optimal set and repetition range is here.It's important to stick to 1-2 reps of heavy weight every week.You risk injury if you push it too fast.Use resistance that is progressive.It's important to increase the weight gradually once you reach a point where it seems light at the end of the 10th rep.
Step 10: Don't forget to work past plateaus.
The point at which you stop noticing the rapid results you were noticing weeks or even days earlier is the plateau.Learning to diagnose and correct these plateaus will help to keep you safe and moving in the right direction.If you want to bulk up your muscles, you need to increase the weight you're training and decrease the reps.If you want a toned muscle group, you need to increase the reps and decrease the weight.
Step 11: Target muscle groups on certain days.
Gymnasts will train on certain days in the week.You might have one day that you just train your legs and abdominals, then the next day you'll do pecs and arms, and then you do an abdominal shredder workout.Give yourself two days off after your last training day to recover.Bodybuilders should be doing about six sets per body part per week, consisting of six reps for compound lift and eight for isolation movements.You can use a regimen that works for you.A lot of people keep their weekly workout schedule consistent because there's no single way to organize it.If you're a complete beginner, it's okay to start with full-body routines.If you want to quickly and evenly improve your body strength, compound movements are a good way to go.It's more important to target certain muscle groups when you're happy with your strength.
Step 12: If you want to burn calories, do calories burning cardio as well.
When you're first starting out, it's important to get your body-fat percentage down as much as possible.Bodybuilders need to build large muscles, which can be a challenge.Cardio will make your muscles grow slower.If you don't burn the fat off the top of them first, nobody will be able to see them.If you want to build muscles, shred the fat.Try interval training, doing 30 seconds of sprints at 10 miles per hour, then 30 minutes of jogging.You can do this for as long as you want.It's a good idea to do cardio after you're done with your work out.You can feel your arm muscles without a layer of fat if you stop the cardio when you're thin.
Step 13: Before the next workout, let muscles rest and recover.
It's important to incorporate recovery time into your workouts.You can't just train and think you'll build muscle faster.That's how to hurt yourself.During which you don't train at all, you need to have at least two days a week.It's the day when you can tan, go on dates, and do your laundry.You can focus more on training during those days if you use them to get other work done.
Step 14: Calorie should load the right way.
One of the most important aspects of body building is nutrition.You can lift seven days a week, train hard, and do all the cardio in the world, but if your nutrition is poor, you will not see rapid and mass gains in muscle size and strength.You can gain muscle by eating the right amount of calories.For a rough estimate of what you'll need to train each day, divide your body weight in pounds by 20.
Step 15: It's a good idea to eat lots of lean meat.
If you want to become a body builder, you need to have high amounts ofProtein in your diet.Divide your body weight by 0.8 to find out how much you should eat in a day.It is recommended that you have a daily intake of 20%- 35% of your calories.A lot of your diet should be lean chicken, beef, eggs, and beans.It's a good idea to invest in a cookbook if you want to keep things interesting after a couple months of eating chicken breasts and broccoli.Food can be used as fuel.It should be treated like business.
Step 16: Eat a lot of slow-digesting food.
Around 60% of your daily calories should come fromCarbohydrates, which are vital for maintaining muscle glycogen stores which elicit maximum training energy.Carbohydrates act as an agent for tissue growth.Post-workout is a good time to eat the majority of your carbs.It is a great way to increase lean mass and reduce fat.1.5 hours after your workout, you should have a whole food meal.During this period, rice, pasta, bananas, and whole grain cereals are excellent.They deliver a rapid spike in blood sugar.To control blood sugar levels and support lean gains, limit your intake of low GI carbs such as oats or a piece of fruit at certain times of the day.
Step 17: It's a good idea to supplement with a source of dairy products.
If you struggle to get your daily amount of protein, you should consider taking a supplement such as the whey powders.Within 30 minutes after a workout, the muscles can recover and grow.Around an hour before you work out can be a good time to add a shake to your diet.If you want to avoid taking too much of a supplement, you should take no more than 3 serving of it within a day.
Step 18: Use fat to boost testosterone.
A healthy diet and a hardcore mass gain plan include healthy fats.Nuts, olive oil, avocados, butter and eggs are healthy fats that support the production of testosterone and will help you gain and recover faster.If you let your muscles rest and don't work out, it's a good idea to cycle your sugars and fats.You don't need the energy from carbs to perform if you increase your fats on rest days.Trans-fats and other fat foods can be avoided.Fried foods, cheese, and high fructose corn syrup should not be eaten during training.
Step 19: Stay hydrated and eat well.
Bodybuilders usually carry gallon jugs full of water because they need to stay hydrated to get in shape.You need to drink at least 10 ounces of water for every 20 minutes you work out.You should not drink sports drinks or fluids during your workouts.Don't worry, just stick to the water.You can use coconut water to replenish your electrolytes, or make a homemade sports drink from your own water.Eat bananas and dates after your workouts to help replenish your electrolyte levels.
Step 20: Take a picture after your workouts.
Do you think the best time to look at your artwork is?You have to work out your muscles.It's because your muscles are full of blood that you feel jacked and pumped up.It's the best time to see your progress and appreciate the gains you're making, as well as practicing your poses.Try to keep every muscle tense at the same time, even if you're mostly bouncing your pecs.It's a workout of its own.
Step 21: Make a list of the muscles you want to build.
As you're posing, it's a good chance to check out your symmetry, your good gains, and identify places that you need to work out more vigorously.What needs to be fixed?What should be bulked up?How will you get the results you want?It's a good idea to get feedback from other people at the gym.A lot of the bodybuilding culture will happen at this stage, with people posing in the weight room and asking others what they need to train.
Step 22: Get the gear you need.
It's probably not the most important thing, but you should get some clothes and gear to emphasize how jacked up you are.Purchase some good posing trunks, tight-fitting muscle shirts, and a good training belt to help keep you secure during your workouts.Gloves used for weight lifting are also common.
Step 23: It's a good idea to wax or shave your body hair.
The part that's the most awkward to talk about is the bulging muscles.Scheduling regular body-waxing is important.It's common to shave your body a few times a month to keep things under control, then get a full wax before you perform.
Step 24: Get a tan.
Pale skin makes it harder to see your muscles.A bigger contrast can be created by bronzing.If your skin is a little darker, it's easier to see your muscles.To make sure your muscles are looking their best, you need to tan yourself on a regular basis.Don't forget to put your hands in the air.It's a classic mistake to have white armpits.
Step 25: Start entering contests in your area.
If you want to enter the world of competing, open regional contests are the way to go.Everyone builds their way up to the national level at the local level.If you're in good shape and want to get experience, try competing and see if you have what it takes to move on to the next level of competition, and maybe even go pro.Click here for a list of amateur contests in the United States.
Step 26: If you want to compete at the national level, you need to register.
The Arnold Classic, Mr. Olympia, and a variety of regional championships are all governed by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness.If you want to become a pro and compete at the national level, you need to register with the IFBB.
Step 27: Don't give up on training.
There's one constant in the world of competitive bodybuilding, and that is clanging and banging at the gym.You need to find the time to build and maintain the sculpture that you're creating.
Step 28: To get sponsors to go pro you have to attract them.
You will need to start attracting sponsors if you want to go pro.You will be able to make money to train full time without having to worry about other things.This is the dream that every bodybuilder works toward, and it'll only be available to a few, with the genetics and the effort to make their bodies into Olympia-level physiques.Keep working.
Step 29: Diversify your skill set.
The people who take it to the net level are not only super-cut, they're also great in other arenas.It will help you to stand out, as well as make you more attractive to sponsors, if you have the charisma and diverse talents to do other things.If you have a unique size and abilities, consider taking acting classes, competing in strong-man contests, or even pro wrestling or sports entertainment.