Bodybuilding programs are great for anyone who is looking to change their body for the better. Whether you are new to weight training and bodybuilding or an advanced lifter, you can benefit from a new workout to "shake things up" with your current routine. Most workouts for bodybuilders or programs that have bodybuilding in mind have a few special characteristics.High Repetition Weight Training
When training for hypertrophy, or growth, in a muscle group, there are a few rules of thumb to take into account. One great rule of thumb deals with your rep ranges, and the idea is that when training for size, you should focus on a rep range of 10 to 12 repetitions for a given set. If you were focusing on endurance, you would increase your rep range, and for strength and intensity you would decrease your rep range.
By performing 3-4 sets of an exercise with a rep range of 10 to 12 repetitions, you should definitely be providing adequate stimulation and load to your muscles for that exercise.
Split Body Workouts
Bodybuilding programs that utilize split body workouts are programs in which you will exercise a muscle or a group of muscles on one day of the week and not exercise that muscle group again until the next week. This style of workout gives one muscle group a full week to repair before you work it again, in the meantime you will be working your other muscle groups. By splitting up the muscles in this way, you can work them much harder and more intensely then you would if you were doing a full body workout.
You can create any number of split body workouts, and they will depend on various factors like, how long do you have during a workout, how many days do you plan on lifting, how many days do you plan on resting, what muscles would you like to focus on, and this list goes on. many of these questions you will have to answer as you get started if you don't have personal trainer or a program already laid out before you.
One good standby is the 3 day split:
Monday: Legs
Back Squats 3 sets of 10-12 Leg Extensions 3 sets of 10-12 Leg Curls 3 sets of 10-12 Calf Raise 3 sets of 10-12
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Chest & Triceps
Bench Press: 3 sets of 10-12 Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets of 10-12 Dips: 3 sets of 10-12 Triceps Pushdown: 3 sets of 10-12
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Back, Biceps and Abdominals
Pullups: 3 sets of 10-12 Seated Cable Rows: 3 sets of 10-12 Hammer Curl: 3 sets of 10-12 Concentration Curls: 3 sets of 10-12 Med Ball Rollouts: 3 sets of 10-12
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest
High Protein Diets
When it comes to bodybuilding, the workout and the gym are only half the battle. The other half, and probably more, is really a result of your diet and nutrients. One staple of any bodybuilding program's nutrition plan will be high protein. A good rule of thumb for how much protein a bodybuilder should eat on a given day is to multiply his weight (in lbs) by 1.5 and the result is the number of grams. It is necessary to consume more calories then are expended in a given day as well, and to drink adequate amounts of water. Water must be present in muscle cells for protein synthesis to occur, which is the building of muscle fibers from protein, so it is good to shoot for about 1 gallon of water per day for a 185lb male.
Advanced Bodybuilding Programs: Bulk and Cut Cycles and Supplementation
Many advanced bodybuilding programs will have workouts with incremental intensity increases for a given mesocycle, as well as changes in diet and training style throughout the year. This will help a bodybuilder to look their best for a specific competition or time of year, while giving them the ability to "bulk up" or put on as much lean mass as possible without worrying too much about their body mass index till competition time.
Whatever path you decide to take with your fitness and muscle building goals, i encourage you to start looking for some good bodybuilding programs, work one you like, and see how it makes you feel...
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