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Bodybuilding
Program Basics
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Basic Bodybuilding
What
Is Strength Training? by
Jerry Predaris
Traditional strength training consists of performing
one to three (or more) sets of exercises on a specific,
isolated muscle group. One rep, or repetition, equals
one complete movement of the exercise from start to
finish. For example, for a bicep curl you might begin
with your arm extended down by your side holding the
weight, say a dumbbell, curl the weight upward to your
shoulder by bending your elbow, and then lower the weight
back to the starting position. That’s one rep.
Do that 8-12 times and you’ve completed one set
of bicep curls. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds to allow your
muscle to recuperate and you’re ready for the next
set.
Successive sets should be progressive, meaning that
each one should be performed using “progressive”
or increased resistance. In the case of the aforementioned
bicep curl, you might do the first set using a 10-lb
weight, rest for 30 seconds, then increase the resistance
to 12 lbs for the second set, rest for 30 seconds, then
finish up with a third set, again increasing the resistance
by using a 15-lb weight. Congratulations! You’ve
just worked out your biceps in the same way bodybuilders
train their biceps in the gym.
Smart Tip: Choose a starting resistance for the first
set that’s challenging. Not so difficult that you
can’t complete a whole set, nor so easy that you’re
just going through the motions. Each set should push
the muscle to near muscle fatigue. The harder you work,
the faster and more dynamic the results.
Now, if you were to do just those three sets of biceps
curls two times a week, in only a few weeks time you’d
start to feel your biceps muscles getting firmer, tighter,
and stronger. You’d also begin to see changes in
the shape of the muscles as well, to a more dynamic,
contoured, athletic look. That’s new muscle growing
on your body right before your eyes. Muscles burn calories
24 hours a day... even while you sleep! Every pound
of new muscle requires your body to burn about 50 calories
more per day just to keep that muscle alive and functioning,
even while you’re sleeping. So, as you continue
to build more muscle, your metabolism continues to increase,
which allows you to shed unwanted pounds and inches
while at the same time shaping and building more muscle...which
increases metabolism even more, which allows you to
shed more pounds and inches, which…well, I think
you get the picture.
raining all the other muscle groups in your body—chest,
abs, shoulders, back, triceps, thighs, buns, calves,
and hamstrings— involves the same basic principles.
One to three progressive sets of 8-12 reps for each
muscle group twice a week. If you’re a beginner,
however, it’s highly recommended that you start
with only one set for each muscle group during the first
two weeks, then add a second set during weeks three
and four, and, if you feel up to it, do three sets thereafter.
Gradually increasing the work load on your body will
help prevent undue soreness and make your workouts much
more enjoyable.
Smart Tip: Never work the same muscle group on successive
days. Always allow a minimum of 48 hours rest, but no
more than 96 hours, between sessions that work the same
muscle group. For example, if you work your legs on
Monday, you wouldn’t want to work legs again until
Wednesday or Thursday in the same week.
Strength training involves working your muscles beyond
their normal limits by lifting progressively heavier
weights. This overloading of the muscles causes micro-tears
in the muscle tissue. Resting 48-96 hours between sessions
allows your body the time it needs to effectively repair
the micro-tears and make the muscle stronger. Remember,
it’s just as vital not to over train a muscle as
it is to train it in the first place.
Supersets
One way to get more out of each set is to combine two
or more different exercises for the same muscle into
one continuous set, or Superset. For example, try doing
a set of bicep curls, then without resting do a set
of concentration curls followed by a set of cable curls.
Now, you can rest! This superset replaces one regular
set. The next set would consist of the same three exercises
with increased resistance. Working the muscle from three
different angles at three different stress levels without
letting it rest is a good way to get more results fast.
Smart Tip: This is an advanced workout feature. Beginners
should start more slowly, doing one regular set for
each muscle group during the first few weeks and build
up gradually to three regular sets and later to three
supersets.
Powersets
Powersets are giant Supersets that encompass all the
muscles worked on in one day’s session one after
the other without resting, in a circuit training fashion.
After resting a couple of minutes, increase resistance
and perform the second and third round of Powersets.
Supersets and Powersets can pump up your intensity level
while shaving precious time off your workouts.
Split Training
Working out your entire body in one session can take
a significant amount of time and energy, especially
if you’re doing lots of sets at a high intensity
level. One way to cut your workout down to size is to
split train.
Split Training is a method whereby you split up your
total body workout over two or more sessions, choosing
to work only a few muscle groups each day. For example,
you could train your upper body on Monday and work your
lower body on Tuesday, a two-day split routine that
works your entire body every two days. Or you could
do the push/pull split where you “push” (train
chest, shoulders, and triceps) on Monday and “pull”
(train legs, back, and biceps) on Tuesday. Again, it’s
a two-day split, and even though it’s not strictly
all push/pull (some of the leg muscles are really “push”
muscles) it serves to shorten each day’s workout,
making it easier to keep up your intensity and find
the time to exercise regularly. Once you get to the
point of doing three sets of two or three exercises
for each muscle group, you’ll most likely choose
to split train.
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