Bodybulding Tips

Body building tips incude using correct form and eating high-protein foods.sport image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com

Bodybuilding is a sport where women and men compete in physique shows for trophies. Professional bodybuilders can even win money along with their trophies. However, anyone who takes a serious interest in improving their physique is considered a bodybuilder. Building the body is a grueling endeavor. People who are not careful when lifting heavy weights can seriously injure themselves. Certain bodybuilding tips can help a person avoid injury and make the quick gains they desire.

Stretch and Warm Up

Because of the stress barbells and dumbbells can put on joints, it is important for a bodybuilder to warm up properly before he starts lifting. For example, if you are doing a chest workout, sit down and grab the bar behind you. Stretch each arm out for a minute or so. Next, start with a weight that you can easily lift 10 or 15 times. Allow your muscles to warm up before you start using the heavier weights.

Using the correct form while lifting weights in bodybuilding can help prevent injuries. Bodybuilders who use correct form also will increase the effectiveness of their training routine. For example, a person is going to get more out of his training if he lifts the bar slowly and smoothly during bench press, instead of bouncing the bar off his chest; then forcing the barbell up by arching his back.

As a beginning bodybuilder, it is important to train each body part twice per week, according to bodybuilding.com. It is a lot easier to make marked gains when you are starting. Your muscles have to work extra hard at something they are not used to doing. You will be forcing them to grow and keep up with the demands of your workout if you train six days per week. For example, you may do chest, triceps and shoulders on Day 1, back and biceps on Day 2, then legs and calves on Day 3. Take the fourth day off, then do your workouts in succession the next three days.

If you want to build a balanced physique, you will need to work each muscle group equally hard. For example, it is not uncommon for some bodybuilders to work their arms harder than their legs. It's easier to get smaller muscles fully pumped. Contrarily, your body expends more energy working larger muscles like legs. Consequently, there are bodybuilders who tend to favor training certain body parts over others. Do not allow this to happen during your workouts. You will need to perform more sets for the larger muscles like the back and legs since it takes more effort to build them.

Your muscles actually grow when you are at rest, not in the gym. Bodybuilders who want to build big muscles need to eat a lot of calories and protein. You should try to eat a lot of proteins like lean beef, chicken, fish and turkey. Muscles require protein to grow. Also, bodybuilders should consume a lot of calories eating vegetables, potatoes, yams, brown rice and other grains. These latter foods are a good source of carbohydrates, which will provide you with the energy you will need for your grueling workouts. Try eating five or six meals per day instead of just three. It is easier to consume and assimilate additional calories by eating more often.