Body building is a sport many people are not entirely familiar with mainly because they generally only hear about the results of contests and generally not about the actually training that is involved in such preparation for the contests. Additionally, most people work out in gyms to keep in shape and generally follow the same workout all year round. When one is training for a body building competition there will be a need for two separate body building programs in order to achieve the ability to enter a contest. These two phases will be clearly examined and explained herein. The body building programs are the off-season phase, the pre-contest phase and the contest phase.
Off Season Phases
The off season phase involves body building programs that center on mass building. That is to say, during this phase the goal is to get as huge as humanly possible and not worry so much about definition. Now, this weight gain must be primarily muscle because packing on excess fat will not do anyone any good. It will simply make the pre-contest cycle significantly more difficult and that is a self-defeating venture. So, instead one needs to watch diet closely and to perform a significant volume of mass building exercises. That means the primary exercises to be performed during this phase will involve serious compound exercises such as military presses, bench presses, etc. This cycle usually runs several months and requires much consistency in order to effectively be undertaken.
Pre-Contest Contest Phases
The pre-contest phase is usually refers to the six to eight weeks that precede a competition and involve a “shredding” process where the goal to be achieved is definition of the muscles. This involves a significant amount of isolation exercises that target single body parts as well as a great deal of cardio…repeat…a great deal of cardio. Of course, the other area of consideration that is critical during this phase is diet. Often, when people think of body building programs they often think of exercises as opposed to the quality diet that is the epicenter of all body building programs. No matter how hard a person works out or how much time they invest in exercise, all work will be completely thrown out the window if a poor and sloppy diet is employed. As such, it is critical not to eat poor quality foods or to eat any type of food at levels of excess that could prove self defeating.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
About Body Building Workouts
If anything were absolutely required in order to make body building workouts successful, it would be consistency. This is an absolute and those who do not approach their workouts with this in mind simply will not find themselves very successful in their goals. Now, this does not mean that a person needs to train every single day, twice a day, for six months in a row.
If you are not specifically training for the Mr. Olympia contest then you probably will not want to go that route! However, if you are looking to get in shape, burn fat, build muscle and increase your health you will need to set aside a few days a week for your body building workouts and then you will need to make those workouts worthwhile. If your training is infrequent then results will either be minimal or they will be non-existent. If you want to succeed then you are going to need to invest the time that is required.
Four Day A Week Program
On a baseline level, if you are a beginner and you need some quality body building workouts to follow it would probably be best to dedicate four days a week for a mass building program. During this four day a week program, it would be best not to hit any body part more than once a week and make the entire week a cross training routine that hits the entire body.
Cross training here refers to mixing up exercises for body parts and does not necessarily refer to mixing cardio workouts into the routine, but if you did wish to add cardio there is nothing wrong with that at all. While this may not seem like an elaborate workout program that is because it isn’t an elaborate one! Instead, it is a very simple program that is quite helpful and effective and can greatly aid in achieving one’s goals.
Additional Notes
If you can’t make it to the gym, however, you may wish to perform bodyweight exercises like pushups, chair dips, etc. These types of body building workouts may not have the same effectiveness as training with free weights, but they are definitely better than doing nothing at all.
Additionally, if you are sore and don’t feel like training…take time off. Yes, sometimes it is best to just take a little break as opposed to forcing yourself. This way overtraining and needless injuries will be avoided. Remember, it is always best to train properly and to train smart.
If you are not specifically training for the Mr. Olympia contest then you probably will not want to go that route! However, if you are looking to get in shape, burn fat, build muscle and increase your health you will need to set aside a few days a week for your body building workouts and then you will need to make those workouts worthwhile. If your training is infrequent then results will either be minimal or they will be non-existent. If you want to succeed then you are going to need to invest the time that is required.
Four Day A Week Program
On a baseline level, if you are a beginner and you need some quality body building workouts to follow it would probably be best to dedicate four days a week for a mass building program. During this four day a week program, it would be best not to hit any body part more than once a week and make the entire week a cross training routine that hits the entire body.
Cross training here refers to mixing up exercises for body parts and does not necessarily refer to mixing cardio workouts into the routine, but if you did wish to add cardio there is nothing wrong with that at all. While this may not seem like an elaborate workout program that is because it isn’t an elaborate one! Instead, it is a very simple program that is quite helpful and effective and can greatly aid in achieving one’s goals.
Additional Notes
If you can’t make it to the gym, however, you may wish to perform bodyweight exercises like pushups, chair dips, etc. These types of body building workouts may not have the same effectiveness as training with free weights, but they are definitely better than doing nothing at all.
Additionally, if you are sore and don’t feel like training…take time off. Yes, sometimes it is best to just take a little break as opposed to forcing yourself. This way overtraining and needless injuries will be avoided. Remember, it is always best to train properly and to train smart.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
About Body Building Clothes
If you are an avid gym rat then you know that you need to have some special clothes for when you work out. Jeans and a t-shirt simply don’t cut it in the gym because they are restrictive in terms of the motion you can employ as well as the fact that they are totally uncomfortable. Needless to say, the way around this would be to purchase a nice set of body building clothes that would be more appropriate for the gym and workout session.
Looking Stylish
Body building clothes are not only comfortable they are also stylish to look at. Many of the top name brands of body building clothes are very well designed and have a unique look about them. This is why many top brands commandeer a solid price and are the envy of many people who wish they could have them. Of course, there is far more to these types of clothes in addition to their looks. As previously mentioned, there is a functional need for these clothes that is critical to understand.
Why These Clothes Are Important
In addition to looking good, these body building clothes are designed to be loose enough so that a person can easily have full range of motion. (On a side note, there are also body hugging Lycra shirts that allow range of motion, but they are really not all that popular anymore) Without full range of motion, the ability to perform exercises properly becomes greatly inhibited. This is why wearing a button down flannel shirt is not exactly the type of attire you would want to wear in the gym. It just flat out doesn’t help your ability to exercise. Additionally, it is not exactly safe to attempt to lift weights with restrictive clothes either so using quality attire designed specifically for working out in the gym is a far more preferable option to explore.
Saving Money On The Expense
Now, there are body building clothes that are quite expensive and this will surely cause some budgetary concerns for those who may not have much to invest in such clothes. While expensive name brands often receive a great deal of publicity, there are also a number of inexpensive brands that are on the market that are equally effective and well within the affordability range of the average person. Also, there are a number of overstock services that can provide excellent discounts for those looking to save a little money. So, there will be a set of clothes for any budget range; you just have to look for them.
Looking Stylish
Body building clothes are not only comfortable they are also stylish to look at. Many of the top name brands of body building clothes are very well designed and have a unique look about them. This is why many top brands commandeer a solid price and are the envy of many people who wish they could have them. Of course, there is far more to these types of clothes in addition to their looks. As previously mentioned, there is a functional need for these clothes that is critical to understand.
Why These Clothes Are Important
In addition to looking good, these body building clothes are designed to be loose enough so that a person can easily have full range of motion. (On a side note, there are also body hugging Lycra shirts that allow range of motion, but they are really not all that popular anymore) Without full range of motion, the ability to perform exercises properly becomes greatly inhibited. This is why wearing a button down flannel shirt is not exactly the type of attire you would want to wear in the gym. It just flat out doesn’t help your ability to exercise. Additionally, it is not exactly safe to attempt to lift weights with restrictive clothes either so using quality attire designed specifically for working out in the gym is a far more preferable option to explore.
Saving Money On The Expense
Now, there are body building clothes that are quite expensive and this will surely cause some budgetary concerns for those who may not have much to invest in such clothes. While expensive name brands often receive a great deal of publicity, there are also a number of inexpensive brands that are on the market that are equally effective and well within the affordability range of the average person. Also, there are a number of overstock services that can provide excellent discounts for those looking to save a little money. So, there will be a set of clothes for any budget range; you just have to look for them.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Understanding Body Building Diet Basics
Legendary body building mogul Joe Weider once said that the true secret to body building success what found in the proper body building diet. What Weider meant was that people who over eat and pack their body with fat ultimately harm all the benefits of body building because the lean, ripped look becomes impossible to attain. Hence, if you eat the proper body building diet of low fat, high protein and decent carbs you will do ok. Now, while a body building diet will consume more calories than a common diet, there are certain considerations that also must be understood as well.
Basic Metabolism and Basic Myths
While it is true that a ton of calories eaten will be burned while working out, there will also be a metabolic calorie burning effect that will occur as well, but please keep in mind that it is wrong to over do it! The larger the mass of a person is, the more the person will want to eat more and more.
This is not a bizarre side effect it is simply a logical reaction the body will have to maintaining a significant volume of muscle mass. Keep in mind, muscle is significantly more dense than fat and this means that muscle will require more calories to maintain its size. This is why muscle bound people do not pack on fat when they increase their calorie intake – the muscles burn the calories by “eating” the excess calories. Now, that is often misunderstood by people as a green light to eat whatever it is they want and in massive quantities.
This is a huge fallacy of the body building diet. That is, you will increase your calorie intake…slightly…but if you increase it ridiculously then you will start to pack on a lot of fat on top of whatever muscle that you have. The resultant physique will make you look like someone who enjoys working out, but enjoys overeating more. That is hardly the type of physique to aspire!
As one can see, there is a great deal of common sense associated with the body building diet.
Basically, if you eat quality food you can get away with eating a lot provided you have solid muscle mass. However, once you slip into the fallacy of eating whatever you want and in significant amounts that far exceed what you need, you will find yourself undermining your own goals. Now who would want that?
Basic Metabolism and Basic Myths
While it is true that a ton of calories eaten will be burned while working out, there will also be a metabolic calorie burning effect that will occur as well, but please keep in mind that it is wrong to over do it! The larger the mass of a person is, the more the person will want to eat more and more.
This is not a bizarre side effect it is simply a logical reaction the body will have to maintaining a significant volume of muscle mass. Keep in mind, muscle is significantly more dense than fat and this means that muscle will require more calories to maintain its size. This is why muscle bound people do not pack on fat when they increase their calorie intake – the muscles burn the calories by “eating” the excess calories. Now, that is often misunderstood by people as a green light to eat whatever it is they want and in massive quantities.
This is a huge fallacy of the body building diet. That is, you will increase your calorie intake…slightly…but if you increase it ridiculously then you will start to pack on a lot of fat on top of whatever muscle that you have. The resultant physique will make you look like someone who enjoys working out, but enjoys overeating more. That is hardly the type of physique to aspire!
As one can see, there is a great deal of common sense associated with the body building diet.
Basically, if you eat quality food you can get away with eating a lot provided you have solid muscle mass. However, once you slip into the fallacy of eating whatever you want and in significant amounts that far exceed what you need, you will find yourself undermining your own goals. Now who would want that?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Regarding Natural Body Building
When it comes to the subject of amateur and professional body building, only the most naïve person would not acknowledge the prevalence of anabolic steroids in the sport. Needless to say, there is a great deal of performance enhancing drugs in competitive body building, but also there are a number of people who prescribe to natural body building which is essentially a drug free approach to the sport of body building. Sadly, many people who are proponents of natural body building do not always get the credit they deserve in regards to the contributions to the sport.
Understanding Anabolics
So what exactly are anabolic steroids? These are drugs designed to increase the body’s ability to grow muscles by increasing the body’s ability to release growth hormones, reducing the amount of rest one needs in order to grow muscle, and allowing the body to exercise for significantly longer durations than what would be possible without the use of drugs or drug agents.
Needless to say, the physiques that these drugs create are more massive and more defined than what could ever be achieved with a natural body building physique. Of course, there are a host of negatives associated with anabolic steroids as well. For example, excessive use of steroids has been associated with a number of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure and many other problems. As such, sticking with a natural body building program is much better for overall health and safety.
For the Hobbyist…
For the hobbyist, there is really no reason to use anabolic steroids. While there are many arguments for and against the risks associated with taking drugs for a profession in body building, for someone who is simply trying to get in shape or look good the risks associated with drug taking simply makes the risks not worth it. There is an old saying that many gyms use as a mantra: “It is better to feel good than to look good.”
This is a veiled reference to all the problems that are associated with the health issues that can derive from using steroids. If you are a hobbyist, then it is best to stick with natural body building because there are no risks associated with it. In fact, this is a healthy pursuit that can greatly increase a person’s quality of life. Why would anyone want to do anything different? Again, it is best to stick to the natural route.
Understanding Anabolics
So what exactly are anabolic steroids? These are drugs designed to increase the body’s ability to grow muscles by increasing the body’s ability to release growth hormones, reducing the amount of rest one needs in order to grow muscle, and allowing the body to exercise for significantly longer durations than what would be possible without the use of drugs or drug agents.
Needless to say, the physiques that these drugs create are more massive and more defined than what could ever be achieved with a natural body building physique. Of course, there are a host of negatives associated with anabolic steroids as well. For example, excessive use of steroids has been associated with a number of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure and many other problems. As such, sticking with a natural body building program is much better for overall health and safety.
For the Hobbyist…
For the hobbyist, there is really no reason to use anabolic steroids. While there are many arguments for and against the risks associated with taking drugs for a profession in body building, for someone who is simply trying to get in shape or look good the risks associated with drug taking simply makes the risks not worth it. There is an old saying that many gyms use as a mantra: “It is better to feel good than to look good.”
This is a veiled reference to all the problems that are associated with the health issues that can derive from using steroids. If you are a hobbyist, then it is best to stick with natural body building because there are no risks associated with it. In fact, this is a healthy pursuit that can greatly increase a person’s quality of life. Why would anyone want to do anything different? Again, it is best to stick to the natural route.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Important Body Building Tips
Everyone is looking for new body building tips. Usually, these new tips are designed to replace the old body building tips…or at least that is the idea. In other words, people are looking for “secrets” that will help them to develop a new breakthrough that will provide the break in the plateau that they may find themselves. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this approach, but it does ignore a simple common sense approach that can provide them with the true success that they desire. You see, the true secret to body building success lies in the fact that proper and successful body building is rooted in simplicity and not in any magic formulas.
The Best of All Tips
If there was a king of all body building tips that was the most critically important tip to follow it would be to avoid overtraining. What overtraining entails is working out too many times per work or working out for durations that are excessive. (Excessive would generally be anything longer than one hour straight) Also, it is also unwise to work out if you feel sick or are seemingly suffering from an injury so as not to aggravate the injury. Now, there are those individuals out there who may be reading this and saying…no way! If you don’t work hard, you won’t make any gains! Well, this is partially true. One of the most critical of all body building tips, however, is that not only must one work hard one must also work smart!
If a person works himself too hard in the gym, the body simple will not grow muscle. In fact, the body might reject the additional stress and start to atrophy instead. Clearly, this is not what anyone working out could ever want so it would be wise to avoid such excessive training.
Instead, simple consistency of attending the gym (3 or 4 times a week) and working out at a moderate to difficult pace would be enough to make further gains. If one is working himself to the point that injuries are common then the entire process will be self defeating. Clearly, this is the best of all body building tips.
So, if there was a moral to the story it would be that there are no magic formulas and that the body does have a limit. When pushing oneself beyond the limits of good sense, success will not be achieved…it will be eradicated.
The Best of All Tips
If there was a king of all body building tips that was the most critically important tip to follow it would be to avoid overtraining. What overtraining entails is working out too many times per work or working out for durations that are excessive. (Excessive would generally be anything longer than one hour straight) Also, it is also unwise to work out if you feel sick or are seemingly suffering from an injury so as not to aggravate the injury. Now, there are those individuals out there who may be reading this and saying…no way! If you don’t work hard, you won’t make any gains! Well, this is partially true. One of the most critical of all body building tips, however, is that not only must one work hard one must also work smart!
If a person works himself too hard in the gym, the body simple will not grow muscle. In fact, the body might reject the additional stress and start to atrophy instead. Clearly, this is not what anyone working out could ever want so it would be wise to avoid such excessive training.
Instead, simple consistency of attending the gym (3 or 4 times a week) and working out at a moderate to difficult pace would be enough to make further gains. If one is working himself to the point that injuries are common then the entire process will be self defeating. Clearly, this is the best of all body building tips.
So, if there was a moral to the story it would be that there are no magic formulas and that the body does have a limit. When pushing oneself beyond the limits of good sense, success will not be achieved…it will be eradicated.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
About Body Building Supplements
Do body building supplements work? This is a common question that many people may have when they walk into any health or nutrition store and see the large volume of powders, pills and other products that flood store shelves. Now, this is a very fair question to ask, but it is unlikely that anyone in the store will say that they offer a product that does not work!
However, people need to be realistic about what they expect body building supplements to be able to offer. They are not miracle products that will pack on 50lbs of muscle nor will they magically burn off 10lbs of fat. Body building supplements have their particular values, but these values and benefits are based on realistic nutrition and science and not over the top advertisements. Well, that is not entirely accurate. Often, the advertisements and their claims act as substitutes for actual science and this is unfortunate.
The Magazine Days
In the early days prior to the great expansion of nutrition shops all across the USA, virtually all body building supplements were sold via mail order through body building magazines. These ads were generally bombastic and promised that the person who took the supplements would develop a body builder physique of massive dimensions. Now, this is a bit of a stretch! However, within the hyperbole was some truth – these supplements are helpful. However, they will not pack on a massive amount of unrealistic muscle. So what is it the body building supplements will actually do?
The Supplements
Different body building supplements do different things. In general, however they are designed for building mass and reducing fat. In terms of mass building, there are those supplements that increase testosterone production, there are creatine supplements that help the muscle retain water, there are supplements that aid in providing significant calories without excess fat and then there are those protein supplements that aid in the repair of muscle after a hard workout. The fat loss supplements either suppress appetite or they speed up heart rate to burn more calories.
While this may seem somewhat mundane it is because it is an explanation of what these products actually do without any hyperbole that attempts to sell a particular product. While this is not over the top, it is accurate and accuracy is what you want when selecting a product. Or would you prefer to take the word of a nutty over the top ad campaign instead?
However, people need to be realistic about what they expect body building supplements to be able to offer. They are not miracle products that will pack on 50lbs of muscle nor will they magically burn off 10lbs of fat. Body building supplements have their particular values, but these values and benefits are based on realistic nutrition and science and not over the top advertisements. Well, that is not entirely accurate. Often, the advertisements and their claims act as substitutes for actual science and this is unfortunate.
The Magazine Days
In the early days prior to the great expansion of nutrition shops all across the USA, virtually all body building supplements were sold via mail order through body building magazines. These ads were generally bombastic and promised that the person who took the supplements would develop a body builder physique of massive dimensions. Now, this is a bit of a stretch! However, within the hyperbole was some truth – these supplements are helpful. However, they will not pack on a massive amount of unrealistic muscle. So what is it the body building supplements will actually do?
The Supplements
Different body building supplements do different things. In general, however they are designed for building mass and reducing fat. In terms of mass building, there are those supplements that increase testosterone production, there are creatine supplements that help the muscle retain water, there are supplements that aid in providing significant calories without excess fat and then there are those protein supplements that aid in the repair of muscle after a hard workout. The fat loss supplements either suppress appetite or they speed up heart rate to burn more calories.
While this may seem somewhat mundane it is because it is an explanation of what these products actually do without any hyperbole that attempts to sell a particular product. While this is not over the top, it is accurate and accuracy is what you want when selecting a product. Or would you prefer to take the word of a nutty over the top ad campaign instead?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Lou Ferigno: Legend of Body Building
If there ever was a true legend in the sport of body building it would be the legendary Lou Ferigno. In the 1970’s, Ferigno was a true rags to riches story as he came from humble origins to worldwide fame as a bodybuilder and then to even greater fame in his endearing portrayal of the titular green monster in the classic television program THE INCREDIBLE HULK. While some may be familiar with Lou and his work, they may not be all that familiar with his background which may prove to be quite interesting even to those who do not follow the sport.
Early Years
Lou Ferigno was born in Brooklyn New York in the 1950’s and had the handicap of being deaf. Since attitudes towards the hearing impaired were not exactly progressive during this time period, Lou became somewhat withdrawn and isolated. While in his teens he would discover a new hobby in the form of weightlifting. Lou became enamored with this new hobby to the point of obsession. He would work out everyday and watch his diet religiously. In time, he would set his sights on competing in amateur body building competitions. He entered them and did well enough that he caught the eye of body building mogul Joe Weider who brought Lou into the fold of professional body building competition. Lou did extremely well in this new profession although he alternated his time between competing and working in construction as construction paid far more than professional body building! Lou would then become featured in the classic documentary PUMPING IRON, a documentary that would bring him to the attention of a number of Hollywood producers.
The Hulk
When former James Bond villain Richard “Jaws” Kiel bombed as the Hulk during the first few days of shooting the pilot for the TV series, Ferigno got the call to play the green goliath. While few believed this series would be a hit, it turned out to be a colossal hit lasting many years on network TV and decades in syndication. Ferigno was now a bona fide worldwide star!
Ferigno no longer competes in body building these days as he is well into his retirement years. He does, however, appear at numerous competitions as a special guest and as a judge. He also signs autographs at comic conventions and meets with all his fans who have followed his career through the years. In terms of pop culture history, Lou Ferigno is a true icon and definitely one of a kind!
Early Years
Lou Ferigno was born in Brooklyn New York in the 1950’s and had the handicap of being deaf. Since attitudes towards the hearing impaired were not exactly progressive during this time period, Lou became somewhat withdrawn and isolated. While in his teens he would discover a new hobby in the form of weightlifting. Lou became enamored with this new hobby to the point of obsession. He would work out everyday and watch his diet religiously. In time, he would set his sights on competing in amateur body building competitions. He entered them and did well enough that he caught the eye of body building mogul Joe Weider who brought Lou into the fold of professional body building competition. Lou did extremely well in this new profession although he alternated his time between competing and working in construction as construction paid far more than professional body building! Lou would then become featured in the classic documentary PUMPING IRON, a documentary that would bring him to the attention of a number of Hollywood producers.
The Hulk
When former James Bond villain Richard “Jaws” Kiel bombed as the Hulk during the first few days of shooting the pilot for the TV series, Ferigno got the call to play the green goliath. While few believed this series would be a hit, it turned out to be a colossal hit lasting many years on network TV and decades in syndication. Ferigno was now a bona fide worldwide star!
Ferigno no longer competes in body building these days as he is well into his retirement years. He does, however, appear at numerous competitions as a special guest and as a judge. He also signs autographs at comic conventions and meets with all his fans who have followed his career through the years. In terms of pop culture history, Lou Ferigno is a true icon and definitely one of a kind!
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