Beginners guide to bodybuilding

So you have decided to embark on re-sculpturing your body to create a bigger and stronger you, or you have simply been guided here to learn the basics of adding muscle mass to your frame in a clear and basic guide. We will go step by step through the different aspects of the iron game that are vital ingredients for bodybuilding, and look at where a lot of people fail when it comes to optimising the amount of muscle they can pack onto their frame. So, lets get started!

Bodybuilding training

I thought I would firstly start with training because if I started with diet and nutrition I know I would loose half my audience before we had even got to the third paragraph!

Training is obviously a very important aspect of bodybuilding. When we lift weights in the correct manner for bodybuilding we will cause micro muscle damage, and it is the resulting repairing of this damage which causes the muscle to become bigger to cope with the stimulus being applied. The micro tears caused by weight training is thought to be a major factor in why a lot of people experience DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) for a few days after a training session. Hopefully understanding this fundamental process will enable people that have often over looked diet and rest in their bodybuilding journey to have a re look at these areas, as diet and rest are vitally important in the repairing and growth of muscle tissue!

Sets and reps

There is much debate on which is the best set and rep scheme for adding muscle. Many claim that high rep work is the best approach, generally 8-12 reps within a given set. Others have recently been advising on using rep and set schemes such as 5 x 5 (5 reps for 5 sets). Who is correct? This is very confusing!

If you asked me to advise on one or the other I would personally advise the higher set scheme over the lower, if bodybuilding is your goal. Is that to say lower reps should not have a place in you training routine? No, of course not. Change is the key, and if we have an arsenal of different rep and set schemes we can attack our muscles with we will be in a better position to keep the muscle guessing and continually adopting to the stimulus we provide in the way of weight training. Generally ,however, I believe that higher rep work (8-12 reps) should be the staple part of a bodybuilders training routine. Such a rep scheme will more likely induce sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (hypertrophy in simple terms means muscle growth), result in the greater secretion of endogenous anabolic hormones and increases myofilamental damage. If you want to read more about hypertrophy see here. As I briefly mentioned above though, we should not limit ourselves to just a few limited number of repetitions. It would be beneficial to introduce both lower and higher reps sometimes within your training to supply a different stimulus to the muscle tissue.

For very new trainers I would advise not going below 12 reps for the first few weeks. It is vital to gain the mind to muscle connection, and avoid injury. What a lot of people do not realise is that in the first few weeks of weight training a untrained person can add a lot of weight to many lifts. A lot of this sudden strength gain is not down to the muscle tissue itself, but the neural links between the brain and the muscle. Do not go silly with your weight when you start out weight training as this is an easy time to pick up injuries that can put you out of training for a long time, train smart.

Training routines

For a person who is totally new to the gym I would advise on a program to begin with which lets the person master the major movements, and allows for the mind muscle connection to be established.

Drew Price advised on this routine for a total beginner in a recent topic on our forums:

Day1

Bench press with dumbbells
Dumbbell shoulder press
External rotations (2 sets of 12 with a light weight one that you could do over 15 reps with)

Day 3

Lat Pulldown
Rows (preferable unilateral dumbbell row but you will need to be shown this so barbell may have to be used instead)
Row to neck with rope and cable (2 sets of 12)

Day 5

Squats
Romanian deadlift with dumbbell (again form here is critical)
Pull through with cable (get someone to show you these)
Glute side raise (1set of 15)

(days 2, 4, 6 & 7 rest)

Form is critical, so it would be very beneficial to get someone who has training knowledge to show and talk you through these movements.

After this type of routine has been followed for several weeks and you are confident on the form of the movements you could move onto a more advanced routine. For a massive list of routines see - Routines, routines, and more routines.

For a basic routine we could follow a routine such as:

Day 1

Deadlift
Pull Ups/Chins
Bent Over Row
Biceps Curl

Day 3

Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Dips
Skull Crushers

Day 5

Squats
Leg Curls
SLDL (Stiff Leg Deadlift)
Calve Raises

(days 2, 4, 6 & 7 rest)

3 sets of 8-12 reps on exercises.

The above is a basic push, pull and leg split over three days. There are many more routines with different formats. The idea would be to choose one that fits into your experience, preference and life style. Ask on the forum for help constructing a routine, many of our forum members will help.

Exercises

If you do not understand what a certain exercise is then try looking it up in our exercise directory or another great site is ExRx.net and their exercise directory. With those two links you should be able to gain a much clear understanding of the basic movements needed within a bodybuilding routine!

You will also hear people talking about compound exercises and isolation exercises. This is very easy to understand if you do not know which is being referred to here. Basically, a compound exercise is an exercise which requires more then one joint and often several muscle groups to contract during the execution. An isolation exercise is an exercise where only one joint is involved and thus only usually one (or a small number) of muscles are worked during the exercise.

Some examples;

Compounds:

Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Dips
Deadlifts
Squats
Rows
Pull downs
Chins

Isolations:

Side laterals
Biceps curl
Triceps extension
Fly's
Leg extensions
Leg curls
Calve raises

In general we should be aiming to have the backbone of our routine made up of compounds, with maybe one or two isolation exercises in there to target the smaller muscle groups. The compound exercises will work several muscles at once, and are key to adding muscle mass.

Bodybuilding nutrition

Diet. The dreaded word. The boring stuff.
Or, as an alterative view, see the food you consume as the building blocks of your muscles. You train hard, and your builders need a plentiful supply of quality solid bricks to build up the wall. What happens if you do not supply the builders with enough quality bricks? The wall is not going to be built to its true potential. What happens if you give your builders too many bricks at the incorrect times? There will be bricks left over and stored away.

Nutrition timing and choice are just as important to building a quality physique as hard training is. Yet, I very much doubt that most the people you see in the gym that do endless biceps curls and bench press go home and put just as much effort into their nutritional intake.

Here are some general guides for nutrition;

As a rough guide try to consume 1g of protein for each lb of bodyweight, and 2-3g of carbohydrates per 1lb of bodyweight.
Split your meals into more frequent smaller meals, around 5-6 meals per day.
Ensure you are hydrated by consuming plenty of water during the day. This has health benefits, and also can aid digestion.
Eat a good spectrum of fruit and veg each day to ensure you are consuming vital micronutrients.
Consume essential fats. These can be supplemented, and also obtained from foods. Eat seeds and nuts within your diet if possible.
Only go looking for supplements once you have a good solid diet. Think about it - supplement - what does the word mean!? - supplements are not wonder pills or powders, your diet is much more the deciding factor.

It is important to remember that post workout nutrition is very important. It would be wise to consume a meal that consists of protein and a decent serving of carbohydrates directly after a workout. Many choose to have whey protein, with some simple carbohydrates, such as dextrose and/or malt dextrin - as these powders can be easily mixed with water in a shaker and consumed quickly. It is important to try to consume a meal made up of whole food choices soon after a workout. See our peri workout nutrition article for more details about nutrition around training.

So there we go, some very basic pointers for your nutritional intake for bodybuilding. A diet which works well for one person may not work well for the next person, they are very individual things. I suggest you follow the pointers above for a while, as you can not go to far wrong with that. If you want more specific advise then please ask on our bodybuilding, diet and nutrition forums - there will be plenty of very knowledge people there to help you out with a more specific plan!

Bodybuilding supplements

As I have previously said, you need to nail your diet before looking for supplements for bodybuilding. It is easy to get caught up in the clever marketing which seduce a lot of newbie trainers into thinking they can take a few measures of powders and neck a few pills to reach their desired goal, but in reality this is totally untrue. There are a handful of tried and tested supplements out there which can help optimise an already well thought out diet.

Creatine. No doubt it will only be a matter of time until you see someone talking about creatine, or see a creatine product on the local supplement stores shelves. Creatine is a naturally occurring substance which gets stored within the muscle and aids with energy. What will you experience as a real life user? A lot of people notice that they can get one or two more reps out when supplementing with creatine, and some also notice size gains as creatine monohydrate can cause water retention in some individuals. You may also notice Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE) products. This creatine monohydrate with an ester attached, in the hope (and claims) of better adsorption within the body. Other creatine products are available in the market, many with �delivery systems� or other perks. In reality these are often powders which consist of creatine monohydrate, simple sugars, and maybe a few added ingredients.

Creatine monohydrate is a good solid product which is also cheap when bought by a bulk supplier in its basic form, and could be a decent addition to your nutritional intake. It is definitely worth trying supplementing with creatine for a little while to see how you react to it (there are 'non-responders' to creatine).

Weight gainer. A favourite with the newbie's, as many people choose to start bodybuilding as they are unhappy with their lack of size and want to get bigger. Weight gainers is a wide term, and there are many different quality of weight gainer within the market. Many weight gainers have a heavy reliance on sugars as their carbohydrate source, usually in the form of maltodextrin. You can find other weight gainers that on the other hand have the majority of their carbohydrate source from a slower released ingredient, such as oats or barley. Weight gainers are meant to be a supplement which can be taken on top of normal meals within the day to boost the overall calories and macronutrient totals to aid weight gain. The majority of people who are new to bodybuilding will not require such a product, as getting the diet as a whole nailed with proper food is much more critical.

Meal Replacements (MRP). Very similar to weight gainers above, however they usually include a fat source, micronutrients, and also the carbohydrate source will the majority of the time come from a slow released source such as oats or barley. Good quality meal replacements will have a protein source which is a blend of fast and slow releasing proteins. Meal replacements can be useful for those who are in a rush during the day and need a quick and easy intake of nutrients when time is not on your side. Do remember that when possible we should be trying to consume real foods however, and this is a good habit to get into.

Dextrose. This is a carbohydrate that is commonly used post workout. It is a sweet sugar, and is very cheap to purchase.

Maltodextrin. We have already briefly mentioned this carbohydrate. It is commonly used in weight gainers, and is fast acting. For this purpose it is commonly used post workout. A mix of Dextrose and Maltodextrin post workout is a common and wise choice, usually 40g each, mixed with whey protein as soon as possible after the workout.

Protein shakes. Most common is whey protein. This commonly used post work out as it has a relatively quick absorption rate. Whey can be consumed at other periods of the day also, and many find it great first thing in the morning. Concentrate whey is low fat and lactose, and around 75-80% protein. Isolate whey is a higher percentage of protein, usually 90%, and has very low levels of lactose and fat. This is the choice of many who are lactose intolerant. A slower release protein such as casein is great for times during the day, and before bed. It is much slower in absorption.

Summary

Hopefully the above information is a good starting point for anyone who has decided to start bodybuilding. The best advice I can give you is keep at it, and most importantly, enjoy it. Slow and steady improvements are the key to success.

Happy training!