When a bodybuilder begins to train, it is critical to establish a base of strength that he can build upon later with more intense workouts. There is a near endless variety of weightlifting programs designed specifically for bodybuilding, but most lifters incorporate either the principle of volume or maximum weight into their training.
Beginner Program
Certified personal trainer and author of the book "Bones to Buff" Joey Vaillancourt advocates lifting three times a week with a day of rest in between each workout for beginning bodybuilders. Every major muscle group in the body needs to be exercised to exhaustion at least once a week, but the lifter is free to perform as many or as few repetitions as it takes to reach exhaustion.
High-Volume Workout
Bodybuilders seeking to improve their mass often use workouts that focus on many repetitions rather than lifting a heavy weight. The lifter performs eight to 15 repetitions of an exercise for four or five sets. Strength trainer and fitness author Jeff Anderson states in an online article that this type of lifting forces blood into a lifter's slow-twitch muscle, or endurance, muscle fibers, thus stimulating them for maximum size growth.
High-Intensity Training
For bodybuilders who want to improve their size and strength while cutting down on the time in the gym, high-intensity training is the go-to workout. As opposed to high-volume training, a lifter using high-intensity training only performs an exercise for one or two sets, with five to 10 repetitions per set. Use a heavy amount of weight and train only one muscle group per workout. Because high-intensity training is damaging to the fast-twitch fibers in muscles, ample recovery time is needed between workouts.
Split Program
A split workout allows a bodybuilder to achieve a full body workout in the time he has available. These can vary anywhere between a two- and a six-day split. To perform a split, the lifter simply needs to write down all of the exercises he wants to perform in a week along with their set numbers and then divide those exercises among the number of weekly workouts. Complementary exercises, such as the biceps and triceps, should be coupled in the same workout session. This type of workout gives a bodybuilder a great deal of freedom, which prevents boredom and reaching a strength plateau.
References
- Bodybuilding.com; Author and Bodybuilder Gordon LaVelle Explains Why HIT Might Be the Best Training Method; David Robson
- Muscle & Strength; The Ultimate Muscle Building Split Reference Guide; Steve Shaw
- IronMagazine.com; Top Three Bodybuilding Routines for Maximum Muscle Gains; Joey Vaillancourt
- Underground Bodybuilding Tips; Gain Muscle Mass with High Volume Bodybuilding Training; Jeff Anderson
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