Bodybuilding is both a recreational pastime and a competitive sport. Bodybuilders train with weights to increase the size of their muscles and develop impressive, well-balanced, powerful physiques. Both men and women practice bodybuilding, but because of the larger amount of testosterone found in men's bodies, men are better able to develop bigger muscles than women. Success in bodybuilding is dependent on a number of factors.
Overload Your Muscles
Your muscles will not get bigger unless you overload them. Exercise is a stress, and by exposing your muscles to sufficient weight, they will grow bigger and stronger. Once they have adapted, any subsequent growth requires exposure to a greater stress. Increase the stress placed on your muscles by lifting more weight, performing more repetitions, resting less between sets or by combining these approaches. Try to work a little harder week by week.
Training Frequency
The act of training breaks your muscles down in a process called catabolism. With adequate rest and proper nutrition, they will grow back bigger and stronger -- a process called anabolism. This means that you need to work out often enough to trigger the adaptive response of increased muscle size but must also allow sufficient time between workouts for recovery to occur. For best results, train each muscle group once or twice a week with at least 48 and preferably 72 hours between workouts involving the same muscle group.
Periodize Your Training
While training hard is essential, it is also important to take periodic breaks from training to avoid developing injuries or getting into an exercise rut. Also, the program you are currently following may be effective at the moment but, in general, you should change your program every six to eight weeks to ensure you continue to make meaningful progress. Changing your program regularly and building time off into your long-term training schedule is called periodization. Planning in this way will help prevent over-training syndrome and ensures your long term progress.
Develop Muscular Balance
Bodybuilding is not just about developing big muscles but also developing an aesthetically pleasing physique by working all muscles equally. Not only does a balanced physique look better, it will also function better and be more injury-resistant. To develop a balanced physique, make sure your program equally targets the muscles you can see in the mirror and also the ones you can't.
Dial In Your Diet
Building your muscles is a lot like building a house -- you need the right materials to be successful. Building a house requires a good supply of bricks, cement, plaster, tiles and lumber, while building your body needs plenty of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber and water. Even if you train hard and smart, your success will be undermined if you do not eat a well-balanced diet that provides sufficient energy and nutrients to fuel recovery and muscle growth. A bodybuilding diet should be a healthy diet.
References
- "Designing Resistance Training Programs"; Steven Fleck and William Kraemer; 2003
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding: The Complete A-Z Book on Muscle Building" Robert Kennedy; 2008
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning"; National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- "Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance"; Scott Powers and Edward Howley; 2006
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