So, You Want To Be A Bodybuilder?
By Oscar Gan,
Certified Personal Trainor
Co-owner, Creative Fitness Systems

For whatever reason you may have, you decided to start bodybuilding. Then you became aware of the following; what should I do? How should I workout? What should I do about my diet? How often should I workout? Do I need to workout with a partner? These are just some examples of the many questions that you might ask when you decide to start bodybuilding. This article is intended to guide you and give you a basic knowledge that is necessary to become successful in your quest to be a bodybuilder.

Goals

Setting a goal is a very important part of your training program. It is used to provide you with a direction. Visualizing your goal can be a strong motivational factor for you. First, you must set your short, medium and long-term goals. You must write down all your goals to provide for accountability and be sure to keep all your paperwork for future reference. Let's start with your long-term goal. Figure out what exactly you want to accomplish as a bodybuilder. Typically, your long-term goal will run approximately about 1 year to several years from the day you started. Think of it as your ultimate goal in bodybuilding. It can be something like winning an international bodybuilding tournament or use bodybuilding as a vehicle to pursue acting and/or modeling. Your long-term goal may even be impossible to achieve depending on your ambitions, but it doesn't matter, you must set that long-term goal. Next, you have to set your medium-term goal. Your medium-term goals will lead you to achieve your long-term goal. It may take several medium-term goals before you can ever achieve your long-term goal. Medium-term goals must be realistic. A typical medium-term goal will run from 6 months to 1 year. It could be an upcoming tournament that you plan to compete in. Finally, to achieve your medium-term goal, you have to set your short-term goals. Your short-term goal will be your training program. To prepare your short-term goal, you need to determine your current body statistics.

Next, project what your body statistics should be for your next goal. Then, you will need to design your training program so that your current body statistics will gradually lead you to the target body statistics of your next goal. For example, your current weight is 140 pounds and you want to be at 155 pounds in 6 months. Your medium-term goal will be to gain 15 pounds of muscle in 6 months. Your short-term goal, based on your medium-term goal, is to gain 2.5 pounds of muscle per month. You will need to design a mass-gaining program that would allow you to gain 2.5 pounds of muscle per month for the next 6 months. After each month, you will assess your body statistics and determine if you need to alter your training program in order to reach your next goal. Your short-term goals should be renewed each month. Each training program will be designed to take you from your current body statistics to the body statistics of your next goal. It is not necessary to check your body statistics on a daily basis, as not much change will occur. Monthly assessment is preferred because it will be helpful in motivating and guiding you throughout your training programs. Write up a weekly schedule in which you can include your training program in your daily routine. A good workout will take about 1 to 1.5 hrs per day. Once you've designed a program, you have to remember to stick to the program. This is consistency. Working out on and off is a sure way to fail and loose your motivation. You can only improve and earn the benefits of your training by training consistently. Use your goals to motivate and remind you to keep training.

Nutrition

Nutrition is a complex subject to discuss with the beginner. For the body to function properly it needs six essential nutrients, these are carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamin, mineral, and water. Basically, the body needs food for energy. Energy is measured by calories. Calories come from food sources such as carbohydrates, protein and fat. Carbohydrate sources include potatoes, rice, fruits and vegetables. Protein sources include all kinds of meat, fish and egg whites. White meat such as chicken breast and fish is recommended over the red meats. Fats can be derived from butter and cheese. A gram of carbohydrates is about 4 calories. A gram of protein is about 4 calories and a gram of fat is about 9 calories. A typical bodybuilders diet consists of 50% Carbohydrates, 40% Protein and 10% Fat. Typically this translates to about 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per body weight. Eating small meals every 2-3 hours will increase your metabolism. Since there is less activity at night, it is best to eat more carbohydrates during the day and fewer carbohydrates during evening meals. Avoid foods that are high in sugars. At least 70% of your carbohydrates should be complex carbohydrates. Drink plenty of water, at least 2 liters every day. The key to gaining or loosing weight will be to manipulate (add or subtract) the amount of calories you consume, in order for your body to function during your daily routine. If you consume more calories than your body uses, you will gain weight. If you consume fewer calories than your body uses, you will loose weight. Don't be too concerned with your weight! Once your muscles are developed, you will look your best when you drop your body fat regardless of what your weight may be. Pay more attention to your body fat percentage as it pertains to your weight. Ask your local gym trainer to measure your body fat percentage. You can then determine how much lean muscle weight and body fat weight you have. This is part of your body statistics for your goals.

Training

Perhaps the subject most synonymous to bodybuilding is the weight-training program. The key to success is high intensity training - HIT. Your muscles have the ability to adapt to the demands you put on it. By gradually increasing the demand on your muscles, such as increasing the weights or repetitions, you can improve the strength and size of your muscles. Work your muscles to failure plus 1 or 2 more negative repetitions. Studies have shown that you are 20-40% stronger on the eccentric (negative) phase. Avoid overtraining your muscles and get to know the difference between muscle fatigue and injury. When you feel a sharp pain from your exercise, stop immediately as you might have injured yourself. Some injuries can take weeks or months to heal. It is better to allow an injury to heal before returning to your program. Try to develop an intense training mentality. When you get to the gym, turn it on! Do not allow a 1 hour workout to turn into a 3 hour social gathering. Finish the workout first, then socialize after.

Basic guidelines to follow:
1. Safety is first. Use a good knowledgeable spotter for best results.
2. Always warm-up (about 5-10 minutes of cardiovascular activity), then stretch your muscles prior to your workout. Also, stretch your muscles you've just worked after your exercise.
3. Use proper form by using a full range of motion. Avoid jerking the weights you are lifting. Control the weight. You are bodybuilding not powerlifting. Avoid cheating.
4. Concentrate on and visualize the muscles you are working on for that particular exercise.
5. Don't forget to breathe. Breathe out on the lift and breathe in on the release.

Sample exercise program: This is a basic program designed as a foundation for beginners. Use sufficient weights to work the muscles to the point of muscle failure. Go at your own pace and work your way up to this routine.

Rest

Rest is an important part of the muscle building process. During a high intensity workout, the muscle fibers for the particular body part worked are torn apart. It is only by resting that the muscles will be able to recover. A typical muscle recovery period will take about 24-72 hrs. The higher the intensity of the workout, the longer the time necessary to recover will be. You must try to get at least 6 hours of good sleep each night.

Supplements

Supplements can be used as a tool to help you with your program. Beginners may use the following basic supplements. First, take a multivitamin every morning. As mentioned earlier, vitamins and minerals are 2 of the 6 essential nutrients your body needs. Most multivitamins do not have the recommended daily allowance of calcium. Therefore, take calcium supplements. Next, take amino acids after every meal. Amino acids are basic building blocks of protein. It is necessary for the muscle building process. Finally, drink protein shakes as a meal replacement and after a high intensity workout. A well balanced diet should provide you with the proper nutrition your body needs. Since that perfect diet is hard to achieve in today's lifestyle, supplements are there to help you with your nutritional needs. There are a large variety of supplements out there. Some are safe and some are not. Be careful with what you consume into your system. Research the product you are planning to use before using it. Extra care should be given on how to use the supplement and who should use it. Find out the negative effects of the supplement you are considering. If you're not sure about whether a supplement is right for you, ASK?

Personal Trainer

One good way to get started on your training program is to hire a personal trainer. There are different types of trainers. Some are certified personal trainers, some are athletes who train people based on their own experiences and some are non-certified trainers but has lots of experience in the industry. A certified personal trainer who also has the experience in the sport of bodybuilding is preferred. Your safety is the first priority of a personal trainer. A certified personal trainer will have the knowledge of the basic aspects of exercise including safety, injury prevention, health risk screening, training techniques, nutrition, hydration, proper spotting techniques, and the most up-to-date information on exercise programs. The Red Cross certifies CPT's in giving CPR and First Aid. Your personal trainer will not only guide you through your workout and diet, but also keep you motivated and give you the necessary tips on contest preparations. Interview and get to know your trainer prior to hiring them. You should be comfortable and have a good rapport with the trainer you want to hire. Communicate with your trainer, let them know exactly what you are trying to accomplish. If you cannot afford to hire a personal trainer, then maybe befriending one is the next best thing.

Each item in this article can be written in further detail as an article by itself. This article is intended to provide a basic knowledge for the beginner to prepare for a bodybuilder's training program. Good Luck!