How to do bodybuilding correctly: tips and recommendations?

Bodybuilding is an active sport that helps improve your figure, add volume to your muscles, and balance even imperfect body proportions. Bodybuilding is considered one of the most beautiful disciplines, but training requires the right approach. In our article, we will tell you how to start doing bodybuilding, what you need to know before going to the gym.

Why do bodybuilding?

Bodybuilding increases endurance and strength, rejuvenates the body, strengthens the heart muscle. Various studies confirm that the heart of a person engaged in bodybuilding and other strength training, is capable of pumping up to 42 liters of blood per minute.

Regular weight training strengthens and makes the walls of blood vessels more elastic. When talking about why bodybuilding is needed, special attention should be paid to the positive effect on the peripheral capillaries that fade with age. Bodybuilding helps open capillaries and improve blood circulation in the body.

Bodybuilding exercises have a multifaceted positive effect:

• Get rid of a bad mood . Strength training stimulates the production of endorphins (a natural antidepressant), gives self-confidence by improving your own body and relieving tension. Bodybuilding reduces the likelihood of developing depressive states.
• Maintain joint mobility . Regular strength training strengthens the skeletal system and reduces the risk of fractures.
• Increases endurance and strength . Bodybuilders, including amateurs, are not familiar with the feeling of fatigue and exhaustion. When waking up in the morning, a surge of energy is felt.
• Improves body shape . Bodybuilding is aimed not only at building muscle mass and volume, but also gets rid of fat, normalizing weight.
• Increase immunity . Strength training speeds up metabolism, improves blood circulation and helps strengthen the body’s defenses against bacteria and pathogens.

Important! For bodybuilding to be beneficial, it is necessary to observe the measure. Overtraining should not be allowed, violating the alternation of rest and training. It is necessary to follow all recommendations regarding the regularity of exercise, nutrition, safety, and the correct increase in load.

At what age do people start bodybuilding?

There is a widespread misconception in society about the age at which one can engage in bodybuilding. Most people believe that bodybuilding is only suitable for mature adults. This is a misconception.

The development of young weightlifters, as studies have shown, has not revealed any negative effects on the body. The musculoskeletal system does not suffer, but, on the contrary, becomes stronger, adapting to the loads. Moderate training is possible from the age of 8, but only under the supervision of a professional trainer and without 100% loads.

Experts recommend starting training at the age of 14. This age is considered ideal for preparing the body for significant loads. From the age of 16-18, trained athletes can already increase weights to the maximum. From the age of 19, there are no restrictions, they begin to work in a full mode.

Important! Bodybuilding at a young age should be done exclusively under the careful guidance of an experienced trainer and dynamic medical supervision.

Another misconception about bodybuilding is related to the age at which one can engage in bodybuilding. Contrary to popular belief, strength training is useful at the age of 50 and older. It stimulates the release of testosterone, which decreases upon reaching 40-45 years. The main thing to understand is that the recovery time between workouts increases, and the maximum working weights are taken somewhat lower.

Who shouldn’t do bodybuilding?

Contraindications for strength training with heavy weight lifting:

• Intervertebral hernias do not allow you to perform any physical activity directly related to lifting additional weights.
• Increased intracranial pressure, the stress of which worsens blood flow, leads to weakness and even loss of consciousness.
• Acute prostatitis requires adjustments to bodybuilding with consultation with your doctor and an experienced professional trainer.
• Inflammation and joint disease prohibit lifting weights and must first be completely cured.
• Scoliosis requires constant monitoring of health status and avoidance of high loads.
• Any diseases that impair protein absorption, since a bodybuilder’s diet mainly consists of protein foods.

With osteochondrosis, bodybuilding is permissible, but after a full medical examination and permission from a specialist. The situation is similar with pulmonary diseases.

People with myopia are also among those who should not engage in bodybuilding, since excessive loads can provoke a deterioration in vision. This applies not only to bodybuilding, but also to many other sports. A preliminary consultation with a specialist in case of vision problems is mandatory.

How to start bodybuilding?

The benefits of bodybuilding for health and maintaining excellent physical fitness are manifested only with the right approach to training. It is necessary to know exactly what is needed to engage in bodybuilding. Advice and recommendations from experts are designed to help with this.

Determine the goal of your training

The training program is determined by the reason why you start doing bodybuilding:

• increasing endurance and strength to achieve greater success in other disciplines
• health promotion
• gain or, conversely, loss of weight (fat layer)
• formation of a beautiful and attractive body

The training is structured in accordance with the goal.

Understand the structure of your own body

Achieving the desired result and adjusting your strength training program largely depends on your body type:

• Ectomorphic . Characterized by a short body, long legs and arms. The chest and shoulders are quite narrow. Minimum fat deposits. Muscle fibers are thin and long.
• Mesomorphic . Characterized by an elongated body and a wide chest. Muscle fibers are quite strong and durable. The main advantage of this body type is high muscle strength.
• Endomorphic . Characterized by wide hips, a large amount of fat deposits, and a soft muscle structure. Endomorphs have round faces and short necks.
  

Not knowing your body type leads to the wrong approach to training and the inability to achieve your goal. An ectomorph, if he trains according to an endomorph program, can get a serious injury due to excessive strain. If an endomorph starts training as a mesomorph, he risks constantly encountering excess subcutaneous fat.

Consult your doctor about your physical condition.

Bodybuilding has a comprehensive positive effect on a person’s health and physical condition. Like any sport, it has its contraindications, which in some cases can only be revealed by examination. Some health problems allow bodybuilding, but only in moderation and according to special programs.

Measure your body

To motivate yourself to train and achieve your desired goal, you can measure your chest, waist, biceps, etc. This will allow you to track your results and make adjustments to your workouts or, conversely, follow your current workout plan.

You shouldn’t expect instant results. Much depends on genetic predisposition. Some people achieve the desired volumes and relief much faster than others. The maximum achievable result is also often limited. This must be taken into account.

Select a gym

If there are no contraindications to bodybuilding, the goal of the classes is defined, perhaps the most important stage comes. Of course, you can do it at home. In this case, you will have to develop a plan yourself workout, to purchase additional equipment for strength training. The disadvantage is that motivation from home workouts is lost much faster than in the gym.

For classes you will need to purchase the following minimum equipment:

• bench press;
• barbell with weights;
• set of dumbbells;
• racks;
• bars;
• crossbars;
• inclined and horizontal benches.

The more extensive the inventory, the better. Over time, you will need to increase the load and it is always better to choose the highest quality set with a variable set of weights.

In good in the gym there is absolutely all the necessary equipment, and also a trainer who will help you master at least the basic exercises. An important factor is that the predetermined time motivates you to attend classes and turns into a real ritual.

Go to workouts with a friend

A good buddy to train with is a great incentive to keep training and not give up. It doesn’t matter if your friend is a professional or a beginner bodybuilder. Training in pairs allows you to additionally insure each other when lifting heavy weights.

Music in the gym will increase the effectiveness of training

Monotonous training quickly becomes boring. Create the right atmosphere with the right music. The best option would be a melody with a rhythm of 120 to 140 beats per minute.

Bodybuilding strengthens health and body, but only with the right approach to training and the absence of contraindications. The given tips and recommendations will help not only to start doing bodybuilding correctly, but also to progress in achieving the set goal. To work out at home or in the gym is already a conscious choice of each, depending on many nuances and possibilities.