subject: 3 Essentials for a Bodybuilding Workout Program [print this page] 3 Essentials for a Bodybuilding Workout Program
Those who want to gain muscle and strength spend a lot of time thinking about and tinkering with their bodybuilding workout program. However, most trainees go about things the wrong way. They worry too much about the little things like how many sets and reps they should do, and what exercises are best for this or that muscle group. There are few things that are far more important.
You can find out right now how to train, eat, and supplement for the fastest muscle growth possible, or you can read on to learn the 3 most essential components of a bodybuilding workout program.
1. Heavy Lifting
It's fairly common these days to read that a bodybuilding workout program doesn't require heavy weights, and that you can somehow build lots of muscle mass by lifting moderate or even light weights. This is total bull! Most of the people that write articles like that are supposed "gurus" that barely even look like they lift weights themselves.
If you really want to build serious muscle mass, or even if you just want to gain a few pounds of muscle, your bodybuilding workout program needs to be "heavy" on the heavy weights. You should be focusing mainly on compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows, and you should be constantly trying to move more weight (with good form).
2. Recovery
You also hear a lot of talk about how often each body part should be trained in a bodybuilding workout program. Some people say work each muscle once a week, others say twice per week, and some people even want you to train every muscle in your body every time you're in the gym! The thing is that you need to find out what works best for your body.
When you're lifting weights in the gym, you're not building muscle, you're actually breaking it down. It is when you leave the gym to eat and rest that you build the muscle back up, hopefully bigger and stronger than before. How long it takes your muscle to recover should determine how often you train them in your bodybuilding workout program. No point in training a muscle that hasn't recovered yet, and also no point in waiting to train a muscle that's fresh and ready to go!
3. Progression
This should be pretty obvious, but it's got to be hammered home. You need to have a method of progression built into your bodybuilding workout program. Most of the time, your progress needs to be in the form of heavier weight or more reps on your hardest sets, but sometimes it can be in the form of more sets or more exercises. Whatever you do, make sure you're getting stronger!
