Bodybuilding As A Sport

Competitive bodybuilding is a sport in which athletes attempt to develop and maintain the perfect muscular body.  As bodybuilding competitors show off their physique and perform with a number of poses, they are judged by a qualified panel of experts who will render the final decision as to the winner. 

When it comes to bodybuilding, the appearance of a competitors physique is much more important than how much he/she can lift.  The sport of bodybuilding, therefore, should not be confused with or compared to a competition of strength.  Instead, it is one of visual appeal.  Bodybuilding is open to both men and women with specialized categories for each. 

For those who regularly compete in bodybuilding competitions, or are interested in participating, the main strategy for contest preparation includes a combination of resistance weight training, a customized nutrition plan and plenty of rest.  Resistance training is very important in bodybuilding as it is this that causes an increase in muscle size.  The importance of nutrition comes into play as muscles grow, are injured and repaired during the bodybuilding process.  In order for the body to properly heal itself, a customized nutrition plan is a must.  Generally, bodybuilding competitors will eat a larger number of meals per day, but in smaller quantities.  For instance, rather than eating three normal meals a day, a bodybuilding competitor may divide their food up into six or seven small meals. 

Because of the strenuous regimen required of any bodybuilder, athletes often enlist the help of a nutritionist and a professional trainer.  These individuals can work together to make sure that the athlete is training properly and also receiving the proper amount of nutrition.  Rather than having to figure out how much to eat, when to eat and how often to work out, the trainer and nutritionist will handle all of the details while the athlete concentrates on building muscle.

At the end of the day, which is often exhausting for many bodybuilding competitors, rest is essential.  Not only for the obvious reasons, but it is during rest that the muscle growth occurs.  Without eight hours of sleep every night, some bodybuilding competitors find it difficult to regain energy and rebuild strength after an exhausting workout.  In addition, many competitors find that an afternoon nap may further increase their body’s ability to increase muscle.                       

Individuals who are interested in entering into the world of bodybuilding should consult with local trainers in their area.  If there are no trainers to be found, a stop at the local gym may provide answers as to finding a qualified trainer.  Bodybuilding is a sport that requires a lot of dedication and even more hard work, which is evident in the physique of most competitors.

The information in this article is intended to be used for informational purposes only.  It should not be used in conjunction with, or in place of, professional medical, nutritional or training advice regarding bodybuilding as a sport or as a hobby.  If you are considering a venture into the world of bodybuilding, you must consult with a physician prior to beginning any exercise and/or nutritional regimen.

How To Build Muscle With A Well Planned Routine

A well-planned exercise routine will not only help you replace fat with muscle, it will help you gain strength and flexibility.

A bodybuilding exercise plan also improves bone strength, and lowers blood pressure. Whether you are a professional bodybuilder or you just enjoy hitting the weights hard at the gym, setting a goal for your bodybuilding exercise plan will help you achieve maximum results. Remember to make your goal challenging but be realistic.

Plan a routine that will help you reach the goals you have set. You may choose to plan on paper or on computer; whichever method you chose in planning your bodybuilding exercise goal, state your goal in a positive, precise way. It is best to choose performance-oriented goals instead of outcome-oriented goals. You can only control your own bodybuilding exercise goals, you have no control over other peoples routines, so don’t make you goal winning a competition. You might make your goal to gain a certain amount of muscles mass, or lose a specific amount of body fat. This type of goal works whether you compete or not.

Planning before you begin helps you get organized and stay focused. Putting it in writing makes it more formal, and more likely that you will stick to the plan. You should include short-term goals that help lead to your main long-term goal. Breaking down your main goal into smaller goals makes it easier to stay on your bodybuilding exercise routine.

Set a deadline for achieving your main goal. Without a deadline it can be easy to put off your bodybuilding exercise routine. Keep track of each workout you complete successfully. Plan on rewarding yourself once your long-term goal is met.

The most important step in planning is to include a proper warm-up period. Warming up reduces the change of injury and improves your performance. Warm up exercises of your bodybuilding exercise could include an aerobic activity such as treadmill walking, stepping, rowing or stationary cycling, or it could be arm circles, knee bends and shoulder circles. A third alternative is to lift light weights with a high number of reps.

The next step of your program will be tailored to the specific goal that you have set or area that you want to improve. If your goal involves your legs plan a bodybuilding exercise that works your legs, such as barbell squats or leg presses. Choose specific exercises that will increase your chest, like the barbell press, if that is your goal.

Perform each exercise carefully to avoid injury. To build mass, do fewer reps but include more sets and heavier weights, Rest at least 1 minute between sets. Another important part of your bodybuilding exercise plan is to eat properly and drink plenty of fluids.

Supplements: What You Need To Know

The days when amateur body builders took steroids to boost their muscle mass have long gone, and those who attempt to use anabolic steroids in an attempt to get a competitive edge run a very high risk of being caught and stripped of any titles they have won – some would say that being caught is inevitable.  

So how, then, do body builders manage to build such huge muscles that seem far larger than those of other professional athletes?  Is it because they spend so long in the gym and are very dedicated?  Well, yes, body builders have to have great dedication, but they also take supplements.  These supplements are 100% legal and don’t have the nasty side effects of the old anabolic steroids, such as “roid rage”.  You will find several products that are designed to boost your body’s levels of anabolic hormones or are describes as having an “anabolic effect”.

Unlike the old illegal steroids, these bodybuilding supplements do not add any hormones into your system.  Instead, these supplements stimulate your body so it produces more of its own androgens and testosterone – the male hormones that enable bulky muscles to be laid down on the skeletal frame.  Some of these body building supplements increase energy levels as well – common ones include creatine, NOx (nitric oxide) increasers, HGH (human growth hormone), and ZMA (which is a combination of zinc and magnesium, both of which are vital in testosterone production).  These supplements are either used singly or in a “stack” or combination of several products.  Some lines of body building supplements include products that come ready “stacked” for ease of use – to see some examples of common pre-prepared stacks(complete with celebrity endorsement by a Mr Olympia champion) , follow this link.

Of course, that’s not all.  Muscles aren’t built of air.  All body builders take protein supplements and eat a very high protein diet.  When building muscle mass – and this advice works for those who want to look a bit more toned or bulk up, as well as for those who want competition-level muscle bulk – taking a high protein supplement, usually in a shake or as a bar, is essential.  This protein should be taken in combination with a small amount of glucose.  The powder type of bodybuilding supplement is particularly handy for increasing the amount of protein in the diet, which all bodybuilders do.  

Casting a glance over a discount supplier of these supplements, you can see that the protein supplements available to bodybuilders (and others) come from a range of different sources.  Dairy-sourced protein supplements are the most commonly seen, with whey a popular choice, closely followed by casein (casein, just in case you were wondering, comes from the curds in the combination enjoyed by the legendary Miss Muffett before the spider arrived: curds & whey).  Egg protein is also very popular and is suitable for those with dairy intolerance.  Egg protein is sourced either from the whole egg or from the egg white only (just as an aside, powdered egg protein is also used in tree plantations – it’s applied to young trees to deter rabbits and hares from nibbling on them).  And for vegetarians, soy protein supplements are also easy to find.

Other supplements that are commonly marketed as bodybuilding supplements but can be taken by anyone include multivitamin tablets and diet pills, especially the types of pill that increase energy levels and/or the metabolism, as this not only strips away excess fat (no point in having a really ripped torso and abs if those abs are buried beneath a spare tyre) but also supplies the extra stamina needed for the gym sessions (an hour or more) needed to build serious bulk.

Bodybuilding Nutrition And Balance

Nutrition is Important!

Many inexperienced (sometimes even experienced!) gym regulars believe that muscles grow while lifting weights. However lifting weights forms only a small fraction of the muscle building process. Muscle development takes place at night during deep sleep when the body synthesizes new cells with nutrients from our diet. Therefore nutrition forms a very important part of a bodybuilding program.

The body utilizes nutrients in food to perform daily metabolic and what's commonly referred to as the "wear and tear processes". With bodybuilding, additional strain is put on the body to make new muscle tissues. Therefore the nutrient requirements also shoots up to stay with the demand.

The best bodybuilding nutrition comes from a balanced intake of carbohydrates, adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, fats and large amounts of water. So if you are serious about getting lean and ripped it’s time to say goodbye to mayo burgers, colas and other synthetic foods. Adopt eating habits imbibing fruits, whole grains, milk, eggs and fresh farm products.

How much protein do you need?

Your growing muscles need amino acids to create new tissues. The amino acids are provided by protein in diet. There is a lot of debate on the exact quantity of protein required in bodybuilding. The caution to maintain is that extreme amounts of protein in the diet can cause gastric and renal complications. Recent studies have suggested that a protein intake of 1 to 1.4 grams per unit of body weight is adequate to sustain the bodybuilding process. This means that the protein requirement of a 70 kg individual should be around 70 to 98 grams. To give an estimate of the amount involved consider the following: A 100 gm chicken breast has 22 grams of protein, a glass of milk has 8 grams,an egg approximately 5 grams and a slice bread 3 grams.

A word of caution against the tide of bodybuilding supplements in markets. Many times you come across advertisements proclaiming, ‘Gain 20 pounds of muscle in 3 months flat!’. Stay clear of these money hungry advertisers. Building lean muscle takes time and effort. Making use of synthetic products which alter body’s natural mechanism would offset what should be your real purpose in bodybuilding which is to keep the body fit and healthy.

Lastly in bodybuilding it’s not, ‘the more the better’. Rather it is ‘the more precise the better’. Don’t over exert, eat balanced food and include plenty of rest. With everything good in life, patience, commitment, and balance will guarantee your success. With these tips in mind you are all set to pump iron!

Introduction to Fox Fitness

Hello! Thank you for visiting my blog! Here I will post my workouts and progress as well as reviews of supplements and routines. To me fitness is not only a way to stay in shape but also a hobby. My goal is to inspire many other people to adopt fitness as a hobby and to lead healthier life styles.

In addition to my routines and supplementation reviews I would like to answer questions anyone may have about fitness! So please ask away!

FOX

Beginner Cardio Routine

Often if people are very out of shape (everyone needs to start somewhere!) they are recommended to start with a cardiovascular routine. The routine I recommend to my friends that are looking to get into fitness is titled Couch To 5k it is a program designed by Josh Clark of Cool Running.

This program is to give people a steady challenge that does not burn them out in the beginning phases of their journey to fitness. Below is the routine in an easy to follow format.

Beginner Weight Lifting Routine Part 1 of 3

I am personally a big fan of compound movements. The most common compound weightlifting movements are squat, bench-press, and dead-lift.  My firm belief is that all beginners should start with a simple compound movement based routine.

One of the best beginner routines was created by Mark Rippetoe, a world famous power lifter. His starting routine is called Starting Strength.

Mark Rippetoe

This routine is one of the best for beginners looking to gain basic strength before moving onto a more advanced routine. The Starting Strength routine is as follows:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench press

1x5 Dead lift

Workout B

3x5 Squat

3x5 Standing Military Press

3x5 Power Cleans

These workouts would occur on non-consecutive days. For example:

Week One

Monday: Workout A

Wednesday: Workout B

Friday: Workout A

Week Two

Monday: Workout B

Wednesday: Workout A

Friday: Workout B

For reference here is a before and after picture of  amateur body builder Ironwake doing starting strength for 24 weeks.

This is the first of three posts on a beginner lifting routine! Stay tuned for updates.