Every now and then you will hear a few people talk in the gym about how they are bodybuilders and how they compete, you will see them giving out lifting and nutrition tips to the younger guys. What I find funny is that about 99% of those people don’t even know what the sport is about.
All bodybuilders do is lift weights right?
Most people think that all bodybuilders do is lift a few weights here and there and eat a lot of food.
They would fit better in the powerlifting category but even that’s insulting to powerlifters around the globe, the dedication that bodybuilders put into the sport is world class and can’t be found in just anybody and it shows!
So you have probably been lifting for a while or maybe you’re just starting out, it doesn’t really matter if you want to join the bodybuilding world.
If you are planning on competing in the future, here some tips to take into consideration. These tips are things I wish I would’ve had known when I started out.
The best thing to do when somebody starts lifting is to always try to go as heavy as possible during an exercise, a lot of people will disagree with me and say that perfect form is the best way to go for beginners.
Even if you’re not doing an exercise with perfect form you are still working for other muscle groups, for example, if you don’t do bench press the right way you will develop your front deltoids instead of your chest but you’re still developing muscle and that’s the point of going to the gym, gaining muscle.
The more you get to know the exercises you do on a daily basis the more you will be able to control them and therefore, with time you will master the movement and work the targeted muscle, by then you will be able to move some weight.
Don’t be afraid to lift some heavy weight! Ronnie Coleman wasn’t, If you don’t know who he is, do a quick Google search and prepare yourself and be amazed.
Table of Contents
Muscle-Mind connection
When lifting you should always focus on feeling the targeted muscle groups, don’t just throw the weight around like a crazy man, try to feel your muscles working.
For example, if you’re doing bench press try switching to dumbbell press, use your chest, not your arms and focus on the muscle group by imagining your chest moving the weights and getting bigger by each rep if it worked for 7 times Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger it can work for you.
The main difference between a Powerlifter and a Bodybuilder is that a bodybuilder works out to build and perfect his physique; this means gaining muscle while cutting fat, a powerlifter wants power and strength.
Nutrition
If you want a good body you need to eat, 50% of bodybuilding is nutrition, if you don’t fuel your body it won’t grow, food in the body is the same as gas in a car, if you don’t add any to either of the two they won’t move.
You need to eat clean and dirty sometimes but for this, you have to know your own body and how it reacts to different food, in order to gain muscle you need to have a high-calorie diet consisting of high proteins, high carbohydrates, and low fats.
Cutting
For most bodybuilders, this is the most annoying part of bodybuilding but at the same time the best one, cutting means that you will eliminate most of the fat inside your body surrounding the muscles so that you can look lean, vascular and basically see every muscle fiber of your entire body.
It’s hard because you need to balance carbohydrates out, have a high protein diet and do a lot of cardio this means that at the end of the cutting cycle you will be depleted, tired, sleepy and cranky but you will look like a Superhero out of a comic book.
Bulking
This is probably the best time of the year for a lot of bodybuilders, basically during this phase, you eat as you wish, stay away from cardio for a bit and workout as heavy as possible.
During this phase is when a bodybuilder gains the most muscle and fat during the year.
You have to take into consideration that the fatter you get during a bulking cycle or as a lot of people call it offseason, the harder it will be to get into contest shape.
So if you have the desire and are willing to go the extra mile, lift heavy, eat well and you will have accomplished some of my tips for future bodybuilders, the goal is not to give up and stay consistent, if you do, you will eventually achieve the goals you set for yourself.
Conclusion
I realize these tips are rather basic, however, they are things I wish I would have known before I started going to the gym. The important thing is to be patient and take things slow.
Over time you will be avle to achieve your goals and hopefully one of these days look like a bodybuilder.
