The Best Men's Training Program for Muscle Growth
The main goal of the first 2 to 3 months of training is to learn how to create your own training programs that meet your personal bodybuilding goals and match your body's characteristics.
There is no universal long-term methodological program in bodybuilding for everyone. As for beginners, the training program with which to start training for them is universal and equally suitable for everyone.
Beginners should not start training each muscle individually because such an approach contributes to incorrect physical development and in some cases is even harmful for health. We suggest performing basic exercises, i.e. those exercises that involve many muscles at once and which are designed for the largest muscle groups. These exercises are: squats with barbell on shoulders, deadlift and bench press. Start working with weights with which you would be able to perform 15-20 repetitions. Avoid relinquent sets: beginners do not need them. It is one of the most effective methods for general physical preparation of the beginner. It is this approach that lays the foundation for your beautiful and strong body.
The main task of a bodybuilder who wants to start training is to create a foundation for further training, namely: to accustom the body to regular loads, if possible, strengthen ligaments and increase overall muscle strength. To do this, beginners should focus their main efforts on basic exercises. More experienced bodybuilders would be better suited for isolation exercises, which allow you to give the muscles an expressive, honed shape.
Every exercise of the complex should be learned to perform absolutely correctly (better under the guidance of a coach or a more experienced comrade). If necessary, use photo or video materials.
To get used to the technique of performing an unfamiliar exercise, it is necessary to do it first without weight, which will help the novice athlete to avoid injuries in the future.
When doing the exercise in a standing position, the head should be kept straight, the back should be slightly bent, the feet should be at shoulder width, and the eyes should be directed straight ahead.
The load should be increased gradually. At the initial stage it does not make sense to work until the muscles completely fail, but over time it should become a habit.
Starting to train it is advisable first of all to work on large muscle groups (legs, back, chest): they require more energy expenditure and considerable psychological tension, so it is better to work on them with fresh strength. In the second half of the workout you can switch to working out small groups.
During the first 2-3 months you can not change the scheme on which you are going to train, but at the end of this period muscles getting used to this complex can suspend the process of increase. If that happens, you should change the scheme of exercises, their order, number of sets-repeats, and rest time between sets. This will not allow the muscles to adapt to the usual load, and they will continue their growth.
In the process of training is of great importance the psychological mood of the athlete. He must constantly mentally concentrate on the work of the muscles, imagining that they all increase in size and become stronger with every minute.
Read also: Training program for beginners
Diary of a beginner bodybuilder
Main article: Training diary
Every bodybuilder should constantly register his condition. For this purpose it is necessary to make a diary, where the data about the physical and mental condition of the athlete is recorded every day. A general picture of the condition is made up of 6 components:
well-being (good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory);
Sleep (good, intermittent, no sleep);
ability to work (high, average, low);
appetite (good, satisfactory, poor);
heart rate (should come to normal 5-7 minutes after the next exercise, the norm - 60-80 beats per minute, after a small load - 90-110, after an average load - up to 120, after a heavy load - up to 160 and more)
respiration rate (should come back to normal 2-3 minutes after the next exercise, the norm is 15-18 breaths per minute, after exercise - 60-70 breaths)
desire to train(large, indifferent, lack of desire).
Classification of exercises
Main article: Types of exercise
All exercises in bodybuilding can be divided into two main types:
multi-joint (basic) exercises, which work several muscles at once (squats);
Single-joint exercises (isolation exercises), which load only one muscle (lifting the bar on the biceps).
Beginners must focus on basic exercises, as they allow you to develop several muscles at once, which is necessary for quickly overcoming initial muscle stiffness. In addition, it will allow you to lay the foundation for future training with heavier weights.
But when performing basic exercises, one muscle gets the most intensive load. For example, during squatting mainly work the quadriceps and to a much lesser extent the biceps of the lower leg, thighs, buttocks and back muscles.
Main article: Repetition
Repetition in bodybuilding is the single performance of a particular exercise. For example, if a lifter lifts a barbell 10 times in a row on the biceps, they can be said to be doing 10 repetitions.
As mentioned above, the first time the weight should be small and a significant number of repetitions (15-20) should be performed in a strictly technical manner that allows the novice lifter to learn the technique of the exercise and muscle control. After 2 weeks of such training it is possible to reduce the number of reps to 8-12 in the main set and to 15 in the warm-up set (in the beginning of each exercise). You should select weight in such a way so as to be able to perform the indicated number of reps with a technical difficulty and to lead muscles to the condition when there is no possibility to perform a single reps in the wrong technical point of view.
If you cannot do 8 reps technically, weight must be reduced, and if the beginner is more than 12 reps without much effort - weight must be increased.
Practice shows that the best results are obtained when you work with weights amounting to 70% of the maximum one. Maximum weight in bodybuilding is a weight at which an athlete can technically perform one repetition.
Sets (sets)
Main article: Set
A set in bodybuilding is a series of repetitions of one particular exercise.
It is reasonable for a beginner athlete to start each exercise with 2 warm-up sets for each muscle group (with low weight), followed by 1-3 sets with the maximum weight. As a result, you will get 3-5 sets for each exercise.
Techniques for determining the optimal weight
Main article: How to determine the working weight
When you start training, it is better to use the minimum weight in order to feel the work of this or that muscle group and learn how to perform the exercise correctly. After a couple of weeks you should increase the load a little.
But for the 1st set, it is still best to use a low weight. Even experienced athletes do the 1st set of exercises from 16-20 reps with ultra-light weight or without weight at all in order to warm up and fill muscles and connective tissues involved in exercise with blood.
For the 2nd set (10-12 reps) you need to add a couple of small weights. If you managed to do it without much difficulty and the technique of the exercise was clearly followed, you need to increase the weight even more. If the same 12 reps are again performed with the correct technique, you need to increase the weight again, but just a little.
Gradual weight increase with every new set is called a pyramid - it is one of the safest training methods.
Weight is added until you cannot do 8-12 reps with great difficulty. Thus, having defined the optimal weight you need to train with it in the future so that after 8-12 reps muscles refuse to work. You can increase weight again only when your strength grows and you are able to increase the number of reps. If this happens, it is possible to increase the weight by 10%. With this new weight the athlete might fail at first, i.e. he will not be able to do 12 reps, but it will happen after some time. According to this scheme (it is called "overload principle") you can train further. The point of this principle is to regularly give the muscles a load a little bit higher than they are used to. In response, muscles begin to accumulate protein in cells, i.e., they get bigger and stronger. The usual load has no such effect.
In order to control your achievements, you need to keep another diary - a training diary.
A typical mistake of beginner bodybuilders is striving to gain more weight by helping themselves with their whole body. This should not be done. Bodybuilding and weightlifting are different things. The bodybuilder's task is not to take weight, but to build a harmonious, proportional body.
It is better to take less weight and perform the exercise flawlessly than to swing on exorbitant weight and sin with technique, which sooner or later will lead to injury.
Exercise Speed
Main article: Speed of exercise
When performing exercises, all movements should be done without haste (it is the moderate speed that gives the best results in bodybuilding) and under the constant control of the mind. In no case it is impossible to perform them mechanically.
The following speed formula has proven itself well:
2 seconds to lift the weight;
instant muscle tension at the top point;
2 seconds to lower the weight.
Main article: Correct Breathing - Bodybuilding Training
It is very important for the beginner to learn how to breathe correctly when performing an exercise. Before starting a repetition, you should breathe in deeply, go through the heaviest phase of the movement on the exhalation, at the top point breathe in again and complete the repetition again on the exhalation.
Recovery time between sets
Main article: Rest between workouts
It takes some time for your strength to fully recover after another set. It is determined by each athlete individually, but as a rule, it takes 45 to 90 seconds to recover. Read also the rest between sets.
Optimal training frequency
Main article: Optimal training frequency
It takes the body at least 48 hours, and sometimes more, to fully recover from a good workout. Experienced bodybuilders have the following rule: If your muscles are at least a little sore, you should not rush into the next workout. A beginning athlete should not train more than 3 times a week and no more than 1 hour a day. The main thing is the quality of the workout, not its duration.
A beginner's main goal is to strengthen ligaments, increase overall muscle strength, and accustom the body to regular exercise. Therefore, the main efforts of beginner athletes should be focused on basic exercises. Isolation exercises are designed for more experienced bodybuilders who are in the business of giving their muscles a polished, expressive shape. A new exercise should first be done without weights to get used to its technique. Incorrect technique can lead to injury.
Performing the exercise in a standing position, you should keep your head straight, your back slightly bent, and your feet shoulder width apart. The gaze should be directed straight ahead.
When you just started training, you should not immediately work to the complete failure of the muscles, but you still need to approach this state.
Between sets you should not stand still - it is better to do stretching. This not only develops flexibility, but also speeds up recovery before the next set. Stretching, you should not make jerks and abrupt movements.
First work out the large muscle groups (legs, back, chest), then activate the small ones. The first ones require more energy and mental effort, so it is better to work on them with fresh forces.
During the first 2-3 months it is advisable to train on the same scheme. But at the end of this period the muscles will get used to this complex and may stop responding to it with growth. In this case, you should change exercises, their order, number of sets-repeats and rest time between sets. This will prevent the muscles from adapting to the load, and it will start growing again.
During the training it is necessary to concentrate on the work of the muscles, try to feel each working muscle, imagining that it is getting bigger and stronger with every minute.
Before you start training it is necessary to pass a medical examination.
At the beginning of each workout you should stretch on a stationary bike or other aerobic trainer (rowing machine, stepper, etc.).
Each time you should check whether the weights are well secured on the bar. It is not necessary to jerk the machine or throw it up with your whole body.
Before you work on the trainer, you need to adjust it according to your parameters.
