Hey guys!
New month, new focus. Our new focus - bodybuilding. Now, I have spent the last few months focusing on bodybuilding and have recently read Arnold Schwarzenegger's The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, and all the information and exercises I discuss this month will come mainly from this book and my experiences.
Most people do not think about it, but they practice bodybuilding. You may not be trying to compete on a professional level, but you want to improve your physique. A lot of people go to the gym to look better, and that is one of the core principles of bodybuilding.
Now bodybuilding is a lot different than power-lifting, both in terms of training outcome and the science behind it. Power-lifters develop functional strength. They train their muscles with compound exercises and train to increase their neuromuscular strength. This type of training is better suited for athletes trying to improve their performances in their respective sports.
Bodybuilders, on the other hand, tend to isolate their muscles to develop them in an aesthetic manner. To truly develop an aesthetic body would require you to not only develop each muscle, but each part of each muscle. That requires that you perform several isolation exercises per muscle.
Bodybuilders also train specifically for muscle growth, and contrary to what many people think, lighter weights are better for muscle growth.
The difference between powerlifting and bodybuilding is that powerlifters increases their neuromuscular strength by lifting heavy, which trains their neuromuscular system to activate more and more muscle fibers for each rep.
But bodybuilders use lighter weights to completely fatigue their muscles to promote muscle growth. A muscle is not one unit, but a group of muscle fibers working together. When you train with lighter weights you only activate a small number of muscle fibers at once. When those muscle fibers get tired, your nervous system activates other, fresher muscle fibers.
So bodybuilders increase their sets and reps and incorporate multiple exercises per muscle group to work every muscle fiber available.
Generally speaking, you would use about 75% of your one-rep maximum (the most weight you can handle for one rep), which equates to 8-12 reps for upper body and 12-15 reps for lower body.
More advanced bodybuilders do 4-5 exercises with 4 sets per exercise. So you are talking about, at least, 20 sets total. You still wondering how bodybuilders get big? Not only that, but each rep is controlled. You bring the weight up, squeeze at the top, and slowly lower the weight. You want to focus on full range-of-motion to work every possible muscle fiber.
Now, there are different purposes for different bodybuilding exercises. There are mass-builders, and there are exercises that increase definition and separation between muscles.
For example, the shoulder press is a mass-building exercise because you can use heavier weight. An exercise such as the front lateral raise, in which you would use light weight, creates separation between the chest, and it creates definition in the front deltoids.
You still use 75% of your one rep max, but with certain exercises you have the advantage of using heavier weight. More weight, while still adhering to the 75% one rep max, will increase muscle mass.
Bodybuilders will be strong, but not nearly as strong as a power-lifter because of differences in focus. However, bodybuilders do incorporate power-lifting techniques into their routines to a lesser degree to develop a denser look, as Schwarzenegger describes it in his encyclopedia. But remember the ultimate emphasis of bodybuilding is on isolation exercises to fully develop the body.
A true bodybuilder develops every area of his or her body. For example, the biceps. To fully develop your biceps you have to work the outer portion, the inner portion, the height, the length, and the separation between the biceps, triceps, and shoulders. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's worth it when you look in the mirror.
Bodybuilding is for men and women. Women need not concern themselves with looking less feminine from bodybuilding because women do not develop muscle mass the same way men do. Not only do women develop muscle slower than men because they lack the muscle-building hormones men do, but they simply do not have the same proportion of upper-body muscle mass as men have.
It would take considerable effort for a women to look less feminine. In fact, look at most women you see in the gym who strength train. They tend to look nice and in shape. Do not let any myths stand in your way of improving your health. Bodybuilding is for women as much as it is for men.
So that is all I have for this post. Be sure to tune in twice a week. I will have an exercise routine post as well as an information/advice post ready for you guys. I am really excited for this month, and I hope you are too. Bodybuilding is one of my favorite subjects, so be sure to check back here for great information to develop your physique and look good.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
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