Hey Guys!
In this post I want to help you all understand a few key points that all bodybuilders need to realize to create a good looking body. These may be points that you overlook or those that you simply have not heard of.
THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of a proper bodybuilding routine is FULL RANGE-OF-MOTION. You need to remember that. You cannot simply perform the exercise without focus. You need to contract the muscle(s), squeeze at the top, and SLOWLY lower the weight back down. You need to do this for each rep.
The time under tension aspect is very important. The reason your muscles grow is that they have been under increased stress caused by increased time under tension. MOMENTUM DOES NOT BUILD MUSCLE. Controlling the weight is especially important with definition exercises such as dumbbell flys where light weight is used.
The only instance you would not use full range-of-motion would be when you perform partial reps for a specific purpose. This purpose could be to fully exhaust the muscles at the end of a set or exercise, or it could be to target certain muscle fibers. For example, partial squats can be implemented to develop the lower quadriceps.
Also on the topic of partial reps, another great bodybuilding technique, or techniques I should say, are forced reps and pause reps. To perform forced reps requires a partner who helps you finish your reps. The best example of that is a spotter helping his partner get the weight up on a bench-press. The purpose of this technique is to fully exhaust the targeted muscles.
Paused reps do not require a partner. This technique allows the lifter to pause for a few seconds to rest and get the weight up. This is a great technique when training alone and allows you to crank out a few extra reps you could not perform without the added rest.
Yet another great technique with a partner is forced negatives. The negative, or eccentric, portion of the exercise creates the most micro tears in the muscle, and therefore promotes muscle growth. An example of a negative is the lowering of the weight while doing a bicep curl.
With forced negatives, you bring the weight up, and your partner applies his force as you bring the weight down. In order for this to work, you have to control the weight as you lower it. Your partner should apply just enough force that you can handle, which could take practice to perfect.
My final piece of advice is that CHEATING IS OKAY, BUT SHOULD BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM. You should only cheat in your last set as fatigue sets in. You should still control the weight as much as possible. If you begin the exercise and already have to cheat then you need to lower the weight.
Cheating will allow you to fully fatigue your muscles, which is essential in bodybuilding. Again, only a small portion of your reps should be cheat reps.
So that's all for this post. Practice these techniques and I guarantee that you will see better results. Just remember that you need to challenge yourself. These techniques can be helpful, but they can also be hurtful if you do not use them to add an extra challenge. You should not use these techniques as an escape from the pain and discomfort of the exercise.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below, and tune in this weekend for our first exercise routine.
Get Stronger!
-Nas
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