Weightlifting & bodybuilding tips

Bodybuilding & weight training guide

Those wishing to take up weight lifting or bodybuilding can soon become confused by the amount of information they read, some of which can actually do the body more harm than it does good. So to help you on your way to obtaining the perfect body here are some plain and simple tips, some of which are only common knowledge when you stop and think about it while some you might not have considered.

• Evaluate your body

By taking a good long look at your body as it is now you will have a basis from which to start out, evaluate your body weight and measurements before you start and this will give you a better idea as to what to aim for regarding weights and your nutritional needs.

• Set out goals

Decide on what it is exactly that you want to achieve and break this down into goals that are fairly easy to achieve in a specific amount of time, monitor these goals and adjust them on a regular basis. Always keep a record of them and check them frequently, a good idea would be to have immediate goals, short term goals and longer term goals, this way you are seeing progress all the time for all your hard work and determination.

• Keep journals

By keeping a written journal you are seeing progress clearly made and this will help to keep you motivated to reaching your goals, you should keep a record of the weights you lift and also your diet. By doing so when you see the results of your hard work and you wont have to wonder what you did or what your diet was like for that period you will have it all written down in front of you.

• Design your weight lifting program

Once you have determined your weight and body size you can then determine the program which will be more suitable for you, to gain the best results from your workout you will have to include basic training such as squat, bench press, shoulder press, barbell and dead lifts. Use more free weight training as opposed to using machines during your regime and keep your workouts intense, short and heavy.

• Watch your nutrition

Your nutritional requirements play an important role when it comes to building muscle, it doesn’t matter how hard you work you wont be able to build body mass without the correct nutrition in your diet. In order for you to build muscle you will need to consume many more calories than you are burning each day, you will also have to make sure that each meal you eat is well balanced with the optimum amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat.

• Enhance your diet with supplements

You can greatly add to your nutritional requirements with the use of supplements, some of which are weight gain powders, it is wise to be careful when using these as some are packed with over a 1000 calories.

Meal replacement powders, L-glutamine and carbohydrate supplements are just some of the supplements which can enhance the diet, of course nothing is better than a healthy correct balanced diet and these should never take over from eating a proper balanced diet, but only to supplement your diet.