When a person tells you they got big and muscle-bound by lifting weights, it almost sound simple, doesn’t it? What could be simpler than simply heaving dumbbells or barbells around whilst stood or laid in various positions?
The problem is, there is much more to it than that. It is (to the beginner), a complicated game, and one in which the new participant must soak up as much knowledge as they can, and become educated in what they need to be doing, and how, in order to achieve the physique they want.
And the core of it all is getting yourself on a good bodybuilding workout program. Without this, your efforts won’t be rewarded with maximal gains, and in some cases, you could find yourself even completely stalled, going backwards, or at worst – injured.
In my opinion, a good bodybuilding program is one which is contains tried, tested, and proven methods for muscle building. It will contain nothing overtly fancy, and, will be based upon what I firmly believe to be the key of any successful attempts to build muscle: compound movements.
Compound movements are exercises which utilize the most natural methods for lifting; they work how the body was designed to work – as a system, and not as a spare part. True, there are room for isolation exercises, too – but, they won’t be the ones which build you the most muscle. Muscle is built by stimulating not just the intended area, but, an overall muscle fibres in the body – which is why it’s so essential to work the big muscle groups, such as the quads, which will release testosterone and promote growth elsewhere in the body, too.
Some key compound movements to have in a bodybuilding program are: squats, dead lift, bench press and bent over rows.
Any good program worth its salt will also be spaced out and arranged properly, so that the body has time to recuperate, and the same muscles aren’t being worked day after day – either directly or indirectly. A good program will avoid this and give you optimal workouts, and optimal rests.