umnitza
09-Oct-2006, 18:20
Que hueva traducir todo.
1. Mind-set
Most often neglected by the beginner and yet the most important ingredient in success is DESIRE. So many fail by seeing it as a short term goal to improve your physique and expect to see changes in the mirror daily and this is a recipe for failure. Get it out of your head that you need to get in shape by a certain time period. You should see it as a lifestyle and a way of life. You can’t be a part-time bodybuilder and expect great success
Accept the condition your body is in and make the decision to change your life to achieve your objectives. Accept it is a long term plan and you will not be disheartened if it takes time to improve. Lets face it and be realistic, if it was easy then everybody would look like Jay Cutler.
Be realistic about your goals. A beginner should not be saying I want to lose 30 pounds of fat and gain 20 pounds of lean muscle in 2 months. It just won’t happen, yet people time & again put this sort of image in their mind and become disheartened when it doesn’t happen that fast. Time to wake up and forget the brainwashing from much of the health & fitness industry we have endured most of our lives to sell their latest fat loss or muscle growth gimmick.
Prepare yourself for hard work and sacrifice and you will see it as something you love and not as a chore. You will see it as something that distinguishes you from the masses who cannot be bothered or those who shoulder too much pride to seek advice.
2. Objective Setting
First thing, assess your physique. Decide what you need to do most of all, lose fat or build muscle. It is hard to do both at the same time. It is not impossible but it is difficult. How fat you are, or how small your muscles are will determine where your priorities are. I feel this is important so that you can set yourself some attainable goals. Remember, for fat loss, the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns at rest and while exercising a pound of muscle burns roughly 10x as many calories as a pound of fat (approx 70 cal. per hour compared to 7 cal. per hour for fat).
Set some sensible targets e.g. to lose 10 pounds of fat in 5 weeks and gain 5 pounds of lean muscle mass. Despite what we think, it is physically more difficult to build muscle than to lose fat. You can, though not advisable, lose 2 or 3 pounds of fat in a week (as you are likely to lose muscle mass). You cannot build 5 pounds of lean muscle in a week. Live with that fact as it will not happen.
3. Training with Weights
Your weights routine will be the bedrock of your lean muscle gains. To make consistent and long term gains you should make of point of having a structured weight routine from the start.
My first recommendation is to join a good gym or make sure you have enough equipment at home for a decent workout. A gym that offers a comprehensive induction process and members of staff who know what they are doing. It should have a full range of free weights & equipment, lots of dumbells and plates (especially plenty of the heavy plates-45lbs.) for you to work your way up to the bigger weights.
It is very important that as a novice you are NOT INTIMIDATED by training alongside much more experienced bodybuilders. They won’t make fun of you or bully you. Most are very nice, helpful and normal people that are good fun and very helpful. They will not be looking down at you because you are new to the sport. We all were at some time! In fact use their experience to help show you how to do exercises correctly, etc as most of us just love the sound of our own voice and will not hesitate to help someone less experienced. Swallow that pride folks. The important thing is to know when to ask with the best time being when they are finishing up a set and getting ready to move on to another exercise.
My preference is to start with machines for a couple of weeks and then learn to use free-weights ASAP. They will allow a much more thorough workout of the muscles than machines due to the full range of natural motion you can achieve in the exercises and that they recruit many more fibers in the supporting muscles and working muscles than machines. More fibers recruited….. More muscle gains you will make.
GET YOUR FORM RIGHT!!!! This cannot be stressed enough. Poor form is very common amongst the MAJORITY of gym goers and will vastly hinder your progress. Do not sacrifice good form in ALL exercises for more weight just to feed your ego! Your muscles will develop MUCH quicker and you will have much less risk of injury if your form is good. If you cannot complete good form with the exercise then the weight is too heavy for you. It's that simple! Live with it! Do not try and compete against the guy next to you who is doing it wrong but lifting heavier. (in 6 months time he'll be the one that won't have grown much at all and you can leave him to wonder how you have put on so much mass.)
Try and separate your workouts into splits – chest, arms, back, traps and shoulders, legs and calves and you can throw abs in where you want. Train each group once a week and your body will have plenty of time to recover and rest. You grow when you rest.
As a good rule aim for 12-18 sets (MAXIMUM) for Large Muscle groups (Chest/Back/Legs) followed by a smaller muscle group for 8-15 sets (MAXIMUM)(Biceps/Triceps/Shoulders/Abs/Calves). Go easy on the biceps as they are much smaller than the triceps so will probably respond better at the lower end of that set range. Forget about doing 50 sets of bicep curls for big arms! You'll over-train them and they will not grow to their full potential. Triceps are the main muscle that adds size to your arms anyways.
4. Rest
This is very important. You should aim to give your muscles a week’s rest for recovery and growth. Muscles grow while you rest. It is very easy to over-train and when you do your body goes into catabolysis (where it starts using the bodies protein source – muscle). This is not a good thing. Many budding Bodybuilders over-train and wonder why their biceps haven’t grown in the last 6 months! (that is why I have listed the rep & set numbers like I have). It is very easy to over-train, especially when you are very enthusiastic at the outset. To begin with you will most likely gain some muscle but not nearly as much as if you rested properly You should get a minimum of 8hrs sleep every night. You grow while you sleep.
5. Training – Cardio
Important for fat loss & cardiovascular fitness. You should aim to do cardio on separate sessions from weights so that your muscle glycogen is used while weight training to fuel the muscles. DO NOT perform cardio before the weights sessions otherwise you reduce the potency of the weights session.
Fat loss cardio should be at 65%-80% Max Heart Rate (MHR) for 30-40 minutes. Any more than this and at a higher intensity then your body will also utilize protein for fuel and lead to muscle loss (HIIT is the exception to this but we’ll keep it simple for now). If time is a problem then you should to do cardio in the same session as weights then do it AFTER the weights and for no more than 20 minutes at 65% MHR. Always try to have a protein shake before cardio (even 1st thing in the morning).
Endurance cardio is done at higher intensity. Not great for bodybuilders as it is more catabolic but with protein taken before & after the session it should minimise catabolysis but is still not ideal if you want to build muscle.
6. Diet
I’m going to keep this real simple – EAT CLEAN, EAT BIG - Try and eat every 3hrs to keep protein flowing through your body to provide a positive nitrogen balance and to keep your metabolic rate high.
Muscle growth – High Protein (lean meats, skinless chicken breast, fish), High Complex Carbohydrates, Moderate Fat (good fats – flax seed oil, grape seed oil, etc)
Fat Loss – High Protein (lean meats, skinless chicken breast, fish), Lower Complex Carb, Lower Fat.
To lose fat you need to use more calories than you consume. To gain muscle you need to raise the calories to a higher level than you would utilize. This means a little fat gain but with some gentle adjusting you’ll find where your level is at. Aim for 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight for gaining & fat loss. For example, a 200 pound person would need 200-300g of protein in their diet per day. This includes workout days and also rest days.
Also remember to get protein in you before you go to bed, when you wake up and immediately after weights. This is when your body needs it most.
7. Supplements
Food.
Good whey Protein supplement for post training & when you wake up.
Add that along with a good multi and some Creatine and That’s it! As a beginner you are wasting money on all the muscle solutions, fat burners, etc that are out there as your body will change drastically within 6 months hard work. Once you have the basic platform then you can think about extra supplements. As for beginners thinking about steroids…. Forget it. They are for the serious & experienced Bodybuilder who has reached their natural limit. A get big quick solution may seem appealing to a novice but do not be tempted as you need to know what your bodies limits are to use these effectively IMO.
Finally remember that bodybuilding is about getting a good balance between attitude/weight training/Rest/Cardio/Diet. If you neglect any of the areas I have mentioned so far then you are not fulfilling your natural potential.
1. Mind-set
Most often neglected by the beginner and yet the most important ingredient in success is DESIRE. So many fail by seeing it as a short term goal to improve your physique and expect to see changes in the mirror daily and this is a recipe for failure. Get it out of your head that you need to get in shape by a certain time period. You should see it as a lifestyle and a way of life. You can’t be a part-time bodybuilder and expect great success
Accept the condition your body is in and make the decision to change your life to achieve your objectives. Accept it is a long term plan and you will not be disheartened if it takes time to improve. Lets face it and be realistic, if it was easy then everybody would look like Jay Cutler.
Be realistic about your goals. A beginner should not be saying I want to lose 30 pounds of fat and gain 20 pounds of lean muscle in 2 months. It just won’t happen, yet people time & again put this sort of image in their mind and become disheartened when it doesn’t happen that fast. Time to wake up and forget the brainwashing from much of the health & fitness industry we have endured most of our lives to sell their latest fat loss or muscle growth gimmick.
Prepare yourself for hard work and sacrifice and you will see it as something you love and not as a chore. You will see it as something that distinguishes you from the masses who cannot be bothered or those who shoulder too much pride to seek advice.
2. Objective Setting
First thing, assess your physique. Decide what you need to do most of all, lose fat or build muscle. It is hard to do both at the same time. It is not impossible but it is difficult. How fat you are, or how small your muscles are will determine where your priorities are. I feel this is important so that you can set yourself some attainable goals. Remember, for fat loss, the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns at rest and while exercising a pound of muscle burns roughly 10x as many calories as a pound of fat (approx 70 cal. per hour compared to 7 cal. per hour for fat).
Set some sensible targets e.g. to lose 10 pounds of fat in 5 weeks and gain 5 pounds of lean muscle mass. Despite what we think, it is physically more difficult to build muscle than to lose fat. You can, though not advisable, lose 2 or 3 pounds of fat in a week (as you are likely to lose muscle mass). You cannot build 5 pounds of lean muscle in a week. Live with that fact as it will not happen.
3. Training with Weights
Your weights routine will be the bedrock of your lean muscle gains. To make consistent and long term gains you should make of point of having a structured weight routine from the start.
My first recommendation is to join a good gym or make sure you have enough equipment at home for a decent workout. A gym that offers a comprehensive induction process and members of staff who know what they are doing. It should have a full range of free weights & equipment, lots of dumbells and plates (especially plenty of the heavy plates-45lbs.) for you to work your way up to the bigger weights.
It is very important that as a novice you are NOT INTIMIDATED by training alongside much more experienced bodybuilders. They won’t make fun of you or bully you. Most are very nice, helpful and normal people that are good fun and very helpful. They will not be looking down at you because you are new to the sport. We all were at some time! In fact use their experience to help show you how to do exercises correctly, etc as most of us just love the sound of our own voice and will not hesitate to help someone less experienced. Swallow that pride folks. The important thing is to know when to ask with the best time being when they are finishing up a set and getting ready to move on to another exercise.
My preference is to start with machines for a couple of weeks and then learn to use free-weights ASAP. They will allow a much more thorough workout of the muscles than machines due to the full range of natural motion you can achieve in the exercises and that they recruit many more fibers in the supporting muscles and working muscles than machines. More fibers recruited….. More muscle gains you will make.
GET YOUR FORM RIGHT!!!! This cannot be stressed enough. Poor form is very common amongst the MAJORITY of gym goers and will vastly hinder your progress. Do not sacrifice good form in ALL exercises for more weight just to feed your ego! Your muscles will develop MUCH quicker and you will have much less risk of injury if your form is good. If you cannot complete good form with the exercise then the weight is too heavy for you. It's that simple! Live with it! Do not try and compete against the guy next to you who is doing it wrong but lifting heavier. (in 6 months time he'll be the one that won't have grown much at all and you can leave him to wonder how you have put on so much mass.)
Try and separate your workouts into splits – chest, arms, back, traps and shoulders, legs and calves and you can throw abs in where you want. Train each group once a week and your body will have plenty of time to recover and rest. You grow when you rest.
As a good rule aim for 12-18 sets (MAXIMUM) for Large Muscle groups (Chest/Back/Legs) followed by a smaller muscle group for 8-15 sets (MAXIMUM)(Biceps/Triceps/Shoulders/Abs/Calves). Go easy on the biceps as they are much smaller than the triceps so will probably respond better at the lower end of that set range. Forget about doing 50 sets of bicep curls for big arms! You'll over-train them and they will not grow to their full potential. Triceps are the main muscle that adds size to your arms anyways.
4. Rest
This is very important. You should aim to give your muscles a week’s rest for recovery and growth. Muscles grow while you rest. It is very easy to over-train and when you do your body goes into catabolysis (where it starts using the bodies protein source – muscle). This is not a good thing. Many budding Bodybuilders over-train and wonder why their biceps haven’t grown in the last 6 months! (that is why I have listed the rep & set numbers like I have). It is very easy to over-train, especially when you are very enthusiastic at the outset. To begin with you will most likely gain some muscle but not nearly as much as if you rested properly You should get a minimum of 8hrs sleep every night. You grow while you sleep.
5. Training – Cardio
Important for fat loss & cardiovascular fitness. You should aim to do cardio on separate sessions from weights so that your muscle glycogen is used while weight training to fuel the muscles. DO NOT perform cardio before the weights sessions otherwise you reduce the potency of the weights session.
Fat loss cardio should be at 65%-80% Max Heart Rate (MHR) for 30-40 minutes. Any more than this and at a higher intensity then your body will also utilize protein for fuel and lead to muscle loss (HIIT is the exception to this but we’ll keep it simple for now). If time is a problem then you should to do cardio in the same session as weights then do it AFTER the weights and for no more than 20 minutes at 65% MHR. Always try to have a protein shake before cardio (even 1st thing in the morning).
Endurance cardio is done at higher intensity. Not great for bodybuilders as it is more catabolic but with protein taken before & after the session it should minimise catabolysis but is still not ideal if you want to build muscle.
6. Diet
I’m going to keep this real simple – EAT CLEAN, EAT BIG - Try and eat every 3hrs to keep protein flowing through your body to provide a positive nitrogen balance and to keep your metabolic rate high.
Muscle growth – High Protein (lean meats, skinless chicken breast, fish), High Complex Carbohydrates, Moderate Fat (good fats – flax seed oil, grape seed oil, etc)
Fat Loss – High Protein (lean meats, skinless chicken breast, fish), Lower Complex Carb, Lower Fat.
To lose fat you need to use more calories than you consume. To gain muscle you need to raise the calories to a higher level than you would utilize. This means a little fat gain but with some gentle adjusting you’ll find where your level is at. Aim for 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight for gaining & fat loss. For example, a 200 pound person would need 200-300g of protein in their diet per day. This includes workout days and also rest days.
Also remember to get protein in you before you go to bed, when you wake up and immediately after weights. This is when your body needs it most.
7. Supplements
Food.
Good whey Protein supplement for post training & when you wake up.
Add that along with a good multi and some Creatine and That’s it! As a beginner you are wasting money on all the muscle solutions, fat burners, etc that are out there as your body will change drastically within 6 months hard work. Once you have the basic platform then you can think about extra supplements. As for beginners thinking about steroids…. Forget it. They are for the serious & experienced Bodybuilder who has reached their natural limit. A get big quick solution may seem appealing to a novice but do not be tempted as you need to know what your bodies limits are to use these effectively IMO.
Finally remember that bodybuilding is about getting a good balance between attitude/weight training/Rest/Cardio/Diet. If you neglect any of the areas I have mentioned so far then you are not fulfilling your natural potential.