Form or technique is one part of any sport that sees more heated debate in the gym, on the field and in the pub than any other. Bodybuilding is no exception and there is probably more debate going on at any one time regarding bodybuilding techniques than bodybuilding itself.
Problem is where to start. Not only does every single exercise ever used have a plethora of different theories regarding what is considered to be correct form, but every other part of the discipline from diet to apparel has their fair share as well. No wonder beginners get put off by the sensory overload. To make things a little easier, here are a few very basic and generalised tips on bodybuilding techniques that may make starting of in this great game a little easier.
Don't try and jump in from the get go with routines taken from long time pro's. Get professional advice on good, solid starter routines and stick to it.
Career ending injury is always lurking in the weeds with a sport like bodybuilding. When you tackle anything new or unfamiliar look for the guys with the grey beards and ask. A heads-up about pitfalls and dangers you would never even have thought off is usually just a single question away.
Another one of the bodybuilding techniques that is hotly discussed is frequency. Start your training off with group a day routines. For example, only train one muscle group a day once a week. This will be more than sufficient in the beginning and will prevent injury and burnout. Try and keep the sequence of exercises running from largest to smallest muscle groups, for example start with your legs and work down to your arms. And inject variety into the routine. Swap exercise days around, change rep numbers and rest intervals as well. The more you keep your body guessing the more likely it is to get defensive and build muscle.
Start with heavy weights and lift to failure (usually three or four reps). Drop a plate or two and repeat. Then go light and repeat. This is an excellent bodybuilding technique for boosting lean muscle mass. And try to keep the movements slow and controlled with correct pause timing if applicable. 5 slow, controlled reps will do more good than 10 fast and jerky ones.
Plateau control is another of the essential bodybuilding techniques. A plateau is a period where you don't seem to be making any progress. This usually happens when your body has become so used to your tricks that it's got the upper hand. It's not wise at this stage (or any other for that matter) to start considering extremes such as steroids. Plain old skulduggery will usually suffice. Take a week off and then return to drop a couple of reps in the routines and boost the weights you're using. This will usually get the body back into defence mode and building muscle again. It's a smart machine, but not that smart.
These are just a few of many basic beginners bodybuilding techniques that form a solid basis for the more exercise specific and complex ones that will no doubt become part of your standard debate material one day.
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