Bodybuilding - Exercises, Training Programs

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Body-building

Bodybuilding ("bodybuilding") is the process of building up muscles due to hypertrophy of subcutaneous fat with the help of strength training: physical exercises with weights, high-calorie nutrition with a sufficient protein content, as well as various anabolic agents.

An integral part of this sport is the formation of body relief: for this, aerobics training, weight lifting exercises, etc. are included in the bodybuilding training program.

Evgeny Sandov is considered the ancestor of competitive bodybuilding: it was he who, in 1901, organized a beauty contest for athletic physique for men. Sandow was one of the strongest people in the world - he could lift a barbell with one hand, at both ends of which an adult was sitting, and his chest could support the weight of three horses.

Classic bodybuilding competitions include three rounds:

• Qualifying round in which the athlete demonstrates the required poses (front double biceps, front and back back muscles, chest, back double biceps, side biceps, side triceps and abs);
• Second round - free program;
• The final round of bodybuilding is mandatory and free posing.

Bodybuilding workout programs

Bodybuilding exercises, depending on the task set by the athlete, involve the sequential study of individual muscle groups. Distinguish:

• Strength exercise program. In the work on strength, the bodybuilder trains mainly the central nervous system. The central nervous system, as a rule, takes longer to recover than other systems and, therefore, takes longer to recover. The most important aspect of strength training in bodybuilding is the repetition rate: the more often the movement is worked out, the more muscle fibers are involved in the process and the stronger the athlete becomes;
• Mass exercise program. Mass training eliminates the need for a high repetition rate - it is enough to work out each muscle group 2-3 times a week;
• The program of exercises for relief (for "drying" muscles). In this sport, special attention is paid to the program of training for bodybuilding "on the relief": this is the most difficult task, the implementation of which depends on the correctly selected exercises, physiology and metabolism of the athlete.

Bodybuilding exercises to create muscle definition necessarily include two main aspects:

• Aerobic exercise (brisk walking, running);
• Nutrition and diet aimed at burning fat.

Bodybuilding nutrition

Professional athletes say that bodybuilding without following a diet is like “pumping up a leaky wheel without repairing a puncture in it”. Every bodybuilder is required to follow the following nutritional guidelines to “dry” muscles:

• Reduce your calorie intake gradually. Approximate proportions of the nutritional value of the diet: 50% carbohydrates, 40% protein, 10% fat. The trend towards a decrease in body fat by 1-3 kg per month is an indicator of the norm;
• Eating a balanced diet. It is necessary to cut back on the diet, first of all, at the expense of animal fats and fast carbohydrates. The carbohydrates included in the athlete's diet should be complex (cereals, vegetables, nuts, fruits, wholemeal flour products);
• Food in bodybuilding should be in small portions, 5-6 times a day. Fractional nutrition will maintain a high metabolic rate. It is not recommended to skip meals, especially breakfast;
• Consuming a sufficient amount of proteins that suppress catabolic processes in the body and protect muscles during training. Part of the proteins (about 40%) can be obtained from specialized sports nutrition;
• Control over fluid intake. The total amount of clean water drunk by an athlete must be at least 2.5 liters per day. Lack of fluid decreases metabolism, which in turn slows down the process of losing weight.

To obtain maximum results in bodybuilding, many athletes use fat burner drugs: Clenbuterol, Ephedrine, Thyroxin, which have a number of contraindications.

Anabolic steroids and testosterone boosters, the use of which are allowed in small doses and only with the permission of a doctor, help to maintain the accumulated muscle mass.

Female bodybuilding

The main difference between the female body and the male is in a different hormonal balance. The dominant hormone estrogen makes its own adjustments to the development of muscles in women, which manifests itself in a more elegant and sophisticated body shape. Yes, and female bodybuilding sets itself different goals than male: the size and strength of muscles for the fairer sex are less important than their shape.

Women thoughtlessly copying bodybuilding exercises designed for men can lead to undesirable consequences, such as inability to bear and give birth to a child. Intense physical activity can increase blood pressure, increase heart rate (due to less endurance of the cardiovascular system), excessive excitability of the central nervous system, especially during the menstrual period. Therefore, women's bodybuilding, in comparison with men's, has a number of fundamental differences:

• Before starting regular bodybuilding exercises - in order to avoid injuries to the joints - women should strengthen their ligaments with the help of special exercises from stretching or Pilates;
• A basic strength exercise in bodybuilding and powerlifting, the bench press, can injure your shoulder. Therefore, preparation for it in women should be carried out for a long time;
• Since the kneecap in women is prone to displacement more often than in men, women should do more exercises related to straightening their legs and almost completely abandon strength exercises with squats.

The educational and training process for bodybuilding, as a rule, is built taking into account the cyclical changes in the state of the body depending on the menstrual cycle, which has a direct impact on physical performance, endurance, speed and strength capabilities of a woman in sports.

Contraindications

There are a number of conditions in which strength-building bodybuilding is prohibited. These include scoliosis, osteochondrosis, hypertension, asthma, diseases of the thyroid gland and cardiovascular system. Bodybuilding during pregnancy is absolutely contraindicated.

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