Bodybuilding for Beginners

Article by Frank Gerome

After a good workout at the gym, I often enjoy sitting outside in evenings, with family and friends, in the backyard around ouroutdoor gas fireplace.  After a good meal there’s nothing more relaxing to me than being under the stars, staring at the glow from the fire and having some good conversations.

Often times conversations with some of my close friends turn to working out.  I’m an avid gym goer, and I often get questions about working out and bodybuilding from friends that are interested in bodybuilding but are unsure where to start.

One of my friends said he had been researching online, the many different bodybuilding programs for sale, but had no clue which one would be right for him.  I’ll tell you what I told him, “There is no secret to working out and bodybuilding”.  You won’t find it in an e-book that’s promises 10 lbs of muscle in a week.  Hard experience has taught me that the only true way to gain muscle can be summed up in these 3 things:

1. Your diet will comprise 80-90% of your muscle building success.  Most people think they eat too much; many probably do… but when it comes to gaining muscle, you must eat in excess of what it takes to just maintain yourself.  Your body just won’t grow without enough quality food, especially protein.

2. Sleep.  If you want to grow, you need to rest.  You might be tearing it up in the gym, but that’s not wear you grow.  Your muscles repair themselves while you rest.  Not enough rest also means low testosterone levels.  So if you are tired, that’s your body telling you that you need more rest.  Obvious?  Not to some.  Some think they can squeeze by on 5-6 hours of sleep at night and get through their day at work.  Maybe, but this does not apply when you’re trying to build muscle.  You need sleep and lots of it.

3. Avoid over training.  The fastest way to set yourself back is by over doing it.  For me, 3 times a week is plenty.  Some of you may have better recovery systems and your muscles repair faster.  Maybe you can handle more workouts, but the only way you will find out is just trying it out.  Everyone is different, it is your job to find out about your body… that’s part of the journey of bodybuilding.

Now, with that said.  Skip the e-books.  Visit well known bodybuilding forums and do the research.  Try intensemuscle.com; this is probably one of the best sites to learn about the basics.  Visit the journal section and see what others are doing that works for them.. Try a program out and see how you like it.  You’ll be far better off than paying $ 99 for an e-book that promises miracles.  There are no short-cuts.  Work hard, eat, rest and repeat.  In time your results will show.

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