A Good Bodybuilding Training Program: It’s All a Question of Balancing Your Methods

Article by Karan Naidoo

Bodybuilding training provides two ways to build your body strength, muscle definition and an attractive, fit look. One training technique increases your muscle mass, while another method strengthens the muscles you have, as well as increasing muscle definition.

A third way available in your bodybuilding regimen combines the efforts of the first two, increased mass and definition. By far, most body builders prefer mass and definition, although mass is generally not what the female bodybuilder wants. Bodybuilder competitions always assess both muscle mass and muscle definition, and most people find mass, with definition most aesthetic.

If you’ve new to the bodybuilding training programs, you’re in the perfect position to start a balanced weight training course of mass building, followed by definition building, followed by mass building, and so on. Intentionally shifting between the two training regimens is the trick to that sought after balanced look that wins, both in competitions and your general physical appearance in public settings.

When you begin training, keep a careful record of your body measurements, as tracking this is important in optimizing your results.

When you first start adding mass, you want to keep piling it on until you’ve got the body of the Hulk. Ironically, you gain muscle mass by breaking down muscles! This means incrementally lifting heavier weights after your muscles have healed from the tearing that the last bodybuilding session caused.

You have to give a day of rest between each mass building session, to give the muscles time to heal. If you’re lifting every day but the muscles aren’t getting any bigger, this is why. Tear down that muscle as well as you can one day, rest the next day, and go to your bodybuilding training session the day after your rest. Three times a week of heavy lifting will increase your muscle mass steadily.

Now, when you’ve added a sixth of an inch, or, you’ve been bodybuilding training for muscle mass for three months, stop increasing the amount of weight you’re lifting, but do start to increase your repetitions. Continue with this regimen for a third of the amount of time that you spent building muscle mass. For example, if you spent six weeks in mass building, spend the next two on definition.

Bodybuilding training is taken up for many reasons, including increasing the attractiveness of your body, as well as for health purposes. Most people can use a little more muscle mass, so whatever your reason for bodybuilding training, when you start, start by putting on a little mass and increasing your strength and stamina. It’ll give you the energy you need to get through the day painlessly, and the ease with which you can do muscular activity will make your efforts enjoyable. Women, of course, may want to watch carefully how much mass they’re putting on. Set your goal and don’t exceed it.

Men, for whatever reason they take up body building, tend not to know when enough mass has been added and the time for definition has arrived. It’s somewhat like an addiction. You simply need to discipline yourself and force yourself to give some time to the important task of definition. Too much mass, and your muscles just look fat! Remember, definition of that mass is what your bodybuilding training is all about.

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