Body building is a sport that involves building muscles.
If you want to build mass, tighten up your mid section or slim down which are possible with strength training.
The main thing about body building is that you can do it with very basic equipment while training only few hours each week.
You can add more weights slowly over time if you want to get bigger and stronger muscles.
Warm up is important before beginning your body building program as warm up improves your performance and reduces the chances of injury.
Muscles respond better to exercise if they are properly planned for the coming workload. Warm up increases your blood flow to the muscles and lubricates the joints because the fluid surrounding them becomes less viscous so the joint can move more smoothly and efficiently.
At rest, muscles receive only about 15% of your total blood supply, but during exercise the requirement for fuel and oxygen sharply increases and they may need up to 80% of the total blood flow to meet the demand. Obviously, it takes time to re-route the blood, and this cannot be achieved efficiently if you omit the warm up and start exercising vigorously.
Warm up also prepares you mentally for the work ahead. It increases your arousal level and motivation. If you are performing one or two warm up sets with light weights, it acts as a mental rehearsal and you can perform with heavier weights more effectively.
Warm up also improves the elasticity of the muscles, enabling them to work harder, more efficiently and for longer before they fatigue, as well as allowing nerve impulses to be transmitted faster.
You can warm up by mobilizing major joints which include movements such as arm circles, knee bends and shoulder circles which take the joints through their full range of movement. You can warm up by an aerobic activity that raises your body temperature and leaves you sweating. This should be performed for 5-10 minutes such as cycling, treadmill walking, rowing and jogging.
Before starting any body building exercise program, it is important to first check with your physician. Start slowly and learn proper techniques in the beginning.
You can build muscle mass by consistent regular training, proper nutrition, getting plenty of sleep, and lots of weights at low repetitions.
You schedule your sessions with a professional trainer in the beginning so that you can start on the right track.
Muscles grow when muscle fibers are damaged and repair themselves following a workout. You have to give enough rest after each workout for each muscle group. Most body builders alternate muscle groups and never workout the same body part more than twice a week.
You may have doubt whether to use weight machines or free weights. Free weights are best for increasing muscle mass. Machines are usually only used for isolating muscles.
If you are looking to build a base for yourself before getting into heavy lifting, pushups, sit ups and pull-ups can greatly increase your level of fitness. Do three sets of these exercises every alternate day giving your body the opportunity to rest and rebuild. You can note a remarkable difference in your arms, abs and chest. Once you feel that you have reached the limit, you can invest in a weight lifting bench and some free weights.
If you prefer home gym, then often you neglect nutrition. Body builders should focus on the diet that is high in protein and you can supplement your protein consumption via workout shakes that are available for sale at any health store.
Overworking your muscles can actually cause damaging effects. You can see the results quickly in the beginning but over time your body gets used to the workout routine and your mass gains will seem less apparent.
