Body Building Tips For the Novice

Body building is a sport that focuses on building and showing the physique off at competitions. It is grueling on the body and requires dedication to building the body and feeding the body the fuel that it needs.

Tips

With any weight training program it is important to consider the following:

- What is the goal of the plan (weight loss, creating lean muscle mass, bulking up)
- What does the overall health picture look like (is there underlying conditions to be concerned with like asthma or joint health issues)
- Is there any resistance training/weight training experience

Starting out slowly if there is little to no experience with weight training/resistance training is the best way to go about beginning a program. It will allow the body to get used to the training and will avoid some common injuries.

Consideration to joint health issues is also important, although weight training is low impact compared to running there is still a chance to complicate existing issues.

If the goal of weight training is to lose weight than body building is really not in the cards, you will lose weight but will gain mass.

Starting out with simple free weights is a good place to start to build stamina, using the various resistant equipment that is available in the gym, using the lowest weight setting is also a great way to start and to build stamina. Increasing the weight over time will give the body time to adjust to the new challenges and will also reduce injuries.

Diet

Using the right food sources when embarking on a body building endeavor can make or break a body builder. Body building requires a diet high in protein and high in carbohydrates. Protein should come from lean meats, fish, beans and other healthy protein rich foods. Protein feeds the muscles and helps to build the body. Carbohydrates fuel the body and supply it with the energy it needs to get through grueling weight training sessions. Carbohydrates should come from healthy sources, vegetables, fruits, starches simple carbohydrates should be avoided, like sugary drinks, candy and food of that nature. Simple carbohydrates run through the body at fast rates and do not provide the long term energy that is needed for body building.

Supplements

It is hard to get all the protein and carbohydrates through a diet, supplements can make meeting those requirements a little easier. Protein supplements can be found in any health food store or vitamin shop, they come in various forms and are geared toward different results. There are protein drinks, protein bars and protein pills. Read the label to make sure what you are getting. Carbohydrates also can be supplemented in the diet with special drinks and bars that are made for the specific purpose of adding more carbohydrates to the diet. Initially using these supplements is a good jumping off point. There are other supplements that can be used, anabolic steroids, weight gainers and other supplements meant to build the user up but these options are something that should be considered down the road.