Introduction to Bodybuilding

The world of huge muscle and brawn awaits...

Bodybuilding is an amazing sport and hobby that has and will continue to change the lives of many many people the world over for the better. No other activity gives you such control over your own body so that you can mould it to how you desire. This is our introduction to Bodybuilding, enjoy!

Strictly speaking, Bodybuilding is the term given to the process of working out with weights with the express purpose of making your muscles grow. Unfortunately that definition misses off all the other parts of the scene that makes Bodybuilding such a fascinating, positive and rewarding experience. Bodybuilding isn't just about getting huge, it's about gaining amazing self discipline, determination and boosting your confidence and self belief. It's about the daily challenge of weight training, or pumping iron as it's called, that can be so rewarding. It's about the cameraderie that you have with your fellow bodybuilders and weight trainers. For others it's the thrill of competition, being up against other bodybuilders on a stage in front of hundreds of people and being acknowledged as the biggest and best up there. And yet for others because of bodybuilding's postive health rewards it's the difference between a healthy life or early death. What will bodybuilding mean to you?

The basics

Bodybuilding, when you boil it right down, is pretty straightforward:

• Weight lift (either at home or in the gym)
• Eat correctly (nutrition and supplementation ) and drink plenty of water
• Rest
• Grow
• Repeat

Looks easy, right (follow the links to learn about individual areas)? Unfortunately our bodies are fickle things and it will take great discipline, time and effort for you to get the results that you want from your weight training. The challenge to get bigger increases as you get bigger (the very biggest bodybuilders struggle to put even a few pounds on a year, they are that big already) and if you want to gain quickly then it is even more difficult. If you are struggling in any particular area (say you aren't drinking enough water) then your chances of growing are very much reduced and hence why it is a lot easier to talk about than to actually do!

This website is focused on giving you, the new bodybuilder, as much information as possible so that you can grow as quickly as possible to whatever size you want to be. The real challenge for you, however, is to take that knowledge and apply it to your training and diet consistently for months and years at a time - one thing you will need plenty of is patience - all of the top pros took many years to get as big as they are now. Don't let this put you off - with dedication and perseverance you will get just as big as you want. It's going to be one heck of a ride!

The Big Picture

(or the cheat sheet to some :) )

Knowledge, as they say, is power and this is never more true than it is with Bodybuilding. The better you understand the workings of your body and how the weight training you do and the food and supplements you take affect you the better the bodybuilder you will become. You will eat certain foods and train in certains ways not because someone has told you to but because you understand how they will affect you. This is critical to you getting truly massive.

Having said that, it is also too easy to get too bogged down with all the tiny intricate details of weight training, diet and supplementation. You could, for instance, be concerning yourself with the benefits, or lack of, of a particularly esoteric supplement such as boron yet at the same time forgetting to drink plenty of water - not drinking enough water is way more negative to your bodybuilding than taking one particular supplement would ever benefit you.

Because of this risk to get bogged down in the detail you must try at all times to keep the big picture clear in your mind. The big picture, I hear you ask? The big picture is the 'canon' by which you need to go by each day of your bodybuilding life. It helps you to focus on what it is that you should do every day whilst learning and learning and trying out new foods, new supplements and new ways of training. Keeping the big picture in mind at all times will help prevent you from straying from your true goals, whatever they may be. Without further ado, the big picture:

• Weight train. Train hard but sensibly, train safely and try not to over-train.
• Drink plenty of water - at least two litres a day and preferably a lot more, especially during and after exercise.
• Consume plenty of protein. Some people recommend about 1 gram per pound of bodyweight but try to get in at least 100 grams a day, 150 grams a day if you're pretty big already. A good quality protein powder will help you here.
• If you're trying to gain muscle, eat more calories than you use so that your body has energy to play with.
• Rest. Try to get as much sleep as you need so that you don't need an alarm clock to wake you up. If you're trying to gain muscle, don't do too much or too many other sports
• Supplement. Take a Mega Vitamin - Mineral supplement as an absolute minimum, and also 1 gram Vitamin C every day. Research and take other supplements.
• Drugs - don't do them. Period. Drugs like anabolic steriods etc. will not benefit you in the long run and increase your chances of getting a serious injury or debilitating illness in later life.
• Have other hobbies and socialise. You'll grow best when you are in a happy and positive state - having other hobbies and seeing your friends will help your bodybuilding in the long term and it's never a good idea to become totally obsessed with just one thing.
• Read. Read up on everything you can about weight training, nutrition and supplementation. Try to learn something new each day.

There you have it! The big picture for your bodybuilding career! If you can follow the big picture consistently and become an expert on weight training, diet and supplementation you will have a very very good chance of realising your bodybuilding dreams.

Want to learn more about weight training, read our guide on weight training basics.