Introduction to Bodybuilding
Regardless of the fact that bodybuilding has enjoyed a sustained reputation in sports for hundreds of years, it is important to understand that it is only a recent phenomenon that it is actually more than just an attempt to make the body more beautiful and appealing. As Simonson aptly notes, it has reached a point of evolution in our age that is the result of a natural evolution from its beginning, to "construct and mold and carve" the body for health and well-being. The ancient Greeks referred to this as the search for "arete", which translates as 'excellence' and in a sense using the body as the primary medium. Wherein the Greeks were perhaps novel in their time was in attempting to separate reason and the experience of the body can be achieved and its relationship to more traditional academic objectives and cultural endeavors. The person most responsible for the modern form of bodybuilding was the English physical culturist Thomas In. He's almost singularly responsible for the use of weight training to increase the size and muscularity of the body for its own sake and should rightly be called the grand forefather of bodybuilding as it is practiced today. His concept was the logical extension of the nineteenth-century principle that man could use his knowledge and control of nature to improve on everything. Inche's techniques and equipment were inferior to those of the American Bernarr Macfadden who is most commonly cited as the father of physical culture. This was the time of the first gold and bronze bodybuilding and strongman contests and the participants in these contests went back and forth between what do we call it athletic as the term was then defined and pure display with little practical application. Macfadden's promotion of these contests led to a solid bodybuilding in the early twentieth century with its only real precursor being the performing of physical culture as exhibited by men such as Eugene Sandow.
Benefits of Bodybuilding
You may think you know the many benefits of this activity, but what you don't know might surprise you. Many people who want to improve their physique make the cardinal mistake of overtraining – they'll do sets in the gym to failure on a variety of exercises with very high frequency. Ultimately, this screws with their central nervous system and actually impedes their progress. They don't let themselves recover and grow bigger and stronger. As you age, these individuals often feel this is the best way to train but there is actually no need to train like a bodybuilder (more of which will be explained in the training section) unless you want to become one. That said, even your average person should still partake in some form of resistance training – it is essential for comprehensive health and wellbeing. But I digress, what you may not have known is that strength training can actually lengthen your life. In a study conducted on over 8000 men between the ages of 20-80, it was shown that men who could double their strength for one repetition on the bench press and leg press had a 20-30% lower chance of dying from all causes. These findings remained the same even after cardiovascular fitness was taken into account. This is an extraordinary statistic. It is not clear exactly why this is the case, but it may be in part due to strength training's ability to improve the quality of life for adults with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This type of training is also the most effective for preventing osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and lower back pain – all of which are vastly growing problems in the older generation. Finally, research done by the University of Alabama on postmenopausal women has shown that strength training improves mood and cognitive function. So it is certainly an activity that everyone should be doing more of.
Guys and girls: Strength training makes you stronger, healthier, and more attractive.
Training Techniques and Exercises
Rest-Pause training One set is performed normally; then after a brief rest, an additional mini-set of a partially fatigued muscle is done with the same weight. For example, you might do six to eight reps of a bench press; then, rest 15-20 seconds and do another two reps with the same weight. Rest-pause training allows subjects to work a muscle at the appropriate intensity level for a longer period of time. The intensity of lifting a 5RM weight in the second mini-set will feel like a 10RM, due to fatigue, although the second set will still only require 5RM force to complete. Both powerlifting-style and bodybuilding-style exercises are very effective when training with the rest-pause method. Adding chains or bands to the bar can be an effective way to accommodate resistance. According to a metal chain or a band would be ideal for triceps pushdowns; as the elbow joint becomes more extended during the movement, the chain length increases causing the exercise to become more difficult as the lifter approaches lockout. This accomplishes training triceps through the whole ROM and overcomes inherent difficulty (the easiest part) of pushdowns usually found near lockout. The increased resistance and better stimulation of the triceps also makes this a good method for why not to strength train during dieting restriction.
Nutrition and Diet for Bodybuilders
It has been suggested that these micronutrients have specific roles with regards to weight training and competitive bodybuilding. Such as, while iron is lost through sweat during exercise and therefore iron status is critical for athlete. A bodybuilder's diet should consist of 40% to 60% carbohydrates, 25% to 35% protein and 15% to 25% fat or a 20% higher protein intake than the normal or average person. The higher protein intake may be associated with the attempt to gain muscle mass and strength, lose fat, particularly with potential reduction in calories and/or carbohydrates and general concerns about the relevance of protein to these outcomes. Considering the nature of bodybuilders, the two main health and fitness goals are losing body fat and increasing muscle mass. The level of energy nutrients required by bodybuilders to accomplish these goals is influenced by the macronutrient of carbohydrate, fat and protein. A successful workout program and bodybuilding career depends not only on exercises but also on the food you eat. Nutrition creates a significant way in contributes to muscle mass and strength, which varies within different combination of foods. The incidence of preserving health enhances life desired activities and self-image as well as optimal body composition at improve exercise and sports performance.
Competitions and Bodybuilding Organizations
The first modern bodybuilding competition, the "Great Competition," was held by Eugen Sandow in 1901. It was the first time bodybuilders competed against each other. The most prestigious bodybuilding competitions occur during the Mr. and Ms. Olympia weekends. An international contest, the 1966 Mr. Olympia marked a turning point for the sport of bodybuilding. The event had a total of thirty competitors from around the world. The Mr. Olympia has been held in many different countries around the world; for many years, the contest was held at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, and currently, the contest is held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Notable winners of the Mr. Olympia include Sergio Oliva, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, and Ronnie Coleman. The overall winner of the Mr. Olympia receives a gold-plated bronze Sandow statuette. This award is held to be the equivalent of an Olympic gold medal in the sport of bodybuilding. Other notable bodybuilders have won the overall title at such prestigious events such as the now-defunct World Bodybuilding Guild. The title of Mr. Universe has been contested since 1948, and the title of Mr. World has been contested since 1972. The winners of major international competitions such as the Mr. Universe, Mr. World, and the more recent World Championships earn the right to compete in the Mr. Olympia. The overall winners of some professional bodybuilding titles are often awarded a car or motorcycle and sponsored by a company in the hopes of gaining product placement. Amateurs are often prohibited from entering unless their muscle size meets the requirements of the open class division, usually the overall winners.
Regardless of the fact that bodybuilding has enjoyed a sustained reputation in sports for hundreds of years, it is important to understand that it is only a recent phenomenon that it is actually more than just an attempt to make the body more beautiful and appealing. As Simonson aptly notes, it has reached a point of evolution in our age that is the result of a natural evolution from its beginning, to "construct and mold and carve" the body for health and well-being. The ancient Greeks referred to this as the search for "arete", which translates as 'excellence' and in a sense using the body as the primary medium. Wherein the Greeks were perhaps novel in their time was in attempting to separate reason and the experience of the body can be achieved and its relationship to more traditional academic objectives and cultural endeavors. The person most responsible for the modern form of bodybuilding was the English physical culturist Thomas In. He's almost singularly responsible for the use of weight training to increase the size and muscularity of the body for its own sake and should rightly be called the grand forefather of bodybuilding as it is practiced today. His concept was the logical extension of the nineteenth-century principle that man could use his knowledge and control of nature to improve on everything. Inche's techniques and equipment were inferior to those of the American Bernarr Macfadden who is most commonly cited as the father of physical culture. This was the time of the first gold and bronze bodybuilding and strongman contests and the participants in these contests went back and forth between what do we call it athletic as the term was then defined and pure display with little practical application. Macfadden's promotion of these contests led to a solid bodybuilding in the early twentieth century with its only real precursor being the performing of physical culture as exhibited by men such as Eugene Sandow.
Benefits of Bodybuilding
You may think you know the many benefits of this activity, but what you don't know might surprise you. Many people who want to improve their physique make the cardinal mistake of overtraining – they'll do sets in the gym to failure on a variety of exercises with very high frequency. Ultimately, this screws with their central nervous system and actually impedes their progress. They don't let themselves recover and grow bigger and stronger. As you age, these individuals often feel this is the best way to train but there is actually no need to train like a bodybuilder (more of which will be explained in the training section) unless you want to become one. That said, even your average person should still partake in some form of resistance training – it is essential for comprehensive health and wellbeing. But I digress, what you may not have known is that strength training can actually lengthen your life. In a study conducted on over 8000 men between the ages of 20-80, it was shown that men who could double their strength for one repetition on the bench press and leg press had a 20-30% lower chance of dying from all causes. These findings remained the same even after cardiovascular fitness was taken into account. This is an extraordinary statistic. It is not clear exactly why this is the case, but it may be in part due to strength training's ability to improve the quality of life for adults with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This type of training is also the most effective for preventing osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and lower back pain – all of which are vastly growing problems in the older generation. Finally, research done by the University of Alabama on postmenopausal women has shown that strength training improves mood and cognitive function. So it is certainly an activity that everyone should be doing more of.
Training Techniques and Exercises
Rest-Pause training One set is performed normally; then after a brief rest, an additional mini-set of a partially fatigued muscle is done with the same weight. For example, you might do six to eight reps of a bench press; then, rest 15-20 seconds and do another two reps with the same weight. Rest-pause training allows subjects to work a muscle at the appropriate intensity level for a longer period of time. The intensity of lifting a 5RM weight in the second mini-set will feel like a 10RM, due to fatigue, although the second set will still only require 5RM force to complete. Both powerlifting-style and bodybuilding-style exercises are very effective when training with the rest-pause method. Adding chains or bands to the bar can be an effective way to accommodate resistance. According to a metal chain or a band would be ideal for triceps pushdowns; as the elbow joint becomes more extended during the movement, the chain length increases causing the exercise to become more difficult as the lifter approaches lockout. This accomplishes training triceps through the whole ROM and overcomes inherent difficulty (the easiest part) of pushdowns usually found near lockout. The increased resistance and better stimulation of the triceps also makes this a good method for why not to strength train during dieting restriction.
Nutrition and Diet for Bodybuilders
It has been suggested that these micronutrients have specific roles with regards to weight training and competitive bodybuilding. Such as, while iron is lost through sweat during exercise and therefore iron status is critical for athlete. A bodybuilder's diet should consist of 40% to 60% carbohydrates, 25% to 35% protein and 15% to 25% fat or a 20% higher protein intake than the normal or average person. The higher protein intake may be associated with the attempt to gain muscle mass and strength, lose fat, particularly with potential reduction in calories and/or carbohydrates and general concerns about the relevance of protein to these outcomes. Considering the nature of bodybuilders, the two main health and fitness goals are losing body fat and increasing muscle mass. The level of energy nutrients required by bodybuilders to accomplish these goals is influenced by the macronutrient of carbohydrate, fat and protein. A successful workout program and bodybuilding career depends not only on exercises but also on the food you eat. Nutrition creates a significant way in contributes to muscle mass and strength, which varies within different combination of foods. The incidence of preserving health enhances life desired activities and self-image as well as optimal body composition at improve exercise and sports performance.
Competitions and Bodybuilding Organizations
The first modern bodybuilding competition, the "Great Competition," was held by Eugen Sandow in 1901. It was the first time bodybuilders competed against each other. The most prestigious bodybuilding competitions occur during the Mr. and Ms. Olympia weekends. An international contest, the 1966 Mr. Olympia marked a turning point for the sport of bodybuilding. The event had a total of thirty competitors from around the world. The Mr. Olympia has been held in many different countries around the world; for many years, the contest was held at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, and currently, the contest is held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Notable winners of the Mr. Olympia include Sergio Oliva, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, and Ronnie Coleman. The overall winner of the Mr. Olympia receives a gold-plated bronze Sandow statuette. This award is held to be the equivalent of an Olympic gold medal in the sport of bodybuilding. Other notable bodybuilders have won the overall title at such prestigious events such as the now-defunct World Bodybuilding Guild. The title of Mr. Universe has been contested since 1948, and the title of Mr. World has been contested since 1972. The winners of major international competitions such as the Mr. Universe, Mr. World, and the more recent World Championships earn the right to compete in the Mr. Olympia. The overall winners of some professional bodybuilding titles are often awarded a car or motorcycle and sponsored by a company in the hopes of gaining product placement. Amateurs are often prohibited from entering unless their muscle size meets the requirements of the open class division, usually the overall winners.