The Big Picture in Body Building

When a person decides that he or she wants to get into body building as a sport, it’s important to look at the big picture before starting out.  You’ll need to look at your new quest as a lifestyle change and know what you’re in for before you even start.  The big picture in body building is where you will want to end up.

That means setting personal goals when it comes to your body building journey.  What do you want to look like when you are at your peak?  Do you have a specific person in mind that you want to emulate?  Keep that picture in your mind as you are working out as motivation.

You will also want to consider what type of goals you have for yourself as a result of your body building.  Are you wanting to lose weight, do you want to eventually compete, or do you just want to live healthier?  Keeping that picture in your mind as well will help you become more focused and more effective while body building.

The big picture of body building also includes living a fully healthy lifestyle.  That means eating right and getting the right amount of rest to make your workouts count every day.  You’ll need lots of different vitamins and minerals that can work inside your body and make your muscles work harder so they are well-defined and toned.

Are you wanting to ultimately compete in body building contests?  If so, the picture of body building you carry with you will be different than that of a person who is just striving to become fit.  You will want to concentrate on specific muscle groups and work them to their fullest potential.

Do your research before you start body building and look at pictures of people who at their muscle building peaks.  See what they look like and then keep that picture in your mind as you strive for your own personal fulfillment.

Body building is really more than a sport – it is a mind, body, and soul endeavor.  Keeping the big picture always at the forefront of your mind will make your body building more efficient, more effective, and will grow your body to new proportions.

The picture of body building is more than just an oily, greased up man or woman standing on a stage and flexing their muscles.  Today, body building has evolved to include the picture of health and wellness as well.  Those who remember that will become everything they ever dreamed of and will make that picture in their minds become a reality.

Natural Bodybuilding - Key Components For Success

Natural bodybuilding is all about achieving your body's maximum potential without using steroids or other growth enhancing drugs, and is the healthiest way to develop your ideal physique. It is a combination of intense weight training and a healthy, balanced diet. Natural bodybuilding is not simply building muscles but also incorporating a better quality of life as bodybuilding can be instrumental in keeping the bodybuilder healthy as well as developing other desirable qualities such as dedication and focus. Natural bodybuilding is growing in popularity largely due to the public's negative opinion on steroid use.

Nutrition

Nutrition accounts for 70% to 80% of success in building a good physique. The biggest problem in natural bodybuilding is, in my opinion, the alarming number of people that screw up perfectly good training with poor nutrition. Nutrition should provide the proper balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates so that your muscles can heal and build. A natural bodybuilding diet, like any diet that works to bolster nutrition, focuses on fresh, natural, whole foods and eliminates processed foods, as a general rule. You will also be eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Typically, these meals are spaced approximately 2-3 hours apart for a total of 5-7 meals per day. Depending on your nutritional goals, your overall diet should consist of approximately 40-50% complex carbohydrates, 30-40% protein, and 10-20% fat. Also, it is very important to drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially if you're consuming large quantities of protein.

Supplements

Some supplements are considered acceptable for natural bodybuilding, in particular protein shakes. However, many supplements such as testosterone boosters are considered unnatural as they directly affect the body's hormonal balance. In other words, natural athletes who choose to build their body naturally have to stick to a regimen of well structured bodybuilding diet along with some performance enhancing supplements like whey protein, creatine & l-glutamine. Taking a good multi-vitamin supplement is also highly recommended.

Training

The principle of natural bodybuilding is that you can get the body you desire solely by weight training and eating healthy foods. Since we have already discussed nutrition and supplementation, let's quickly discuss weight training. The reason I chose to discuss weight training last is because it is probably the least important component for your overall success in natural bodybuilding. In other words, you could have the best program for building muscle on the planet, but without the proper nutrition to support muscle growth your gains will be stopped dead in their tracks.

There are many training programs out there but what I recommend is to train every other day for 3 days per week. Each day you will focus on a different group of muscles. For example, on day 1 you would do legs/abs, day 2 chest/shoulders/triceps, and day 3 back/biceps/forearms. This schedule provides enough time away from the gym to allow each muscle group to recover and grow; therefore, avoiding the dreaded effects of overtraining.

The core of your weight training program should consist of compound lifts such as the bench press, squat, dead lift, chin-ups, dips, etc. For all the lifts in your program, you should do 2-3 sets of 5-7 reps. This will give you the greatest improvement in strength and muscle mass. For your main muscle groups such as your legs, chest, and back, you should do about 3-4 exercises for a total of 6-8 sets for each muscle group. For your abs, triceps, shoulders, and biceps, you should do an additional 2 exercises for a total of 3-4 sets for each muscle group. The reason we do less exercises for the latter is that they have already received some work during the compound movements we did. This training information should give you a good starting point to fill in this last component of your natural bodybuilding regimen.

Natural bodybuilding is a way to body build without the use of artificial drugs or substances. Therefore, in my eyes, it is a much better training system than anabolic induced bodybuilding. The key to developing your physique through natural bodybuilding is to remember that it does not happen overnight. You must never lose sight of your goals, and what you hope to accomplish no matter how slowly you feel you may be progressing. Good luck!

Mark Petersen is a healthcare professional who specializes in sports medicine and physical fitness. To get more information about building muscle and to sign-up for our free muscle building email course, please visit [http://www.MuscleGainTruth.net]. Also, to discover which muscle building program Mark and his online team ranks above all others, please visit http://www.MuscleProgramReview.com

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