January 29, 2020 4 min read

You can take your workouts to the next level in plenty of ways. One of them is sculpting your body so that you can compete against others. For some, working out can get stale if you aren’t chasing a goal, and bodybuilding gives you a chance for you to look your best and aspire to your objectives. If you want to know more, we discuss some training tips for aspiring bodybuilders.

Give Yourself Enough Time

If you’re training for a bodybuilding competition, this means you have a deadline. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to obtain the ideal physique you desire. However, don’t give yourself too much time because that body might not be sustainable for that long. Bodybuilding requires a lot of planning if you want to compete.

Create a Routine

The first thing you will want to do is create a workout routine for the entire week. By doing this, you can ensure that you target the correct muscle groups. If you need some help defining your routine, there are plenty of sources online that you can use to help accomplish your goals. As you work toward your goal, also expect your routine to evolve as you go.

Use Free Weights

As far as actually working out goes, you’ll want to spend more of your time in the gym with free weights. This essentially means the majority of your exercises should involve premium fitness equipment, such as a barbell or dumbbells. Free weights allow for a broad range of motion and will help with muscle gain because you won’t isolate muscle work like you would on a machine.

Improve Your Form

An important part of your workouts besides how much weight you lift is your form. People make many common mistakes when lifting, especially with free weights. During your bodybuilding journey, make sure you give plenty of thought to your movements. Not having a good form will keep you from obtaining the gains you desire.

Add Variety to Your Routine

Bodybuilding means a commitment to the gym. Since you’ll spend a lot of hours training, make sure to add variety to your routine so that it doesn’t get old. Don’t feel afraid to challenge yourself by doing new workouts that you might not feel comfortable with at first. Adding a new challenge can keep things more interesting and will only help you.

Take Progress Pictures

It can be difficult to see your progress at times, which can make it hard to stay committed. A great way to go about this is to take progress pictures every month or so. This will allow you to visually see the progress you made and can give you a sense of accomplishment as well. When you take progress pictures, make sure the lighting in the room is good so that you can really see the progress you’ve made.

Increase Your Weight

While your form should still be a primary focus, you will also need to increase your weight as you progress. Every now and then, go for a personal record and really push yourself to see how much you can handle. However, we recommend that you have a spotter if you plan on doing this, so you can avoid injury.

Consume Lots of Protein

One of the most important aspects of bodybuilding is dieting. You need to give your body the right number of good calories, so you can get the body you want. This means cutting out any junk food and getting plenty of nutrients. Protein is going to need to be a major part of your diet for muscle growth. Another great thing about protein is that it can help you resist unhealthy cravings because it can make you full for long periods of time. Include lean meats, such as chicken, protein shakes, and bars, into your diet so that you consume enough protein.

Meal Prep for the Week

Dieting is just as difficult as working out. The best way to stick to it is to meal prep for the entire week. Take one day to cook all the protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables you will eat for the week. This way you don’t have to worry about cooking a meal on days when you don’t feel like it. Also, keep track of what you eat with a food log, so you can keep everything as consistent as possible.

Take Advantage of Seasonings

Eventually, the food you eat can get boring pretty fast. One way to make it easier is to add different seasonings, so you can add more flavor and variety to the food. Some simple seasonings that you can add to your food include salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, ginger, cumin, paprika, and others. Hot sauce is another healthy seasoning that can make your food taste delicious.

Ditch the Alcohol

A major setback for a lot of people who diet is that they still drink alcohol. Alcohol is essentially poison, and it contains an excess number of calories that has no nutritional value. Drinking alcohol while dieting makes your bodybuilding goals extremely difficult to achieve, so cut it out completely and drink lots of water instead.

Recover

Bodybuilding doesn’t mean that you have to work out seven days a week. In fact, your body needs rest so that it can properly build muscle. Pick one day out of the week and make it your rest day because your body will thank you for it. Also, don’t be afraid to take a rest if you start to feel sick or didn’t get enough sleep.

Find Motivation

There will definitely be days when you don’t feel like going and don’t have a valid excuse. On these days, turn on that song that pumps you up, watch a workout video, eat a protein bar and a piece of fruit for energy, or drink a pre-workout shake. Find whatever motivates you to get the job done.

Enjoy the Journey

The last training tip for aspiring bodybuilders is to enjoy the ride. All the hard work in the gym and the kitchen will pay off. Even during the journey, you will be amazed at how your body will change. You’ll see far more positives to the lifestyle change as you chase down your bodybuilding goals.

14 Training Tips for Aspiring Bodybuilders infographic


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