Useful Bodybuilding Tips
The cortisol/carbohydrate connection and the fact, that extended recovery periods are necessary due to the effect of exercise on the nervous system, are often overlooked. This phenomenon is common to ALL bodybuilders. This is why there is NO SET RULE about how many days on or how many days off you should train. Each body responds differently to any given set of stimuli. There are many different workout schemes available but, in truth it is LISTENING to your own body and how it responds that will determine your workout frequency. Many people cannot bear to be away from the gym social atmosphere and end up over-training as a result and making LITTLE OR NO progress.
It is also important to consider the effect workouts have on the nervous system. The brain sends signals through the spinal cord and then to the muscles. The stronger the signal, the maximum the force exerted. But even if muscle tissue recovers from an intense workout in a few days, (if the Central and Peripheral nervous systems are not traumatised , this can in fact happen amazingly quickly - minimum of six hours between any exercise!), BUT it often takes a longer time before the nervous system catches up and is able to send a 100% strong signal again. Even when doing a steroid cycle, some bodybuilders still require 72 hours recovery time between workout of any individual body part. Leg workouts appear to fry the nervous system to a greater degree than the exercise of any other bodypart. Some guys can't work any body-part for a few days after a leg workout or they become physically ill. Many bodybuilders throw up after a leg workout. That physical condition is what true bodybuilding dedication is all about but it is up to the individual to set his own goals and limits.
THE TRUE MAGIC OF BODYBUILDING is ITS FUTURE DIVIDENDS: through proper diet, nutrition and high intensity workouts, it can keep you looking and feeling healthy well into middle-age. Before training ALWAYS make sure to consume plenty of carbohydrates since high-carbohydrate pre-exercise meals improve exercise capacity. If you train daily, you should be sure that carbohydrate intake is increased to 10g per kg body weight each day for maximum results. Even increasing the carbohydrate intake to 10g/kg per day may not be enough to prevent a significant reduction in muscle glycogen concentrations after 5 successive days of hard training.
EXPERIMENT WHILE exercising consume at least 32 ounces of a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink. Recovery is improved when about 50g of carbohydrate are consumed immediately after prolonged exercise and at 1 hour intervals thereafter. Research shows that the rate of post-exercise glycogen resynthesis in muscle is much greater during the first few hours of recovery than it is several hours later. Chose carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, since they can lead to a more rapid glycogen resynthesis during the first 24 hours of recovery than do low GI carbohydrates. Rehydration is quickly achieved during recovery when athletes ingest fluids equivalent to at least 150% of the body weight lost during exercise.
Experience suggests that while it's easy to gain weight, it's not that easy to gain muscle. For men, if you're gaining weight and gaining inches on your waist at the same time, you're just getting fatter. FOR MOST BODYBUILDERS: A realistic goal is to gain 8-10 pounds of solid muscle in a year as opposed to 15-20 pounds consisting of three-fourths fat (certain bodybuilders can gain much more than this and gains of 40 plus pounds PLUS of solid, rock-hard, lean muscle have been recorded usually under controlled supervision) But remember! Several years of 8-10 pounds per year can still look astonishing. If you take steroids, you can quit steroids for quite some time (and preferably for GOOD! Well show you how to do it naturally AND be an awesome muscle animal) and still maintain the weight and the look. size without cuts and definition is unimpressive AND is NOT muscle-smart!.
Although most people lack the genetics to achieve the look of the competition status bodybuilder, even without steroid use, a top-notch body can still be built. And most bodybuilders over-train. Every day in the gym is for a lot of trainers, too much exercise. The precise length of time a muscle should rest between workouts is unproven. The equation is based on how you exercise.
Concentrating on negative movements (the slow lowering of the weight), muscle fibers are damaged to a greater extent than those concentrating on positive (lifting) movements. E.g.; Performing a heavy killer leg workout on one day and the next day a heavy killer Chest workout (Supersets) you shouldnt see the gym again for a week! 5 days rest is necessary for many bodybuilders and, particularly, the poor nervous system to recover. You should then go home, collapse and not move (if you can move, you havent worked hard enough or are deluding yourself). The next workout , concentrate on positive reps.
MUSCLE will not come easily or quickly. The need to exercise patience and persistence to obtain it is absolutely imperative. A high testosterone level doesn't guarantee fast muscle growth if there exists a limited number of testosterone receptors. (every individual is different) It is thought however that excessive androgen levels may induce the loss of muscle testosterone receptors.
(HIT training is the best way to force more of these into recruitment, and particularly for an INCREDIBLY SOUND FOUNDATION the VERY BEST GROWTH ROUTINE OF ALL: 20 balls-to-the-wall HEAVY BREATHING SQUATS followed BY 20 LIGHT BREATHING PULLOVERS followed by 20 HEAVY BREATHING DEADLIFTS (AND if youre STILL BREATHING -only just! - after this) youre ON YOUR WAY TO A TRULY FAST-TRACK WAY TO AN IMPRESSIVE PHYSIQUE! With many individuals with too great a level of synthetic androgen level, the muscle fights the excess and immunizes itself against androgens. That is why steroids become less potent as time goes by and the best growth occurs during the first cycle.
What is desirable, instead of increasing the testosterone level with excessive steroid use (that increases the possibly of side effects), is to use the training to increase the sensitivity of the trained muscle to testosterone by increasing the number of testosterone receptors in the muscle, This is accomplished by performing positive HIT reps as above.
Positive reps have the most beneficial effect on the number of testosterone receptors in the trained muscle as does the manner of exercise. To achieve the best results with "positive reps" :
1. Train heavy with low reps and keep the intensity HIGH. Try to move quickly through your exercise routine without stopping for conversation with friends. You should be able to finish your entire exercise routine with a partner (get a sadist-torturer with a ruthless streak preferably!) in slightly over an hour's time. What is known for certain is that circulating testosterone decreases in quantity when high-intensity resistance training exceeds a total time period of roughly 90 minutes.
2. Perform no more than 5 different exercise per bodypart.
3. WORK VERY HARD BUT Don't over train as regards volume. Allow (normally) 72 hours between training of same bodypart to play safe and the, reduce as necessary.
4. Rest. Get 7 or 8 hours of sleep nightly. When you're not rested, your testosterone and Growth Hormone level decreases. And the more you need rest, the greater the testosterone reduction.
PERIODISATION TO CREATE MUSCLE CONFUSION
Variation in the amount of exercise stress is necessary to make gains in strength and power. You can vary your exercise routine in the following way.
1. First, start with high-volume low intensity exercises for a 3 week period.
2. Then reduce the volume and increase the intensity for a 3 week period. This helps maximize strength increases and avoid over-training.
3. Follow this with extreme high intensity low rep sets for a 2 week period. THEN follow this high intensity workout with a 5-6 day REST PERIOD before re-starting high volume/ low intensity exercises.
This prevents the body from becoming adapted to the same training stimulus resulting in physiological adaptations. You may lose some bodyweight BUT THIS IS VERY SOON REGAINED AND THEN SURPASSED. THIS IS INTELLIGENT BODYBUILDING. YOUR BODY IS GIVEN TIME TO RECUPERATE FULLY - PARTICULARLY YOUR central nervous system and peripheral nervous system which takes most of the beating and is consequently always in danger of being traumatised.
ON/OFF TRAINING DAYS: There is NO hard & fast rule .Experiment to see what works for YOU. Split routines normally allow greater intensity of QUALITY rather than sheer QUANTITY. Normally 2/3/4 days on 1 day off are excellent (but 4, 5 or even days on are not unusual.) Alternate- split -days over an EIGHT- DAY week work very well for some (especially beginners - and, even sometimes discounting the week-end in the formula).
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Disclaimer: The information presented is intended to be used for educational purposes only. The statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (U.S.). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease. Please consult with your own physician or health care practitioner regarding any suggestions and recommendations made.