Ok, so now your training wheels are off. You have been bodybuilding for 6-12 months, made some fantastic progress, and are ready to take your bodybuilding workouts to the next level. It is in this stage of bodybuilding where some of the most impressive gains are made, OR, the bodybuilder simply loses hope of ever achieving the body they desire. The key to getting into and through the intermediate phase is sticking to the basic principles while adding new movements and concepts on a consistent, but safe basis.

While you are no longer relegating yourself to mainly compound movements, you don’t want to give up making big lifts life squats, deadlifts, and bench presses the core of your workout. These exercises will ALWAYS remain core exercises and should never be discarded completely. Even so, as an intermediate bodybuilder, you are ready to make some changes and begin honing and defining your physique.

First of all, you will want to begin to focus on isolation movements in your routine. These exercises will focus on just one muscle at a time and will be the keys to your muscles developing density and definition that will turn heads. Make a list of all the isolation movements for each of your muscle groups. Now, you will want to organize a workout that features 2-3 exercises per body part and workout 2-3 body parts per workout. For example, you might choose to work out your back and chest one day and pick the exercises pull-ups, machine rows, and dumbbell rows (for your back) and bench presses, dumbbell presses, and dumbbell pullovers (for your chest).

Another principle that can be effective for intermediate bodybuilders is supersetting. This means that you will work opposing body parts one right after the other non-stop. Here’s how that would work:

• Do a set of pull-ups followed by
• A set of bench presses followed by
• A set of machines rows

Your body should be able to take this kind of punishment now that you have already put some serious time into bodybuilding. These supersets will allow you to workout using the principles of isolation in about the same time as a workout of only compound movements such as the squat or bench press.

Another aspect of intermediate bodybuilding routines is the actual frequency of the workouts. As a beginner, you probably only worked out 3-4 times per week. Now, as an intermediate bodybuilder, you should be able to add a day or even two to your workout schedule. This may mean you workout 2, 3, or even 4 days in a row nonstop followed by a day of rest. As an intermediate bodybuilder, you should have a better sense of how much time your body needs to recover so you can decide how many days in a row you work out. You MUST add a day of rest after several consecutive workouts because intermediate or not, your muscles will only grow during periods of rest.

Keep in mind these principles are mainly for offering tips on developing exercise programs at different facets of your bodybuilding development but of course a whole other important aspect is nutrition. While we don’t mention it here, nutrition does play an important role in the growth, development, and recovery of your muscular physique.

Just about every guy on the beach would love to walk down the boardwalk with bulging arms that filled up his sleeves and ripped thighs that made people get out of the way when they saw him coming. This can only be achieved through the principles of bodybuilding used to build a ripped and muscular physique. Unfortunately, many who are searching for this result never quite reach it because they fail to learn some basic principles in the beginning. Body building is as much of a science as it is physical exercise and these principles must be adhered to if you want real results.

Below are five simple bodybuilding principles that anyone can follow to help them achieve the bodybuilding muscle results that they desire.

1. 1. Use Compound Movements-one of the biggest mistakes that new bodybuilders make is they start performing isolation exercises before they’ve really built any muscle. What I mean by this is, isolation exercises are designed to work only one muscle at a time but if instead you build your workout routine around compound movements, then you be able to work on many muscle groups at one time. This means that core exercises such as squats, bench presses, and deadlifts should make up the bulk of your routine.
2. 2. Don’t work out EVERY day-although just about everyone has heard this principle, few workout warriors pay attention to it. The fact is, muscles build during rest phases, not active ones. If you simply work your muscles out all the time they will cease to grow and can eventually shrink over time from over training. Instead, take at least a day or two off per week to allow your muscles time to repair and grow.
3. 3. Go heavy for maximum results-while maintaining safety using a spotter, lifting heavy weights is integral to your gaining serious muscle. It is okay to start out light in the beginning, but once your muscles begin to build you’ll have to increase the weight over time to ensure consistent progress. This is called the progressive training principle and is the backbone of true bodybuilding programs.
4. 4. Protein is your friend-you have to eat protein if you want to build muscle, bottom line. This means lean meat, fish, and chicken and for those of you who are vegetarian, you may have to supplement your diet with protein powders in order for you to get enough protein to build the muscle that you desire.
5. 5. Easy on the cardio-while cardio exercise is great for burning fat, doing too much can burn off some of the calories you may need to provide your muscles with energy and their ability to grow. It is often recommended to do your cardio work opposite the days you do your weight training workouts.

While the above only represent five bodybuilding principles, if followed consistently and with intensity, they can surely help you to achieve your bodybuilding and fitness goals.

Going to the gym can be expensive. Some monthly gym memberships charge as much is $99 per month or more not including exorbitant setup fees of often hundreds of dollars. Even those much less expensive gyms that are in the $40 per month range can certainly add up over time especially if you factor in the amount of gas you use back and forth on each trip. Not only are they expensive, they can also be inconvenient. A majority of individuals who sign up for gym memberships never end up sticking to the workout routines because it can be so hard to fit going to the gym into your daily schedule. This makes building a home gym a perfect solution for many people.

Now, building a home gym does not have to be an expensive endeavor. You can often get away with very little equipment to start and simply add to it as you become more experienced with working out and your budget increases. For those who are new to working out, one of the best purchases can be a home gym system. These all in one equipment packages feature attachments that will allow you to work your entire body with one machine. Because of this, your home gym may end up being much smaller than if you had many pieces of equipment. Those who are a little more advanced may look to include free weights in their home gym setup.

For those that want to go the free weight route, you’ll want to put down some padded flooring in the room you choose. Padded flooring can be bought in squares that are approximately 2′ x 2′ and join together like pieces of a puzzle. Oftentimes, you get all the workout you need just by buying a set of dumbbells and an adjustable bench. Just about every exercise known to man can be done with dumbbells and as long as you get weights that go up to a high enough number to allow you to make progress, your simple but effective home gym can last you months if not years with no improvements. For those that are looking to put on serious mass with their muscle building routines, you may want to purchase a weight bench and or a squat rack. Ample room is required for these larger pieces of equipment so locating a free weight gym in a basement or garage is usually the best idea.

But a home gym is really anything that you make it. Some people simply want to lose a little fat and may only have an exercise bike and some strength bands. The most important thing to include in your home gym is yourself. Make a commitment to work out in your private space each and every day. Now that you don’t have to worry about the price of gas or working  getting to the gym into your schedule, you can make a lifelong commitment to working out in your own private home gym.

Everyone looks to lose weight and get in better shape from time to time, but few have true long-term success with it. Most of us decided take the easy route and purchase one of the thousands of products we see on TV or in magazines or simply try one of the fad diets of the day. The problem is, neither of these approaches are affective with long-term success and leave many right back down the path of weight gain once their program is over.

The reality is, and most of you have probably heard this before, the best way to lose weight and get in shape over the long-term is through proper diet and exercise. I know, it sounds boring compared to the last commercial you saw promising you the ability to drop 20 pounds in 10 days, but it is your choice whether to follow tried and true solid information or simply false promises. If you choose the former, then you might want to look at the principles of body building to help you get in the best shape your life.

Now, don’t be scared of the word body building. Just because you pick up some weights and start training does not mean you’re going to quickly turn into looking like Lou Ferrigno. Bodybuilders of that ilk go through extreme regimens to get into that level of shape and just by going down to your local gym and hitting the weight several times a week you’ll have nothing to worry about. What you will experience is fat loss and muscle gain that will help you work to quickly achieve the body you’ve always desired. The principles of body building are perfect for helping us get in shape because of several things, but one is perhaps the most important. That is that muscle burns fat. The reality is, the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. Lifting weights and body building is like increasing the size of little fat burning ovens all over your body and you’ll know that each time you make gains in the size of your muscles your metabolism will speed up as a result.

Now, the benefits of body building are not just derived from the muscles themselves, but the workouts as well. Most of us tend to think about burning calories and losing fat through exercise as being directly related to the benefits of cardiovascular exercise such as jogging or riding a bike. Bodybuilding and weight training exercises are incredibly effective at doing this as well. You will burn extreme amounts of calories over the course of an hour long bodybuilding workout. This does not mean that bodybuilding will take the place of cardio because developing your cardiovascular system is extremely important to your overall health and well and additionally support the fat and calorie burning benefits of bodybuilding alone.

So, if you are REALLY serious about shedding the fat for good, drop the fad diets and bogus AS SEEN ON TV products and just get down to some serious bodybuilding. You will burn fat, gain muscle, and get into the best shape of your life…FINALLY.

When someone says the word bodybuilding, we tend to think of huge muscled phenomenons standing on stage covered in oil wearing only tiny bikini briefs, but it is only a rare few who commit to the dedication and determination it takes to get their bodies into this freakishly huge state. The fact is, just about anyone can benefit from the principles of bodybuilding both from the aspect of how you look as well as your overall health.

Bodybuilding is simply the process of building muscles and losing fat to accentuate the overall musculature of your body. It is extremely unlikely that you will accidentally build a huge and hulking body just from lifting a few weights which is often the fear of those who stay away from them. It takes years of intense dedication and hours of grueling workouts per day to achieve the physiques of those you see standing on stages, not to mention the occasional illegal chemical helper as well. But just going down to your local gym and deciding to begin a bodybuilding routine to help develop and maximize your physique is not only a great idea, it may lead you to an increased sense of satisfaction and a healthier longer life as well.

Bodybuilding exercises are simply any exercise at all that will allow you to build muscle. Push-ups, for instance, are an incredible bodybuilding exercise that will allow you to build the muscles of your chest, triceps, and shoulders. You can perform them anywhere and they help to build a strong and well-defined chest and shoulder region that can be very effective at turning others’ heads.

Of all the bodybuilding exercises in existence, none is perhaps more effective than the King of all exercises, the squat. Performed by lifting a barbell on your shoulders and squatting down until your thighs are parallel with the ground and then rising back up, the squat is known as a compound movement. It can work to build the muscles of your entire lower body and many of those in your upper body as well. It takes extreme physical determination to squat with heavy weights but the payoff can be huge. Squats not only allow you to build muscle but they are great way to burn fat considering how much energy is expended performing this exercise. Combining squats with push-ups and perhaps even pull-ups can provide you all the bodybuilding results you need to get into incredible shape and totally transform the look of your entire body.

When choosing to make bodybuilding a part of your exercise regimen, it’s important to pay attention to your diet as well. It almost seems senseless to work hard to build big muscles, and then cover them up with thick layers of fat. You want to eat a diet that contains plenty of lean protein and is lower in fat and carbohydrates. These last two nutrients are important for energy, but you want to limit them to avoid excess fat gain.

There you have it. ANYONE can improve the look of their body through bodybuilding and increase their health as well. Don’t worry about the trunks, the oil, or the posing, just pick up some weights, and you’ll be a bodybuilder too!

Losing excess fat has been the goal of just about every man and woman at some point in their life. It seems we’re always fighting the Battle of the Bulge and looking for better and easier ways to lose fat quickly. This is never truer than it is for bodybuilders or those who simply want to look their best. Excess fat will ruin the physique of even the most active individuals. Working to shed those pounds not only makes you look better, but it can have a profound effect on your overall health as well. Let’s look at some of the ways that bodybuilders and extremely active individuals work to trim fat and get into incredibly ripped shape.

The fact is, it’s not just a simple as exercising consistently to lose all the fat that you want. While exercising can get rid of significant amounts of fat, the real keys to losing excess fat and getting into ripped bodybuilding shape is a combination of doing the RIGHT exercises and having a near perfect diet. I know that sounds scary, but it’s simply the truth. You could work out all day on an elliptical machine and not lose any fat at all or eat what you think is a healthy diet and actually gain weight. It takes knowing the right things and doing them consistently to make a difference.

First let’s start with exercise. Simply lifting weights or doing some aerobic exercise, while it will get you part of the way there, is not enough to truly get rid of fat. One of the best fat burning exercises in existence is called HIIT. This stands for High Intensity Interval Training and it is used by professional athletes of all types to get into incredible cardiovascular shape as well as get their bodies into ripped physical condition. The principle is simple, you simply exercise at intervals that consist of about two minutes of light to medium intensity aerobic exercise followed by about 30 seconds of all out intense exercise. This is the equivalent of jogging for about two minutes and then sprinting for 30 seconds. That would represent one interval and you repeat these intervals until you  complete about 6 to 8. Because of the intensity, most folks cannot handle this type of training early in their regimens. It is only after months of seriously intense aerobic exercise that you can begin these workouts. Once you do though, you will see fat fall off you more quickly than anything that you’ve tried before and your body will stay in this fat burning state for 10 hours after the exercises have been completed.

The next area is nutrition of course. Many folks try calorie and nutrient restricted diets to trim fat and end up trimming muscle instead. You see, your body is designed to use a combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in such a way as to maintain proper functionality, consistent levels of energy, and consistent or increasing levels of muscle. When you take anything out of that equation it can disrupt this balance and lead you to experiencing the opposite results of which you wish to achieve. If you focus on eating a diet that is high in protein, followed by fats and carbohydrates, you can continue to have the energy you need and nutrients your muscles need to continue to grow and maintain your physique. In addition, as long as you are burning off these calories and not eating excessively then you should be able to maintain consistent fat loss.

Every day, all over the world, someone picks up a dumbbell for the first time and begins a quest to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger. They imagine their bodies swelling up beyond belief and turning a once wiry frame into a molded piece of muscular artwork. Unfortunately, they quickly find out that the prospect is a bit harder than they first had thought. Achieving excellence in bodybuilding requires not only dedication, but intense physical exercise…A LOT of intense physical exercise. Because of this, we thought we would take some time to explain some basic principles that can help beginning bodybuilders get the RIGHT start on their new endeavor.

First of all, you should try to avoid your initial inclinations and simply start light. Most folks that start working out to build serious muscle often end up biting off more than they can chew, or in this case, lifting heavier weights than they should. It is extremely easy to go from working out to lying in the hospital with a torn muscle if you push yourself too hard. Starting off light, with weights you can handle, will allow you to make consistent and SAFE progress throughout your bodybuilding regimen.

One the next things that beginning bodybuilders do is try to build INDIVIDUAL muscles. They pick up a dumbbell and start doing arm curls until someone tells them to stop. Unfortunately, no one ever does, so more often than that, you see a nice set of guns on a puny body…come on, you know I’m right…working ONE muscle at a time is a mistake at this stage. Instead, you want to focus on COMPOUND movements, or ones that hit several large muscle groups at one time. The king of these is the squat. This exercise not only hits your entire lower body extremely effectively, it also works quite a few of the muscles in your upper body as well. No other single exercise can pack on as much quality muscle as the squat.

The next on your list of beginning bodybuilding moves is the bench press. This effective compound movement is not just for your chest, not by any means. Bench presses hit your chest, shoulders, triceps, forearms, and many of the stabilizing muscles in these areas as well. This workout can pack on muscle and make several key muscles much stronger to provide the strength needed as you further your bodybuilding endeavors.

Last on our list for beginning bodybuilding moves is the pull-up. Many folks HATE doing these, and there is a good reason…they can’t do them! Pulling off a set of 10 reps on the pull-up bar is not only impressive; it also has the ability to build some serious muscle. Cranking out rep after rep of pull-ups can do AMAZING things for your biceps, forearms, shoulders, and of course, your entire back. Once you get to the point of being able to do 25 or so, you can always add weight and continue to back on the beef. Think 25 sounds like a lot? Do pull-ups everyday and you WILL get there.

There you have it…a few basic for beginning bodybuilders that will serve your needs for years to come. Take is safe, take it slow, and follow these proven exercises to bodybuilding success.

Who can forget the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Pumping Iron as he went on to win his seventh Mr. Olympia? His combination of size and symmetry was declared by many to be the perfect body. This bodybuilding physique led many young boys to begin picking up weights and starting off on their own journey to achieve perfect bodies.

Getting into ripped and extremely muscular shape is a little harder than just picking up a dumbbell and starting to curl, however. It requires intense determination and dedication to both diet and exercise principles. Body building is perhaps as much science as it is physical exercise and diet as it requires the right combination of both to achieve maximal results. First let’s look at some of the exercises that bodybuilders do to achieve their superhuman bodies.

Of all the exercises that one can do to build muscle, none is more effective than the squat. This exercise allows you to lift an incredible amount of weight and will develop your entire lower body as well as many of the muscles in your upper body. In addition, exercises such as the bench-press, dead lift, and pull up will work most of the other groups of muscles in your body as well. Bodybuilders, as they become more experienced, incorporate different types of isolation exercises as well that are designed to hit individual muscle groups. These isolation exercises help bodybuilders develop extreme muscle density and definition that gives them their marbled statue look. Because muscle growth actually takes place during rest periods, it is important to take a day or so off of lifting weights in the middle of the week to allow your muscles time to grow. If you simply work out 6 to 7 days per week, you can easily over train and your muscles will actually shrink rather than grow.

The diet of a bodybuilder is extremely important as well. One must eat to not only provide their muscles with the proper nutrients and energy to grow, but also to not add additional fat stores to their body; this process is an extremely delicate one indeed. Most bodybuilders prefer diets that are extremely high in protein because it is the building block of muscle growth. In addition, while they do consume varying amounts of carbohydrates, they try to do so by including slow burning carbohydrates such as various fruits and vegetables versus sugary sweets that can cause insulin levels to spike in the blood and potentially cause unwanted fat gain around their midsections. Their diets may change drastically directly before competition so as to lose all possible water and fat from their body to achieve that extremely tight ripped look when hitting the stage. Now, most of us won’t ever put on a pair of bikini trunks and slather our bodies in oil to compete in pose off, but by following basic bodybuilding diet principles we can get our bodies in peak shape and turn more than a few heads at the beach.

Ever since the days of the Charles Atlas ads featuring the skinny boy who is getting sand kicked in his face, millions of young boys everywhere wanted to take up body building to try to achieve a body that would be both feared and marveled. This leads many to pick up the sport of bodybuilding in order to try to build and develop their musculature. The fact is body building requires an intense amount of both skill and commitment in order to achieve the goals that most are looking for. Simply picking up some weights at your local gym and lifting them on a daily basis will not do the trick. Let’s examine some bodybuilding basics that everyone should know before they make this rigorous exercise a mainstay of their lifestyle.

First, it is important to start slow. Many times people who start out wanting to build bigger muscles begin lifting without regard to the effect it will have on their bodies. This can lead quickly to overtraining and being sore for days at a time if not injuring themselves in such a way to see them laid up for weeks or months. Bodybuilding and weight training can be very dangerous so start with light weights and build up to heavier ones as your muscles grow and adapt.

One of the most important things you can ever keep in mind about body building is that muscular growth occurs during rest phases, not active ones. It is important that you give your body plenty of time to rest or the growth may simply never happen. Those that are new to bodybuilding often want to overdo it by training every day and this usually leads them to the opposite effect which is their muscular growth stops altogether. Getting a full night’s sleep and taking off at least a day between heavy workouts will be your key to success in bodybuilding.

If overtraining is the first mistake that new bodybuilders make, then nutrition is a close second. In their rush to gain a new physique, many new bodybuilders rush out to buy the latest supplements on the market to help them speed up their muscular growth. The fact is, the only thing you need to be focused on at this time is eating a healthy balanced diet and getting plenty of rest. If you wish to focus on eating more calories of lean proteins such as meat, chicken, and fish, that is fine but there is no need at this stage to rush out and buy the latest supplements.

Finally, those that are new to bodybuilding should do themselves a favor and seek the help and guidance of a personal trainer at least initially. This will help to make certain that your form with particular exercises is spot on and that you don’t hurt yourself before you reach your desired results. Once you have mastered many of the exercises you will be doing while creating your perfect body, you may no longer have the need for this personal trainer but starting out with one at the beginning can greatly speed up the results.

Training routines of advanced bodybuilder are greatly different from that of a beginner. The differences in the training regimens include not only the weight being used, but the frequency of the lifting and usually the diet as well. An advanced bodybuilders physique can be a thing of beauty indeed and it can only be achieved through the use of incredible discipline and muscle building workouts designed to put the athlete in peak performance shape. Before we look at some of the characteristics of these advanced bodybuilding routines let’s first define what we mean when we say advanced bodybuilder.

The definition of an advanced bodybuilder can change from one person to the next. Some simply think of it as the time that someone has been working out. In this case, someone who has put four or five years into their bodybuilding regimen could be considered advanced, but other bodybuilders strongly disagree. After all, someone who has been working out for five years but has achieved little or no visible results would not likely be a candidate to be called an advanced bodybuilder. Instead, those with T-shirt ripping shoulders and biceps that earn the respect and admiration of everyone else in the gym clearly own this moniker. Getting there was no easy feat, so the term advanced bodybuilder should be relegated to the few who have achieved significant results. Speaking of significant results, now let’s look at some of the training routines of these advanced bodybuilders.

Once someone has achieved a physique of significant size and shape, their routines will likely roof all around the shaping and defining of these muscles versus simply the building of them. In the beginning stages, or bulking faces as they are often called, the focus was on putting on muscle. Now that the muscle has been developed, it will be important to define it and give it the best overall shape and quality possible. This is done through a combination of strict dieting and isolation sets. An isolation set is a particular exercise that spotlights one individual body part versus several at once. An arm curl using a dumbbell is a perfect example of an isolation set where as the squat is a compound movement that will kick several muscle groups at once.

Another important aspect in the routines of advanced bodybuilders is the types of diets that they are on to get into peak shape. Once someone has achieved the size they desire, they will want to cut every bit of body fat they can to even further highlight the clarity of their defined muscular physique. Those bodybuilders who are approaching an actual bodybuilding contest may go to such extreme lengths as to purge all water from their system as well.

The routines of advanced bodybuilders can be intense and at times extreme. BECAUSE of their experience and skill level, most bodybuilders know the inherent risks of such things as working out every single day and going on extreme fat burning diets to get into the best shape possible and do their best to minimize any negative side effects. One thing is for sure though, this lifestyle IS risky and advanced bodybuilder routines should ONLY be practiced by advanced bodybuilders.