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Your muscles don't grow in the gym, they grow during
recovery, while you rest and eat. One of the biggest bodybuilding
issues people don't know about is having a diet that is conducive to
building muscle.
A proper bodybuilding diet requires a different ratio of nutrients
than normal, everyday diets. A good rule of thumb is 40-40-20. this
means that 40 percent of your diet should consist of protein, 40 percent
of carbohydrates, and 20 percent of fat. Of course, every person will
have a different optimum ratio, so tweak this ratio from week to week
to find out what works for you. Do not neglect fruits and vegetables
while on this diet, as they contain nutrients vital to maintaining
energy levels.
Also, make a conscious effort to increase your water intake. Consume
at least 0.6 oz of water per pound of body weight every day. Growing
muscles require water, and not getting enough will hamper your gains.
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Here are a few choice exercises that no bodybuilding
routine should be without.
Bench press: An oldie but goodie, there is really no substitute for
the bench press. Touch your chest with the bar and extend your arms to
their full length. The barbell press is one of the only exercises where
a spotter is required every time. Mix up this classic with
incline/decline benches.
Crunches: Another classic, the crunch is nonetheless as effective as
it is simple. Lying on your back with your knees raised, raise your
shoulders off the floor toward your knees. You only need to raise your
shoulders about four inches with the crunch.
Cuban press: A great exercise for shoulders. Keep your shoulders and
back straight. Hold the dumbbells in each hand and rotate your arms
forward until the dumbbells are above your head, even with your
shoulders. Lower the dumbbells once again to complete the rep.
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Keep the following in mind to make sure you get the most out of every workout.
When working out to add bulk during a bodybuilding routine, do low
numbers of reps each set and high numbers of sets per workout. Do this
with high weight, high enough that you can only do about six reps every
set. This will make sure you are tearing muscle fiber as opposed to
simply toning it.
Think about the area of your body and the muscle you are trying to
work out when performing a rep. This is called recruiting, and targets
your workout to optimal areas and areas where you actually want to build
muscle. This will raise the effectiveness of an exercise by as much as
25 percent.
Keep your range of motion controlled and constant. Never strain your
muscles, as this could lead to injury. When you start to feel your
muscles straining, that's the signal to reverse motion and complete the
rep.
*source: ehow.com
