Bodybuilding for Beginners

By Tim Wescott: Part 1
 

If you are thinking about embarking on a fitness or bodybuilding program, here are a few pointers you should know before you begin.
1.Consult your physician, especially if you are really out of shape or extremely overweight.)
2.Set realistic fitness goals and record them in a notebook.
3.Start off slowly.
4.Stick to the basics.
5.Commit to your program.
6.Weigh yourself and take measurements
7. Build a foundation (don't be tempted to follow an advanced routine, you will eventually get there if you are patient.)

Following this advice will be very helpful in the long run. Lets begin with a program for the extremely underweight person. These are the people who can eat just about anything without gaining a pound. If you fall into this category you know how frustrating it can be to put on a single pound of muscle. Don't be fooled into believing some ad in a muscle book telling how you can get huge muscles almost
overnight with very little effort. You must work hard, stick to the basics, and eat more quality muscle building foods. There are 3 basic different body types and some people have certain characteristics of all 3.

Let's review them and then design a program for all 3 types.

1. Ectomorph-Extremely thin with a very fast metabolism.
2. Mesomorph-Athletically built and usually classified as an easy gainer.
3. Endomorph- Usually overweight ,with a very slow metabolism.

We'll start with the Ectomorph.

Day #1
Upper body: Here are the exercises we'll be using, DON'T DEVIATE FROM THIS--Bench Press-3sets of 8 reps,
Barbell Row-3 sets of 8 reps
Barbell Press - 3 sets of 8reps
Barbell Curls-3 sets of 8 reps
Triceps Pressdowns 3 sets of 8 reps

Lowerbody:
Squats-3 sets of 8,10,12, reps.
Leg Extensions-3 sets of 10 reps
Calf Raises-5 sets of 10-25 reps
Crunches- 4 sets of 20 reps

and that's it.

The reason I stress not adding any other exercises to this routine is because, being extremely under weight you do not want to overwork, and you must conserve energy to re-build the torn down muscle tissue. Now the matter of what to eat to feed those injured muscles. I would recommend eating every 3 hours or so. I know from personal experience this might not seem possible, but you must try to eat at least a little more until your body becomes acclimated to the new food intake. We no longer label our 3 meals as breakfast , lunch, and dinner, because we will be eating at least 5 but preferably 6 meals a day., and they are now known as meals 1-6.Ready?

Here goes :
Meal # 1: 3 whole eggs,2 slices wholegrain toast, 1 banana, 8oz. fat free milk.

(Please check with your physician in regards to egg content and amounts)

Meal # 2:1 can tuna on wholegrain bread with low fat mayo, 1 orange, 8 oz. fat free milk

Meal # 3:Protein shake 2 scoops of your favorite protein powder,2 whole eggs 1 scoop of ice cream,1 tbsp. peanut butter

Meal# 4:Steak, chicken, or fish, 1 baked potato, 1 vegetable,8 oz. fat free milk. Meal # 5:Another protein shake. That should be enough for starters as you will probably have a hard time eating this amount. After you get used to this regimen I suggest eating one more meal preferably before bedtime. Your workouts will be as follows : Upperbody on Mon.& Thurs. lowerbody on Tues. and Fri. Rest on the
other three days ,keep outside activities to a minimum so as not to burn excess calories needed to build muscle. If you find this diet too much to consume slowly make an effort to eat just a little more all the time. ALSO GET AS MUCH GOOD SOUND SLEEP AS YOU CAN. Now on to the Endomorph: I would offer the same advice to them also except do 3 days of low intensity cardio just for your endurance and to keep fat gain to minimum. Mind you this is only a temporary routine.  I'll update it as you progress. Onward to our Mesomorphic friends same routine ,different diet, and 4to 5 days of cardio of your choice. I recommend walking on the treadmill. As you get in better shape increase duration, but start off at 20 minutes slowly building up to 30-45 minutes. If this seems like a lot of work it is but as I tell my clients if you can't stay motivated ,stand naked in front of a full length mirror, if you don't like what you see this should be motivation enough. I will go a lot deeper into fat loss but here we are just beginning.

The diet:
Meal #1. 7 egg whites cooked in Pam cooking spray, 1/2 cup oatmeal with sugar substitute (no milk).

Meal # 2.Protein shake in water - 2 scoops

Meal # 3.1 can of tuna, 1 small salad with lemon juice or vinegar.

Meal # 4.:chicken breast (no skin) 1/2 cup brown rice, I recommend (SUCCESS BOIL IN BAG) 1/2 cup steamed broccoli.

Meal # 5.:1 can tuna

Meal #6.:Protein shake in water.

That's it.

Now here are some helpful tips to avoid hunger pangs and binging.

#1-Eat your food slowly,
#2-Always drink at least a gallon of water a day. There are a lot of good reasons for doing this but for you it will create a sensation of fullness.
#3-If you must eat something ,pick a healthy low calorie snack, such as raw veggie cakes, fat free yogurt, salad, etc.

Now for some does and don'ts for all 3 body types: Let's get to the Don'ts first, Don't eat junk, don't forget water, don't miss workouts, don't deviate from this routine, (AFTER 2 MONTHS, E-MAIL ME FOR AN UPDATE AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOU PROGRESSED) don't slack off. Now for the Do's: do train hard, do be consistent, do follow your diet, do add weight to the bar when possible, do use good form.  Oh yeah and I forgot one more don't: DON'T QUIT!!!!!

I will be writing 2 more articles for beginning bodybuilders. There is so much more I have to advise you on. Also a lot of weight loss tips for people who are overweight will be included in these articles. Any ?`s or comments feel free to E-MAIL me for free advice.

Stay Hungry---Tim
 

This article was reprinted with the permission of Tim Wescott.  Visit his site for advanced topics related to bodybuilding and dieting.