Bodybuilding as an exact science

Warm up

23 years have passed since the last time I wrote myself training programs. Several sheets in a notebook with pencil drawings, notes and numbers. I began to compose them after a lower back injury, received due to my own stupidity and ignorance, in a small "village" rocking chair near the Zagorskaya PSPP. That extra pancake to the lifted weight responds with pain in my back to this day. He makes me, in all circumstances, keep fit. So we live, the pain is waiting for the muscle corset to weaken, and I do not give her this chance.

Much, a lot has changed over the years, but people still “pump iron” and make the same mistakes. I write for them. Maybe someone will come in handy ...

Level 1. Psychological

It does not matter what exactly will be the last straw. It is important that a person should be angry with himself and his weakness. It is important that he must decide to change his body and his life.
A sitting posture contributes to obesity in the abdomen, muscle tissue of the legs atrophies and is replaced by a binder, internal organs are overgrown with fatty layers, lung capacity and their ability to absorb oxygen decreases. Following physical weakness comes mental melancholy.

1. It's time to make a choice between slow death and a full life. Give the body the necessary minimum of movements. Stop using the elevator and the bus. At any point within 1-2 kilometers of the house - walk. Move every day!
Result: Depression will recede. The world around will acquire forgotten colors and will want to live again.

2. At first, it does not matter what to do, the main thing is to do it regularly. Do not look for an expensive fitness club with a pool. If you want a result, go to a small basement near the house. It has its own atmosphere. There, you will become part of a friendly team, where everyone, with pleasure, will help and tell you at first. You can’t help but go to training because of tiredness or just laziness. After all, friends are waiting for you there.

3. You will soon notice how much your psyche affects your strength. Train with a partner. Insure each other and deliver shells. You will be amazed at how much your strength grows, if your partner just touches the bar, helping you in the last bench press.

4. To achieve results, you swing the load-recovery pendulum. Full rest, healthy and long sleep, relaxation are the most important elements, without which mental exhaustion is not far away. Listen to your body, give it a significant (up to a week) time to recover. But, remember: interruption of training for periods of more than 0.5-1 months adversely affects the heart.

5. Regular training will give you a feeling of “muscle joy”. This natural and only useful drug is a well-deserved payment for the efforts spent. The more you spill sweat, the stronger your psyche and willpower will become.

Level 2. Training

Individual program.
The main parameters that determine your training program are: age, weight to height ratio, genetic type, the presence of injuries and contraindications.
Age is one of the most accurate criteria for choosing a program.
In the period from 15 to 18 years, the foundation for the figure for the rest of his life is laid. Training at this age gives the most consistent results. Maximum weights can be lifted only after 30, and after 40 maximum attention should be paid to warming the joints and ligaments.
Weight is the most inaccurate parameter. Fat is much lighter than muscle tissue. The question is, what ratio are they in your body?
If you have a physique deficit such as stoop. First of all, straighten it by pumping your back on the horizontal bar and simulators. Otherwise, the general growth of muscles, especially the pectoral muscles, will even more stick out your stoop.

Knowledge of anatomy helps a lot in training.
It is necessary to change the angle of the bench, or the width and shape of the grip, or the position of the elbows, as the exercise will be aimed at completely different muscles. Often, the trajectory of the projectile or the dynamics of the position of the hands, like in Arnold's bench press, matters.
Knowing such nuances will help to avoid monotony, expand the quality and range of development, and feel the muscle being worked out. (Supination - turning the wrist out when lifting the biceps.)
Muscles of different sizes require a different approach:
The press is pumped up to 2 times a day, for 15-20 repetitions, each time until complete exhaustion.
The muscles of the arms and chest for 8-12 reps, gradually increasing the maximum weight.
The leg muscles wear out only in the last set (approach) and give a week of rest.

Warm up and hitch.
The joints, especially the elbows, are easily injured if it is not enough to warm up and warm up. 10-15 minutes of jogging and gymnastics are required at the beginning of classes. Any exercise is started with low weight and gradually brought to the working position. If your muscles hurt since your last workout, don’t wait, feel free to go for a new one. The pain will go away faster.
The hitch includes any active cardio (running, exercise bike, jump rope, etc.) lasts 10-20 minutes. It burns fat well, flushes tired muscles with blood (they will hurt less), and soothes the psyche. For me personally, stretching the legs shows just record results just in the hitch after training the leg muscles.

Anaerobic and aerobic training
Az and Buki modern sports. In our body, there are two main sources of energy for muscles:
glycogen in the muscles and liver, and subcutaneous fat. Have you ever run more than a kilometer? First you run easily, then you start to get tired, and somewhere after that a “second wind” opens. We just described the process of converting anaerobic to aerobic exercise. First, glycogen was consumed, then it was over and the body switched to a spare tank of the fat layer.
It’s important for us to remember that anaerobic exercise builds muscle, and aerobic exercise burns excess fat.

Interval aerobics or spinning - the most effective way of "fat burning" is a series of short, about 1 minute, but very powerful loads (for example, pedal the exercise bike at a crazy pace), interspersed with minute intervals of a moderate pace. The best time for spinning is in the morning on an empty stomach or immediately after strength training. The total spinning time is 20-30 minutes.

“Fast” and “slow” fibers
Muscles are made up of two types of fibers. “Fast” fibers are called strength fibers. They are responsible for jerking weight gain. “Slow” fibers are called endurance fibers, they show themselves in such loads as marathon running. The main gain in muscle mass is provided by “fast” fibers.

The main and dependent muscles
The largest and most powerful in our body are the muscles of the legs. In second place are the muscles of the back. The growth of these muscle groups determines the body weight, and the total body weight determines the ability to grow small muscles. You can perform only basic exercises such as deadlift and bench press - all muscle groups will grow. Therefore, it is useless to tear shaking your biceps without first pumping your back and legs.

Muscles grow when torn by tension
In any exercise, only 15% of the entire working muscle is involved. At peak loads, the thinnest fibers break and the hypercompensation mechanism comes into play. More fibers are restored than before the break. This is the growth mechanism. The closer you get to the critical point, the better the result. Remember: it is not the weight of weights that grows muscles, but the training regimen!

Stretch something to upload.
The problem of breaking the fibers can be solved not only by increasing the load, but also by expanding the amplitude of motion. Pre-stretched muscles tear more easily. In addition, the amplitude often adds additional muscle groups to the work, which will positively affect the shape of the relief.
But, do not confuse with "stretching" the tendons and joints. Do not sit on a string before squats with a barbell, legs will lose 10-15% of their strength. It would be more correct, in this case, to squat first, and then stretch. Stretching exercises after strength facilitate muscle growth, as a result - increase strength.

Raise quickly and lower slowly.
Why are runners calves dried, and skaters hefty? It all depends on the type of load. Runners drain their legs with a long and uniform load, and skaters swing with short, but very powerful jerks, interspersed with periods of rest.
Therefore, lift the weight in a jerk, and try to lower it slowly, sensually.

Split or separate training, gives your body an optimal regime of exercise-rest. Split principle - to work out only 1-2 muscles each training. Suppose one workout is legs; the second is the back and shoulders; the third is chest and arms, etc.
This allows you to intensively train in a circle the whole body, while giving each muscle enough time to relax.

Superset is a sequential study of antagonist muscles (extensor-extensor).
Biceps - triceps, quadriceps - thigh biceps, press - lumbar muscles.
When we pump triceps, the biceps also warms up and fills with blood. Therefore, he is already ready to take the burden. Combining two exercises in a row on both muscles will have a greater effect than training them individually. In addition, the injection of only one antagonist deforms the skeleton.

Combined set - two exercises on one muscle with a pause of not more than 30 seconds;

Triset - 3 exercises in a row for one muscle group;

Pyramid - the exercise begins with a small weight and is brought to a record in a few sets. Each preliminary set is not brought to failure, due to this, the forces only arrive.

Drop set is the Pyramid in the opposite direction. Bringing "to failure", then reducing the working weight and again bringing "to failure".

Isolating exercises- These exercises do not build muscle, they are auxiliary to basic exercises. The task of isolated exercises is to tire out a specific muscle group (preliminary exhaustion) in order to remove it from the game and enable it to fully pump neighboring muscles.

Negatives are a special, extremely intense way to increase volumes. It uses exorbitant weights and generally no lifts. The pre-lifted weight slowly drops. For example, with the bench press in Smith's simulator, a partner helps you raise the bar, and you must lower it slowly and with only one hand. Negatives require the obligatory help of a partner.

Pamping.
Did you butcher a chicken? Remember how each muscle is wrapped in a stocking of connective fibers ( fascia) It tightens the muscle and does not allow it to increase in volume. However, this stocking is elastic and can be "stretched" by pumping maximum amount of blood into the muscle. Muscles are called the second heart. It is only necessary to direct the work of this "heart". At the end of your workout, you happened to “hammer” your biceps to stone hardness - this is pumping.

Cyclic loads are used for the targeted growth of a particular muscle group. They are cycles of 2-3 weeks of maximum basic loads shared by 1-2 weeks of pumping insulating exercises.

Cheating
Cheating in bodybuilding refers to a type of violation of the technique of performing the exercise, which allows you to do 1-3 repetitions more. This may be the help of a partner in the weakest zone of the bench press amplitude, or a swing movement, or connecting other muscle groups to the work. Forced repetition when injecting biceps is performed due to the help of a free hand. Partial repetition is a way to perform more rods or presses by lowering the amplitude. Cheating is a way to overcome the psychological barrier, an opportunity to take another half step forward.
A separate type of cheating can be considered the performance of “failed” sets without respite, when you actually completed several sets to failure, but they practically merge into one continuous one.

Small muscles, ligaments and joints
There are no trifles in matters of your health. You cannot “hang” powerful muscles on a weak skeleton. To strengthen the ligaments and small muscles (balance muscles), strength exercises are used on an unstable basis, for example, the Swiss ball. In addition, the development of small muscles often helps to highlight the main muscle groups.

Level 3. Nutrition

If we want to get a beautiful figure, we will inevitably have to learn how to eat right. Eat as often as possible 5-7-12 times a day. Gradually and balanced.

"Glutton days" - studies have shown that exceptions only confirm the rules.
Choose 1 day a week. Everything is possible on this day! Such a day will be a positive shake-up for the body, help psychologically survive the next week of restrictions and give a greater end result.

Fats.
Fats or fatty acids are divided into 3 types:

Mono- and Polyunsaturated (hydrogen) are vegetable oils and fish oil. Not only are they well absorbed, but also contribute to the absorption of vitamins. Directly involved in hormonal metabolism and immune processes.
Saturated(hydrogen) is coconut oil, chocolate, butter, animal fats. They are the raw material for the production of testosterone, but in excessive amounts they block insulin receptors, reducing the rate of muscle growth.
Trans fats (homogenized) - obtained from plant by hydrolysis (hydrogen saturation). In its pure form, it is a disgustingly smelling white greasy mass; flavored with perfumes and additives - margarine. This type of fat almost does not deteriorate and is therefore readily used in the confectionery industry and food chains. At the same time, it is poorly absorbed, easily deposited under the skin, provokes cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Carbohydrates
From now on, there are “fast” and “slow” carbohydrates for you.
“Fast” carbohydrates are those that are quickly digested. These are all foods high in sugar, glucose and fructose. Grapes, buns, sweet bars. Eat about 80 g immediately after training (within 30 minutes) this will cause insulin secretion and this transport hormone will supply depleted muscles with sugar.
"Slow" carbohydrates - are digested for some time. These are buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, durum wheat pasta, whole grain bread, fibrous vegetables and fruits. They should be essential in your diet. It is very good to take about 40 g. 30-45 minutes before training, in order to maintain strength.

Squirrels
You and I are building muscle, and muscle is made up of protein. Chicken breasts are ideal food, followed by beef steaks and other meat. We limit the amount of fat in meat, so a piece is always preferable to minced meat, especially cooked minced meat. None of us can be sure of its composition, especially in the composition of sausages, sausages and sausages. But this is perhaps another topic. Grilled meat contains less fat than pan-fried meat.
I will leave protein shakes for fans. Shaking and drinking is easier than slicing and cooking. But no one guarantees assimilation and lack of flatulence.

Cellulose
Fiber does not bring anything to the body; on the contrary, it is a universal cleaner. It, like a cleaning brush, removes carcinogens and pesticides from the body. However, do not get carried away with the consumption of fiber, in excess quantities (30 grams per day), it begins to excrete hormones that are useful to us.

Vitamins and minerals.
The drug and supplement industry is the second most profitable drug industry.
And, where business comes first, health issues are lost in the fog. I strongly recommend that you not get involved in powders and pills. Moreover, all my life experience tells me that one and the same thing can be bought in different packages, and for very, very different money. For myself, I made the following list:
“Undevit” - a set of multivitamins
"Complivit - Magnesium" a set of vitamins and minerals
Fish oil "Amber drop" in capsules, so as not to slurp from a spoon.

Water
Be sure to drink clean water, especially in training. Dehydration (dehydration) - lack of water in the body reduces muscle strength by 10-15%. In hot weather, it is acceptable to drink up to 4 liters per day.
I have a genetically high acidity, so I prefer slightly mineralized (like Novoterskaya), it neutralizes acid in the stomach, saturates the body with mineral salts and dulls the feeling of hunger.

Milk
Highly recommended, especially the steam room. Of course, the storefront is an order of magnitude less effective, but it also copes with dehydration very well, and together with cocoa and cornflakes it is an excellent means of recovery after training.
Milk with freshly squeezed carrot juice will be offered in most sports bars for very separate money. Personally, I discovered the charm of milk during the heat wave in Moscow. At this time, it is good to drink it diluting 1/3 with mineral water or green tea.

Coffee and green tea are the most affordable fat burners for you. Caffeine releases fat molecules and sends them with a blood stream, and catechins from tea block the enzymes that limit this process. It remains only to put fat into work and prevent it from settling down in the body again. But, for God's sake, do not overdo it.

Garlic and red pepper - these seasonings are few, but contribute to the burning of fat.

Alcohol
I specifically highlighted this item.
Alcohol is poison, and like most poisons, it is used in small doses as a medicine. Your body itself produces ethyl alcohol to relieve muscle pain.
Alcohol is a drug, and like any drug, it can wait. He will wait when your will weakens from fatigue, or bad news, or simply, yields to tradition.
There will be no “cubes” on your stomach if you cannot give up alcohol. A bottle of beer in the evening and all dinner will go into the layers under your skin.
The more you swing, the faster your body cleanses, the stronger your will, the easier it is to defeat attraction.
My toughest rule is to never drink on the day of your workout!
Next, we reduce the dose. Opened a bottle of beer - pour it homemade or set aside half for later. Let's agree. You will have "gluttonous days." You can afford to drink, at first, only 1 time per week, but ideally, no more than 2 times a month.
Do not “tie” forever. Weather only today. Tell yourself: "Today I do not drink."

Level 4. Balancing

At this level, the main criterion is - effectiveness. As you understand, training at the limit of possibilities is most effective, but it is worth crossing the line and waiting for it is a painful state of overtraining, a sharp drop in immunity, decreased vision, torn ligaments and joint injuries. The more accurately you calculate the loads and calories consumed, there will be a higher result in the mirror.
Relief requires maximum muscle mass and a minimum percentage of fat. Both that, and another are extremely not constant values. Balanced exercises support an intensive "firebox" of metabolism. Diet - like the valves of a furnace, regulates the supply of "fuel".
Difficult? That's not all. To pump up volumes a little, it is necessary to save them. It is worth a little gape, fall asleep on an empty stomach or get carried away by jogging and evil catabolics will then take away kilograms of blood earned from you.
Catabolism is the destruction of muscle mass for the production of liver glycogen.
Sleep is the main regulator of hormonal balance, and night is the time when you can lose your muscles. You can’t eat tightly after 9 o’clock in the evening, this leads to a slowdown in metabolism, but you need to maintain a “fire in the furnace” with cocktails and light snacks 1-2 times a night. Ate a little more - fat will appear, and for the breakdown of fat you need three essential components oxygen + water + vitamin B. Not only one is enough and our muscles will go into the furnace.

Level 5. Professional

I don’t think you will need it, but let's take a look, for the sake of curiosity.
At this level, the determining criterion is the genetic type. Much can be achieved through perseverance and hard work, but the peaks are accessible only to the lucky "from God."
Prize money and fame are at stake. Here they train daily and even 2 times a day,
and the lack of knowledge is compensated by experiments on people.
Separation and professional muscle relief - this is almost complete dissolution of the subcutaneous fat at the time of exit to the podium. In addition, before performances and photo sessions, professionals additionally dehydrate the skin by taking diuretics (diuretics).
Personally, I don’t like what they do to themselves. It’s a pity even somehow, it becomes.

Hitch

1. Be sure to make yourself a training program. On your own, or with the help of an instructor.

2. Learn the technique of exercises before embarking on their implementation.

3. Never chase records and “solid” scales. If something is tested for strength, it is sure to ultimately break.

4. Remember, easy paths inevitably lead to dire consequences.

5. By the way, the heart is a muscle, it cannot be broken, but it can be pumped up.

6. And, most importantly, never, never DO NOT lift large weights from the floor on straight legs.
When doing deadlift and similar exercises, never, NEVER round your back! Always take your pelvis back and bend at the lower back.

7. Look straight ahead. DO NOT bulge your head and DO NOT rest your chin on your chest! Head in line with the body. Hands in line with hands.

8. The knee is firmly when bent at an angle of 90 °, DO NOT lunges with the knees at an acute angle.

That's enough for now. Be healthy.