Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
Our body begins to age at the age of 20 (before that we were growing up). Processes begin to gradually slow down. Just imagine that hearing begins to deteriorate from the age of 12 (add to this the constant listening to loud music on headphones).
What about the heart, which works constantly and rests between its beats? Loads can solve the problem of overstrain and wear of the heart: they will create a real “athletic heart” (in the good sense of this term) from your weak heart. The volume will increase, the walls will become denser, there will be less work: longevity is guaranteed.
That is why you need to work hard in the gym so that your body not only looks beautiful on the outside, but also on the inside. Look at the professionals in this sport: in addition to training, they constantly do cardio to keep their hearts from faltering.
With cardio exercises, the respiratory system also trains: the volume of the lungs increases, the use of oxygen becomes more economical, endurance increases, and on top of that, subcutaneous fat disappears. How do you like this? Not a bad prospect, in my opinion.
And look at our vessels. Look at what we eat - fast carbohydrates and trans fats, which clog our blood vessels with plaques formed due to a large amount of bad cholesterol. This is where you get strokes. Bodybuilding solves all these problems if you know from which side to approach the issue of health improvement. But more on that at the end.
Training program
The most important and crucial stage is drawing up the first exercise program for beginning bodybuilders, since it is the first sessions that will help establish a neuromuscular connection and prepare the body for further training. In addition, if you stick to a properly designed training program, it will help avoid injury. For beginners, a program compiled by a competent trainer is of particular importance.
It is best if the first training sessions are circular. A huge advantage of this approach is that circuit training consists of basic elements. Therefore, this is a great way to prepare your body for a gradual increase in loads.
This approach will work for every beginner, but in the future you should switch to an individual training plan. Having a well-thought-out training program that takes into account the individual characteristics of the athlete is the key to a good result.
Warm-up
Bodybuilding for beginners will begin with mastering three basic exercises, namely: squats, bench press, deadlift. But besides the basic exercises from the program for beginners, there are also additional elements.
To get a visible result, you need to try to perform all the exercises from the “basic three” with the most correct technique, and also not neglect additional exercises.
When you arrive at the gym, the very first thing you should do is determine your working weight. Working weight means the weight with which you have the strength to do 10 repetitions of each exercise until complete failure. It is this figure that will be the starting point from which it will be possible to subsequently calculate the warm-up for each of the three exercises.
First cycle -1-4 weeks
Before you start training, you need to determine the weight with which you can perform 10 repetitions in each set. At the end of each week of training, you should add 5 kg to the initial weight and 2.5 kg in the bench press. Thus, with each new training week your sets will gradually become “heavier”.
During training, you need to forget about the word “no” and do even optional exercises. This is the only way to achieve a good result.
Second cycle - 5-8 weeks
During this period, as before, you should gradually increase the weight of the warm-up sets. But when you get to the point where the warm-up sets become very difficult, then simply reduce the weight increase by half.
There should be a 90 second break between sets.
Sex hormones and more
With age, the concentration of testosterone in men decreases, especially after 30 years. What normal guy wouldn’t want to stay in the ranks for as long as possible? The solution is bodybuilding.
Constant training increases the synthesis of hormones (in particular testosterone and somatotropin), which is why the age-related decline in these hormones becomes insignificant: the numbers vary dramatically between those who exercise and those who lead a sedentary lifestyle. And if we add here the use of sports supplements (notice, not pharmacology) like Tribulus, then in general everything in sexual terms will be wonderful for a very long time. High libido guaranteed.
Those who exercise are better able to resist cancer due to the fact that they use the carbohydrates they consume for business (it's all about insulin, but this is a long and uninteresting topic). In short, the likelihood of such a disease is much lower if you lift iron.
What can we say about strengthening the muscles of the core and lower back, which are necessary for people with hernias, protrusions, and curvatures of the spine? You can create a natural corset of muscles for the chest and butt – all this is possible thanks to working in “simulators”.
In addition, oxygen absorption decreases with age: after 30, every 10 years this figure drops by approximately 10%. And the brain needs oxygen. If you want to keep your mind clear, play sports.
Bodybuilding for weight loss
This sport not only builds beautiful muscles, but also helps burn excess fat. To get a good figure, you first need to remove fat deposits, and then start building muscles. The latter is only needed by those who want to become a bodybuilder.
If there is little fat, then in order to lose weight, you can start exercising to grow muscles. Losing weight will take a long time, but exercise will increase your metabolic rate, due to which unnecessary fat mass will begin to disappear.
Nutrition is also important. To increase muscle mass, the diet must be high in calories. It is contraindicated for weight loss. Therefore, you need to decide what goals you will pursue. It is the right diet and exercise that will help burn fat.
You can’t start difficult workouts right away. Strength exercises should alternate with aerobics. The duration of one lesson should be 30 minutes. You should definitely set aside time to rest afterward.
How to do bodybuilding as you age
Training is needed not only for a young body, but also for a mature one. For sports, age cannot be a hindrance. But remember that the body begins to work worse, which means training must be different. Before them, a warm-up is mandatory, which both young and old bodybuilders forget about.
Athletes should alternate between heavy and light exercise. At the age of 50, a small amount of body weight is gained, but muscle mass cannot increase. Everything that was developed at a young age will remain if you support yourself with exercises. It is better to train your body using exercise machines, rather than using weights.
The older a person is, the worse his metabolism becomes. Hormone production decreases and the body recovers slowly. This means that you will have to devote a lot of time to rest. You should take a break of two days between workouts. If there is malaise or high fatigue, then the break should be longer.
Don’t forget about the cardiovascular system, as problems with it begin with age. Cardio exercises keep her in a normal state. Their duration should be 30 minutes, and the load should be low. On the Internet you can find photos and videos describing cardio workouts that will help you choose exercises just for you.
In age-related bodybuilding, proper diet is of no small importance. It must correspond not only to sports nutrition, but also to age characteristics. It is also worth paying attention to vitamin complexes, because due to bodybuilding, their amount in the body decreases.
A few final tips
Exercises that are suitable for people you know may not always be suitable for you. To ensure that all muscle groups are properly impacted, a special training program is developed for each athlete individually. The main thing is not only to start working on the body correctly, but also to build further training without mistakes.
You cannot work with one weight for a long time. This will cause the muscles to stop growing. To avoid this, athletes begin to increase the weight on the equipment. This is not entirely correct. The best effect on the muscles will be by increasing the time you hold the weight and reducing the minutes of rest between approaches.
You should not allow some muscles to be idle or overtrained. If you do not train all muscle groups, atrophy may begin. And if you exercise constantly without rest, then overtraining occurs, which leads to a stop in the growth of muscle mass.
Trainers in gyms know how to do bodybuilding correctly, so in order to avoid mistakes, it is better to turn to them for help. They will create a specific training program and help you decide what is the priority - losing weight or building muscle mass.
Fabric renewal
Our body is completely renewed, but this renewal drops a little. For example, the liver. We can say that in six months you will have a completely new liver (subject to normal nutrition, the absence of bad habits, well, you know), because its cells are completely replaced by new ones after six months. But the update crashes. You can slow down this decline, that is, stay young longer, with the help of bodybuilding.
Moreover, the capacity of your “batteries” increases (the quality and quantity of mitochondria - the energy stations of the body - improves). Therefore, you get tired less, you have enough strength for everything. Add here a quick recovery: I work out almost every day, changing only the severity of the training, and by my next workout I have time to restore my muscles so that I can train without a drop in performance.
Bones and joints generally wear out: the former become fragile, the latter begin to hurt. Both problems are solved by bodybuilding: the musculoskeletal system is strengthened, and constant protein consumption provides them with calcium and collagen. The condition of the skin, nails and hair immediately improves. And all because of protein nutrition - a necessary condition for progress.
Thanks to the classes, your biological age will finally correspond to your age, and maybe even be less than yours.
How to pump up your back muscles at home
A good exercise for developing the lumbar muscles is the so-called boat. To perform it, lie on your stomach with your arms stretched forward, and then bend upward so that your legs, arms and head are pulled up. For back exercises in the gym, see this link .
The next exercise develops the spinal erectors. An assistant may be required to perform this. Lie on the bed face down, with your torso hanging from the bed to your waist, while an assistant should firmly fix your legs. Next, straighten your back upward.
The latissimus dorsi muscles , located in its upper part, are perfectly developed with the help of pull-ups on the horizontal bar with a grip wider than the shoulders. To enhance the effect, you can touch the horizontal bar with the back of your head.
And finally, the trapezius muscles. The best exercise for them is shrugs: take two identical weights in each hand and, without bending them, straighten them upward from a position along the body.
Psyche
Thanks to classes, you can successfully resist daily stress, “tension” at work and similar negative poops. You can take out your temper and anger, and even stress, in hard training. In addition, due to systematic exercise, your body gets used to producing happiness hormones: serotonin, endorphins and dopamine. You have been working out for several years, and you will notice that without training your mood drops.
Do you doubt yourself? What is your self-esteem? Bodybuilding helps to increase it by improving your attractiveness (appearance). You will begin to notice that the opposite sex has begun to pay more attention to you (for girls exactly, it’s just that the physical development of a guy in the 21st century is not something special, it’s even a prerequisite).
In short, you will be able to take on those things that you would have previously immediately refused: acquaintance, a workplace, a risky and impulsive act. Attractive people have always been more successful.
Initial complex
Bodybuilding, performed in natural home conditions, must begin with a certain initial complex:
- Be sure to perform squats with a load, developing the anterior femoral surface. The exercise options are different, some hold dumbbells with both hands and perform squats on both legs at once, others do this exercise by squatting on one of them, while holding dumbbells in the hand that is located on the side of the loaded leg. To increase the load, it is enough to use a bench. Standing on it with one foot, holding the dumbbell with your hand, you should lift up.
- The next exercise that begins bodybuilding, performed in natural home conditions, is performed in a similar way to lifting a barbell. Feet shoulder-width apart, back straight. To increase the load, you need to climb onto the bench.
- Lunges are performed by placing your working leg on a low step and holding dumbbells at your shoulders. Having made the deepest possible lunge forward, then smoothly straighten your leg. The loaded legs must be changed alternately.
- The basic exercise from which bodybuilding begins for the lower back muscles must be performed in natural home conditions quite slowly, holding dumbbells near your legs without bending your back. First of all, straighten your legs, followed by your back. You can increase the load by using a bench.
- Everyone is familiar with the exercise that strengthens the back muscles and is performed on the bar. The main thing is to pull yourself as close to your chest as possible.
- The same muscles are well strengthened by exercises during which dumbbells are pulled up in an inclined position.
- The pectoral muscles are developed by the dumbbell press, performed on a bench in a lying position. Also, for this purpose, it is necessary to spread the arms holding the dumbbells.
- To develop biceps in natural home conditions, bodybuilding involves alternately lifting weights on it in a sitting position. You can complicate the action by turning the brush.
Important: in this case, you must not forget about the belay; be sure to keep your balance on the wall with your other hand.
For the first few days, it is advisable to exercise daily, gradually increasing the load. In this case, first they squeeze everything out of the muscles, then rest a little, then continue the load. Each exercise must be performed like this: first lift the dumbbell ten times, then let the muscles rest and lift it ten times again, rest, and then lift it again. When the muscles receive maximum load, the next time it will seem feasible, it will be possible to increase it.
Important: you should not feel sorry for yourself and be lazy. All work is carried out for the final result.
Nutrition
The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract improves significantly when you follow a diet. Moreover, inflammations such as pancreatitis and cholecystitis move into a simpler phase. Bodybuilders are not so afraid of diabetes of the 1st and 2nd degrees.
Eating quality products and sports nutrition also affects your well-being. And all because of the need to comply with the principles of bodybuilding.
