The Bodybuilding Beginner
The body is a beautiful machine, designed to be capable and adaptable. The Greeks used the human figure as one of the highest forms of inspiration for their art and held up the physically fit male figure as the ideal (with fig leaf in tow). Since that time, up until and especially now, physical beauty and perfection is considered a kind of higher art, or truth. This certainly goes part way to explaining why bodybuilding, introduced in the late 1800s, has gained in popularity the world over and particularly in the West. More and more men, and in ever greater numbers women, are taking up this controversial ‘sport’. It does not require any great skills, except a couple we’ll see later on, but there are some things to keep in mind before starting if you’re thinking of taking it up.
The first thing to do is consult your physician. You need to get a green light from the man in white before you can go ahead and start pumping that iron. If you are especially out of shape or overweight then this is a must! The second thing to do is make a game-plan; essentially, how you’re going to start and where you want to end up. Set realistic goals for yourself on a daily, weekly and monthly basis; keep a journal or diary to record your progress and setbacks. Take measurements and weigh yourself; record that data as well.
Get familiarized with the terminology used, the different muscle groupings, how they are affected by which exercises and so forth. You have to have a certain level of basic, background knowledge about your body and the kind of stresses it can withstand so that you don’t injure yourself. As always, too much too fast can be dangerous, even if not now then a few years down the line. So start off slowly, stick to your plan and be disciplined about it. Here’s where one of the skills mentioned above comes in. Willpower. Yes, it’s a skill and it can be developed. Keep practicing; force yourself on your bad days if you have to. Eventually it will get easier and easier.
The second skill you need to develop is patience. Be patient with yourself. Sometimes there are certain factors that can affect how you develop and it pays to know yourself really well. For instance, an obvious one that comes to mind is your body-type. Depending on your build you may have to use different kinds of workout routines to get maximum results. Age seems to be another factor, but whatever it is, there is never a need to resort to dangerous drugs or supplements to build mass. Make sure you consult with your physician before taking any drugs or steroids for bulking up and keep in mind that your health comes before any other consideration.
A last thing to think about, especially if you’re female, are the bodybuilding related areas of ‘Fitness and Figure’ competitions that do not necessarily require as much ‘bulk’ as they do tone, shape, stamina and so on. Two of the most prestigious competitions are the ‘Fitness Olympia’ and the ‘Figure Olympia’ and would be well worth looking into as alternatives to hardcore bodybuilding.
