Body Building
Body building is the process of developing, refining and
maintaining muscle fibre, and can be generally split into
three key areas - exercise, diet and rest. Successful body
building requires close attention to each of these three areas,
as they rely on one another.
The exercise component of body building consists largely
of weight training or resistance training, as opposed to aerobic
workouts which are more associated with increasing muscle
endurance and flexibility, rather than building lean muscle
mass. Although training with weights will naturally improve
endurance and flexibility.
Weight training involves the lifting and lowering of weights,
usually in some combination of sets and repetitions, with
the purpose of creating microscopic tears (also known as microtrauma)
in the muscle fibre, which cause the muscle to regenerate
literally bigger and stronger than before. The controlled
lowering of weights is as crucial as the lifting of them,
as this is when much of the microtrauma occurs. It is also
important to bear in mind that once the threshold of overload
has been achieved, there is minimal potential gain, and in
fact possible negative effect, to further damaging the muscle.
Therefore optimal exercise routines for body builders will
usually be short and intense. Given the right knowledge and
good instruction, successful body building need not be a significant
time investment.
Body builders know the importance of what is known as 'good
form' while training with weights. This means ensuring that
the particular muscle group that you are working on is taking
the strain of the exercise, and that you are not employing
the use of other muscle groups in order to compensate and
share the load. Experienced body builders tend to prefer free
weights, which give them more control over their exercising,
whereas beginners may be better off using weight machines,
which limit the scope for mistakes. Here again, it is important
to get good instruction in order to maximise the gain from
your workout.
Resistance training is much the same as weight training,
but employs the use of elastic or hydraulic mechanisms rather
than weights to to oppose muscular contractions.
Following a workout, it is important to then get sufficient
rest so that the muscle fibres have an opportunity to repair
themselves before the next workout. Eight hours' sleep a night
is recommended, and many body builders find that taking short
naps during the day also helps them to build muscle more efficiently.
If muscles are not given the chance to repair themselves before
being subjected to more microtrauma, the training will not
be as effective, as the process of building muscle will be
inhibited.
Body building requires a specialized diet. A bodybuilder
will need to consume more calories than an average person
in order to build body mass. Carbohydrates are important as
they provide the body with energy required to train and recover.
Slow-digesting carbohydrates are preferred, as they release
energy in a more stable fashion than high-glycemic sugars
and starches, which can stimulate the body to store energy
as fat rather than muscle. Although body builders will consume
quick-digesting sugars such as glucose right after a workout,
when it can help replenish glycogen stores in the muscle and
stimulate protein synthesis.
Protein is another key component in the body builder's diet.
The consensus is that 25-30% protein as a percentage of total
dietary intake is about optimal. High quality protein such
as chicken, other lean meat, dairy products and whey are recommended.
Popular supplements are also a staple of the body building
diet. Of these, Creatine is the most widely used, and is proven
to supplement the body's natural energy regeneration cycle,
and therefore provide more energy during short, intense bursts
of work, such as weight training.
It is perfectly possible to embark on a complete body building
programme from the comfort of your own home. A simple pair
of adjustable dumbbells and a set of weight discs is enough
to perform a comprehensive weight training session, although
the addition of a bench and barbells will greatly increase
the flexibility of your workouts. Chin-ups and push-ups are
other examples of simple yet effective body building exercises
that can be performed without the aid of a gym or expensive
equipment.
In competitive body building, bodybuilders are scored for
their aesthetic appearance by a panel of judges. The techniques
employed by professional body builders are complex, but basically
involve reducing body fat as much as possible, defining and
separating muscle groups often with the assistance of tans
and oils. The prestigious Mr. Olympia title is considered
to be the highest accolade in the field of modern body building.
Body Building
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