A scrawny guy can get buff through bodybuilding. Those skinny little legs and scrawny chest can swell over time to get you noticed the next time you hit the beach. By following a few simple principles, you can easily and safely achieve the physique you always wanted.
The goals of bodybuilding or weightlifting are to shape up, build muscle and reduce fat. Bodybuilding works on the principle of progressive muscular adaptation, and understanding this concept will allow a skinny guy to get buff quickly, while avoiding muscle injuries that could delay progress. Nothing is more frustrating then setting ambitious goals, hitting the gym — and then not being able to move for two weeks because you are so sore!
Physical Clearance
It’s important to obtain medical clearance before beginning any exercise program but critical if you are sedentary, elderly, or deconditioned. The purpose of obtaining medical clearance is to have a medical professional identify any problematic health habits or physical risk factors. Based on these factors, a safe level of workout intensity will be determined for you. Keep in mind your own individual body’s likes and dislikes. Listening to your body is one of the best ways to avoid injury.
How Bodybuilding Works
Lift weights that are slightly heavier than you are accustomed to handling and your muscles respond by developing tiny tears. During the rest periods between workouts, proper nutrition is important to allow your muscles to repair themselves and become stronger, bigger and leaner. Bodybuilders place increasingly difficult demands on their bodies to become more and more buff over time.
Reps and Sets
Bodybuilders use repetitions, or reps, which are complete movements of an exercise. To become buff, lift a weight a total of eight to 10 times, or reps. At the end of eight to 10 reps, you have completed one set of exercises. Rest for a short time frame and repeat the entire set between three to four times.
Target Each Muscle Group
Typically, body builders do different sets for each muscle group. They will focus on one or two body areas per workout, rest on alternate days and focus on the next body part. Because rest is so important to becoming buff, limit workouts to three or four times a week. A person who has pushed himself to his maximum capacity, without straining, will have trouble completing the last one or two reps of each set.