Beginning Bodybuilding, Build Muscle Mass!

For a lot of people the thought of lifting weights sounds like a lot of work for little reward. I personally look at bodybuilding as a long term journey. Bodybuilding, weight lifting and exercise in general are activities where time is on your side. See most people want to build muscle and get in shape for summer so they can look fit in there bathing suits. So they start working out a few months before summer and wonder why they did not reach there goals to change there body composition for the better.

Now when they think about working out and building muscle they believe they were not blessed with the right type of genetics to build there muscles any bigger then they are. The way you have to think in order to succeed and reach your bodybuilding goals is working out to build muscle and fitness in general is a part of your daily life not a short term goal. Consistency is the only way you will build the body of your dreams. This is the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God

Don't expect me to provide you with any so-called success stories, let's get this straight right now. Some training methods work better than others, but there are no secrets to building muscle. Our intention is to teach and guide you through the beginning of your weight training so that you can take your training to the next level and design a personal routine that meets your needs.

Now let’s get to work. What I am going to do is give you a workout routine for a person who has never worked out with weights. You can do this training at home with a home gym with out a lot of equipment and make great gains. I personally would recommend working out at your local gym. When you train at a commercial gym it builds energy, motivation and if you ever need help you have someone right there, not to mention all the equipment for future use.

Beginning bodybuilders should start working out three days a week or every other day so your muscles can get adequate rest for recovery. You must choose a routine that works every major muscle group.

Here is a run down: • Legs (squats, lunges, leg extensions, leg curls, leg press) • Shoulders (military press, dumbbell raises, side laterals) • Chest (bench press, flyes, dips) • Back (pull-ups, rows, deadlifts, lat pull-downs) • Biceps (ez-bar curls, barbell curls, dumbbell curls) • Triceps (push downs, skull crushers, French curls, one arm tri extensions) • Abs (hanging leg raises, incline crunches) • Cardio (for the heart

• Repetitions are the amount of times you complete the motion of the exercise. • Sets are the amount of times you will complete the exercise. Example Bench Press 3 sets of 12 Repetitions. So you would complete 12 bench press movements that would be 1 set rest 60 seconds than complete another 12 repetitions that would be 2 sets and so on till you reach the amount of sets required in your workout routine in this case (example) 3 sets

Start off with compound exercises. Compound exercise will fire up as many muscle fibers as possible to stimulate the kind of deep growth you're looking for. Let’s take a look at the difference between compound exercises and Isolation exercises. Compound exercises move the body through more than one joint movement, while isolation exercises only move the body through a single-joint movement.

The best exercise to show you the difference is the barbell squat. The squats are the #1 exercise of all compound exercises. The barbell squats moves your body using a majority of your muscle groups and bends you at your ankles, knees, waist, hips, and to some degree, even your shoulders. Compare this to an isolation exercise such as leg extensions or leg curls which only moves your body by bending one joint...the knee.

These are the compound exercise you should include in you bodybuilding routine. Shoulders: Military Press, Hang Clean and Press, Arnold Press Arms: Close-Grip Chin-Up (w/palms facing toward your face), Dips, Close-Grip Pushup, Twisting Dumbbell Curl Legs: Barbell Squat, Deadlift, Lunges Back: Chin-Up, Pull-Down, Deadlift, Row Chest: Push-Up, Dips, Bench Press

There are a few Bodybuilding supplements you should use. Make sure to drink a whey protein shake with glutamine half hour before workout and a half hour after working out. Also take a good multi-vitamin, after training for a while you can add other bodybuilding supplements to help you reach your goals.



• MONDAY, WED, FRIDAY: Bench Press 3 sets x 10 to 12 reps, Dumbell Curls 3 sets x 10 to 12 reps, Tricep Dips 3 sets x 12 reps then add weight, Chin-ups 3 sets x 12 reps then add weight, Military Press 3 sets x 10 to 12 reps, Deadlifts 3 sets x 10 to 12 reps, Squats 3 sets x 10 to 12 reps, Calf Raises 3 sets x 12 to 15 reps, When you reach the max reps add 5 pounds always increasing intensity. I heard this great quote train like a pro athlete, keep this in mind. You can pick a different exercise from each muscle group if you wish to but keep the squats and deadlifts

Give this workout 3-6 months and if done right with proper nutrition you will see great results. Build a good foundation (muscle mass) before doing isolation exercises.

For more knowledgeable Bodybuilding information visit my friend Samuel Rivera over at