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| Believe it or not, the same personal organization and time management that helps you succeed in school is also important in bodybuilding. Find greater muscle-building success with these 9 important tips! |
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Article Summary:
Train at the same time each day so you don't skip workouts.
Change up your workouts to avoid hitting a plateau.
Do research on supplements before you begin taking them.
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Nine Bodybuilding Tips For Teens!
1. Plan Ahead And Execute
Believe it or not, the same personal organization and time management
that helps you succeed in school is also important in bodybuilding.
Because most of us are not professional bodybuilders and therefore have
schoolwork, jobs, and extracurricular activities to worry about, the
ability to plan and execute is the key to maintaining a consistent diet
and workout plan.
The worst approach is to train "when I'm free" and eat
healthy "when I can" because that type of attitude is too vague and
doesn't hold oneself accountable.
Instead, plan your day ahead of
time - know when and how you will train and what you will eat throughout
the day. This may involve skipping out on leisure activities or
preparing and packing food for the road, but the progress will be worth
it. And also leave room for the unexpected by always knowing that
workouts and diets will get interrupted by everyday life. How quickly
and effectively you get back on track is very important.
  Click Image To Enlarge.Plan Your Day Ahead Of Time.
For example, I
used to plan my workouts around my classes in college, with rest days
scheduled for my most hectic days. I would also wake up before classes
to pack salads, sandwiches, and snacks to eat throughout the day,
sometimes carrying around 3 full meals in my gym bag. It was a hassle at
first, but after a week or two, it became second nature.
2. Train Properly
The gym is a place to train and train properly. That seems like an
obvious and unnecessary statement, but I often see people, especially
younger individuals, using the gym improperly. Some come to check out
the women in aerobics classes, others come to socialize with their
friends, and still others come simply to show off and display their
strength and power.
While the first two groups are an annoyance to gym
goers everywhere, falling into the third category can lead to serious
injury. Honestly, no one really cares how much you can lift unless you
can heave record-level weights because gym patrons are there to execute
their own training.
Therefore, you should not focus so much on throwing
around ridiculous weights but on lifting the heaviest weights that still
allow you to maintain good form. Good form will not only allow you to
avoid injuries, it will lead to gains and allow your muscles to develop
proportionally.
For example, my approach to the bench press is to use a
heavy weight that I can lift 6 to 8 times while keeping my grip a bit
wider than shoulder width, my back flat on the bench, and my feet flat
on the floor. Once I start arching my back, shifting my feet too much,
or bouncing the bar off my chest, I know the weight is too heavy.
 
Click Image To Enlarge.
Flat Barbell Bench Press.
3. Train Proportionally
The bench press and different curl stations always seem to be occupied,
while many squat racks and leg stations are idle. Bodybuilders naturally
love to train very visible muscle groups such as chest and arms, so
exercises that target these areas are the most popular. Don't fall into
this trap because you will quickly become disproportionate and
asymmetrical.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Train Each Body Part Proportionally.
If you plan to compete in bodybuilding competitions, you
will receive very low marks for this type of figure. Be sure to train
your lower body in addition to your upper body, and don't overlook less
popular muscles such as forearms, obliques, and calves. These muscles
are often the difference between a good physique and a great physique.
Lastly, be sure to self-assess as well as having a third party assess
your development every few months.
4. Remember To Rest
Lifting weights does not cause your muscles to grow; the recovery period
is what leads to gains. Too many beginners think that the more you
train, the more you will grow, and this is simply wrong. The opposite is
actually true, and rest is a vital component in any bodybuilder's
regimen that should both be scheduled and randomly allotted based on
soreness and fatigue.
When you train a muscle or muscle group, the
resistance causes fibers to tear slightly. Afterwards, the body
essentially repairs and rebuilds these damaged muscle fibers through
protein synthesis with various available amino acids.
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Protein Synthesis
The process by which nitrogen from amino acids is linearly arranged into structural proteins through the involvement of RNA and various enzymes. Protein synthesis is muscle growth. The more efficient you can make this process the more efficiently you can build muscle.
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Each rebuilding
phase results in a slightly larger and slightly stronger muscle. These
phases require proper nutrients and time, so if you constantly train a
certain muscle group or don't get adequate rest or sleep, recovery is
stunted.
I personally aim for about 3 days rest for major muscle groups
such as chest, back, and quads. Smaller groups such as abdominals are
given about 2 days rest.
| RELATED ARTICLE |
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Active Recovery!
Active recovery will assist you in taking maximum advantage and prepare you mentally for your next strenuous workout.
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Author:
Richard Chan
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If you are a beginner, though, soreness will be
markedly higher, so be sure to rest and recover even more to be on the
safe side.
5. Because More Isn't Always Better
Like life in general, too much of a good thing can turn bad. The
unfavorable consequences of too much training were discussed above, and
the same rules apply to protein.
The bodybuilding community is known to
stress (and potentially overstress) the importance of protein
consumption. While it is absolutely true that adequate protein is
necessary for successful protein synthesis and muscle growth, there is
such a thing as too much protein.
When involved in a training program,
you should consume between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein per pound of
bodyweight. Where you are should be determined by your overall goal, so
if you're looking to cut down, stay towards 1 gram per pound, and if
you're aiming to bulk up, consumption should be on the high end.
Too
much protein will simply go unused by the body and be stored as muscle
glycogen, then fat. So if you are eating a lean protein source at every
meal in addition to snacking on products such as dairy, you probably
don't need multiple protein shakes throughout the day.
6. Keep Things New And Fresh
If you are just starting resistance training or bodybuilding, those
first few workouts will leave target muscles absolutely fatigued. You
will walk funny, perform everyday actions gingerly, and feel pain with
the slightest of movements. This is good, however, as it is a signal
that you are well on your way to making gains.
You want to be able to
experience this 'good' pain (although not to the same extreme as when
you first started) after every session, so I am a big proponent of
varying workouts and diverse training techniques. The human body is
naturally inclined to acclimate and adapt in order to avoid stress.
 Click Image To Enlarge.You Want To Be Able To Experience
This Good Pain After Every Session.
By
doing the same exercises day in and day out, you are giving your body
time to get used to the routine, which will result in lower and lower
effectiveness. This is often known as a plateau, and it is an enemy of
all bodybuilders.
So when you get to a point when certain exercises are
too easy and you are not sore afterwards, it is time to increase the
weight, vary reps, add drop sets or forced reps, or pick new exercises
all together.
| RELATED ARTICLE |
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Bust Out Of Your Plateau!
Some folks don't even realize they're in a rut, as they religiously plod along, training day after day, convinced that everything is fine.
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Author:
Tim Wescott
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7. Supplements Are Tools, Not Miracles
Supplements are used to reinforce and complement a well-rounded diet and
exercise program. If you train adequately and follow a clean diet,
supplements can help you develop muscle, eliminate fat, generate energy,
and recover.
For example, protein powders are a fast, easy, and
cost-efficient way to meet your daily protein intake because it is often
impractical to carry around cans of tuna or pieces of chicken.
Supplements DO NOT, however, replace hard work and dedication.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Supplements Are Used To Complement A
Well-Rounded Diet & Exercise Program.
Too many
people have the gross misconception that because they take a certain
pill or powder, they can slack off at the gym or raid the refrigerator.
This type of mentality can greatly sabotage your goals because the
progress lost by skipping workouts and the extra calories consumed by
overeating far outweighs the benefits of supplementation.
For example,
if you think that you can eat more because you are on a fat burner,
consider this--one dose of most common fat burners allows you to expend
about 150 extra calories a day, the equivalent of one and half cans of
soda.
8. Do Your Research
The teenage body is markedly different from the adult body, and these
differences must be considered when supplementing. Mainly, teenagers are
still undergoing hormonal and psychological changes. Add to this the fact that
the common teenage bodybuilder is a lot less informed about supplements
than the average adult bodybuilder and the message is clear--be cautious
and do your homework.
Do NOT simply take a supplement because your
buddy, a famous bodybuilder, or the guy on the late night infomercial
does. Instead, do some research. Consult a variety of sources such as
medical studies, reputable magazines, and trusted individuals to see
exactly what you're getting into.
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Bodybuilding.com:
Supplement Guides.
Easily find the products you're looking for with our categorized ingredient pages. Get full info on each product!
[ Check Out The Supplement Guides Here! ]
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Be sure to figure out what the
supplement does, how it does it, the recommended dosage, potential side
effects, and the ingredients, among other things. If you plan to take a
variety of supplements, be sure to find out how these various substances
will interact with one another.
For example, I have found through
research and personal experience that some casein protein combined with
an L-Glutamine supplement at night helps me recover more effectively and
feel renewed for my morning workouts. So the more you know, the more
effective your supplementation will be.
9. Do It For Yourself
The last piece of advice I want to impart on teenage bodybuilders and
all other readers is probably the most important and overarching piece.
The motivation and drive to body build should come from yourself. In
other words, the diet, the training, and the sacrifices (and there will
be many) should be because you want to improve yourself and push your
body to its limits.
As trite as this may be, you should not start
bodybuilding to impress or please others. While this may very well
happen as a result of your efforts, they should not be your primary
motivation.
I say this because there will be many days when you find it
near impossible to get out of bed or perform that last rep. The cute
girl from your algebra class won't be there to help you get through it.
Success will only result if you truly enjoy what you are doing and what
will result.
anthony.v.lee@gmail.com
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