Body building is great for your body; it builds strength and endurance, eliminates fat, and strengthens the heart and lungs, not to mention what it does for your self esteem. However, there are some very important steps you must be sure to include, and just as important, some vital steps you should avoid. As a bodybuilder, it is easy to do damage to your body if you are not careful to follow a few simple do’s and don’ts.
Do Set Goals For Yourself
If a body builder does not have a goal in mind, he is almost certain to give up. After all, how can you be expected to work as hard as you will be working when you cannot tell when you have succeeded? Some individuals do better when they set small short term goals because then they are able to rack up a series of successes that help to feed their motivation to keep going.
Don’t Procrastinate
The fact is that you will always have a reason not to go to the gym. You might be tired from work, and you might have laundry to do. It might be raining and it might be sunny, but if you do not go and you do no work out, you will not succeed. You won’t even get started. The key is to set a time each day that you will work out. Make an appointment with yourself as you would with a doctor or a client. You wouldn’t break an appointment with them; do not break your appointment with yourself.
Do Find A Partner
There are many different reasons why working out with a partner is a great idea. Time goes faster and you will simply enjoy your workout more if you share your time with a friend. Even if you do not talk with one another it is easier to work hard and push yourself through if it is an experience you are sharing with someone else. Working out with a partner also gives you accountability. If you choose to procrastinate or to take shortcuts, it is easier to justify your actions if you are the only one who knows. A partner can keep you motivated, and you will do the same for him.
Don’t Cheat
A bodybuilding workout is designed the way it is for a reason. Some of the exercises will be easier for you than others, but if you find shortcuts or skip the exercises you do not like, you will not get the results you desire. In fact, some exercise, if done wrong, can actually be harmful to you and to your muscles. Give yourself plenty of time for each workout and do the work as you have been taught. They will get easier as you get into shape. Being a bodybuilder takes time, patience, and dedication.
Do Get Enough Sleep
Every successful bodybuilder understands the importance of sleep. This is a time for your mind and body to rejuvenate themselves, and if you are doing your body building workouts correctly, your body needs that time. Conversely, a lack of sleep will prevent muscle growth. So if you do not get enough sleep, your tired muscles will not have a chance to repair themselves and you will be preventing the results you are working so hard to achieve.
Don’t Use Steroids
If you talk to any serious bodybuilder, he or she will tell you the dangers of using steroids and why he or she has never touched them. Given that the true nature of bodybuilding is that it makes you healthy and strong, taking steroids is obviously counterproductive. These drugs will help you build more muscle, while destroying you piece by piece. They will make you sterile, cause manic and depressive episodes, and eventually kill you. There is no quick way to see results; body building must be a process.
Hey this is a great article for beginners to bodybuilding. You just missed one thing: diet! What you eat is critical. You won’t get a six-pack if you stop at McDonalds at the way home from the gym. Avoiding processed foods and getting enough protein from lean sources is really important. Protein is especially important right after you work out.
Good luck to all the gym rats out there!