10 Vital Facts Every Bodybuilder Should Know

As in any discipline, there is speculation in bodybuilding that involves many methods and processes that support the pathways to success.

These speculations often lead to results that confuse and hamper the bodybuilder. For example, there is a misconception about nutrition; Avoiding all kinds of fat improves one’s health and gives a desirable body. However, research shows that; Regular intake of the right kind of fat in appropriate amounts not only improves health but also supports physical development.

There is also a belief that aerobic training can negatively affect muscle growth. As this article discusses, aerobic training can be a valuable tool to increase mass. These are just two examples. There are many more of these examples. In fact, there are certain universal facts that every bodybuilder should know. The following guarantees that everyone will improve their physique.

# 1 Lift Increasing Weights

The basic need for everyone who wants to improve their body is to increase the amount of weight lifted from session to session. This process not only increases the intensity of the session, but also confirms that a sufficient amount of tension is applied to the muscles, and the results will show this.

Novice bodybuilders should first aim to lift a certain weight a certain amount of repetition (eg, to lift 50 kg 10 times on the pressure bench – bench press). The next week, the weight is increased by 2.5 kg and this process continues until the person can only lift the weight 6-8 times.

The next goal will be that this weight, which can be lifted 6-8 times, can be lifted 10 times. The truth is that The way to progress in bodybuilding is to impart increasing levels of intensity to the muscles on a continuous principle, which is commonly known as “progressive resistance training”.

In fact, it can be seen that development stops when the same weight continues to be applied to the muscles every day. Such a stagnation stops development and negatively affects the results. If the person is in a situation where he is unable to increase his work weight, an excessive amount of work will occur, and the consequences of this must be well calculated before obtaining further gains (See Fact 10).

# 2 Eat 2.5 Grams of Protein per Pound of Body Weight

Most bodybuilders and athletes today know that protein is an important nutritional component.

However, the point where most of them fail to achieve their physical purpose is that the amount of protein needed is much more than they originally thought.

The general acceptance is that the daily amount of protein to be taken is 70-80 grams. This amount has proven to be wrong. Protein is an essential chemical component for many biological processes in our body — in particular, for bodybuilders to build their muscles. Protein synthesis (conversion of amino acids to protein for the repair and restructuring of body cells) can only occur properly by consuming a sufficient amount of protein.

Advanced bodybuilders who put more strain on their muscles than normal people then eat a high protein diet. A good starting amount (for a bodybuilder for a while) is 2.5 grams of protein for every pound of your body weight. In my experience, more is better. Many receive twice this amount.

When it comes to bodybuilding, eating a lot of protein is perhaps the second important variable after workout intensity. Protein-rich foods, eggs (the food with the highest protein content), milk, chicken, and red meat. The person should make an effort to consume 30-40 grams of protein 5-7 times a day. One of the reasons for not achieving adequate size is the lack of protein, and this is often associated with difficulties in correct meal timing and planning, in which supplements will help.

A good “whey” protein supplement (shown to be the most effective) will provide around 30 grams of protein when mixed with milk and drunk. The importance of protein is not really overstated. Daily meal ingredients (under normal conditions) can be:

Breakfast (08:00):

• An omelet with six eggs and cheese

• A glass of milk

A bowl of oatmeal

Snack in the Morning-Afternoon (10:30):

• A protein mix with a glass of whey

• Two bananas

• Small bowl of rice

• A slice of cheese (50 g)

Lunch (12:30):

A piece of chicken breast

• Large bowl of rice

• A glass of milk

Afternoon Snack (15:00):

• A protein mix with a glass of whey

• An Apple

A carrot

• Two sandwiches with peanut butter

Dinner (at 18:00):

• 350 gr beef

• A glass of milk

• Two large potatoes

• 200 gr broccoli / cauliflower

Night Dinner (21:00):

• A protein mix with a glass of whey

• Small bowl of rice

Snack Before Bed (22:30, optional):

• A protein mix with a glass of whey

# 3 Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is essential for many reasons. Sleep aids the bodybuilder in protein synthesis mentioned in the previous chapter and mentally refreshes the person for the next training session.

Sleep also aids in testosterone and growth hormone production. One thing that should not be forgotten about sleep is that it is an event that goes without food for 8 hours or more. This is a disaster for a true weightlifter, because during sleep the muscles begin to break down (glycogenesis) to supply glycogen to the brain and other organs.

To avoid this, eat a high-protein meal before bed and repeat immediately after getting up (if you are not doing aerobic training that day). The common view for enough sleep is 7-8 hours of sleep per night. To achieve this, do the following:

Take a warm shower before going to bed
• Listen to a relaxing type of music
• Consume a small amount of carbohydrates
• Go to bed at the same time every night
• Don’t watch TV in bed
• Avoid sleeping pills
• Do not use alcohol and cigarettes

# 4 Develop a Positive Mental Behavior

Thinking positively helps the muscle building process in a number of ways. If a person can approach each training session with confidence and anticipation of achieving the point he wants to achieve, the quality of the training will increase. If the person has negative thoughts, this also affects training negatively.

E.g; If something negative is considered while trying to perform an intense workout on the one hand, the mind (arguably the most important organ for bodybuilding) is distracted from thinking about the goals to be achieved – in other words, there is a complete connection between mind and muscles. If the person is in a negative mood, this will also negatively affect the development. The body should always be kept in a positive mood, and exactly what needs to be done for improvement should never be overlooked.

Moreover, thinking big implies maximum self-belief, and this is necessary to achieve goals.

To develop and maintain a positive mental behavior, practice the following:

Communicate with positive-minded people
• Practice positive self-affirmation (frequent repetition of positive statements)
• Think about success

# 5 Tension Control

Negative tension is perhaps the single most devastating factor one encounters for advanced muscle development. Everyone, anywhere, faces a certain amount of tension every day. This is natural and survival depends on overcoming it.
Smoking, excessive drinking, negative thinking, constant argument, and lack of sleep are all negative tension, all of which cause high levels of cortisol release. Cortisol is the main tension hormone in the body and its release causes: vascular occlusion, high blood pressure, some kind of resistance and failure of various organs to escape, and the concentration of blood. Cortisol fully depletes protein tissue and increases the breakdown of fats – something that the bodybuilder doesn’t want.
The following are techniques that can be applied to achieve effective tension control:
Eat well and exercise regularly
• Improve your deep breathing technique
• Try to be optimistic (avoid speaking negatively to yourself)
• When you run into a problem, focus on what might happen in the future rather than the problem itself.

# 6 Do Aerobic Exercises

Contrary to the claims that it disrupts the muscle structure, aerobics is actually necessary for muscle development. Aerobics not only increases the ability of the metabolism to burn fat, but also allows the excretion of excess components (lactic acid), allowing oxygen and nutrients to be transported to the muscles where they will be used – it promotes muscle growth and strength.

The important point in aerobics is to carefully plan the correct application time and intensity of the activity in order to achieve successful results. Aerobics done in low intensity (don’t overdo it) and in medium duration (about 45 minutes) will be effective for the bodybuilder’s purpose. Brisk walking is perhaps the most popular and effective form of aerobics for muscle growth. A good aerobics program might be:

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (06:30): 45 minutes of brisk walking

# 7 Consume Fat

Fat consumption is generally not considered when the goal is to build muscle and lose weight. Fat consumption is not such a simple matter. It should not be forgotten that; There are various types of oils that have separate functions.

It is recommended to avoid saturated fats (animal fat, fats at room temperature) as they cause various heart diseases, including heart attack. But; Because cholesterol (usually found in foods containing saturated fat), saturated fat, and all other sources of fat increase testosterone levels, which contributes to increasing muscle mass (Berardi, 2004), it is recommended that all bodybuilders eat a certain amount of saturated fat.

In fact, one study found that reducing the amount of fat (saturated fat) in the diet lowered both total and free testosterone levels. It was observed that testosterone levels returned to normal after eating fat-containing food again. This study highlights the importance of fat in nutrition as a whole.

Essential Fatty Acids (TFA: Omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid and Omega-6 linoliec acid) are the fats that are said to be beneficial to bodybuilders. Omega-3 found in all cold water fish and Omega-6 found in horseradish oil, saffron and sunflower oil have various functions and should be included in everyone’s diet when it comes to health in general.

Some of the functions mentioned above are as follows:

Producing the electrical current that keeps the heart beating steadily
• Increasing peroxide production that helps the development of the immune system: TFAs produce hormone-like eicosanoids. These regulate immunity and counter responses. Omega-3s slow down the natural immune damages thanks to their anti-response properties.
• Joint repair: It improves bone mineralization with TFAs, calcium, C, D, K vitamins and boron.

# 8 Avoid Overdosing

One of the biggest problems is that eager weight lifters overdose. An overdose involves a range of symptoms that impair a person’s motivation and deprive the bodybuilder of continuous improvement – regression is the most common occurrence. This is continued despite all the signs indicating that this should stop and return to normal working pace.

While striving to develop an excessive amount of muscle growth, the person pushes the body to its limits without realizing that rest is as necessary for the muscles as at least intensive work. The lack of resting the muscles leads to an overdose.

Signs of overdose can be:

Physical: Waking up with a high pulse rate, high blood pressure in the morning, increased joint and muscle pain, headaches and tremors, fatigue, weakness, insomnia, loss of appetite, injury, illness, chronic fatigue, insatiable thirst or dehydration, cold sensitivity to the common sense, persistent minor infections and changes in intrinsic, immune and central nervous systems function
Psychological: Increased apathy, irritability, mood and sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, decreased concentration, anorexia
Ways to prevent overdose include:

Limit training times to 45 minutes or even reduce it to reduce protein consumption that causes significant cortisol release
• rest and sleep for enough time
• Increasing the work intensity gradually over a period of time instead of working excessively at the beginning.
• Interrupting work from time to time in order to prevent a decrease in the enthusiasm to work and, more importantly, to offset the early stages of overdose.
• Nutrition supplemented with protein and essential vitamins and minerals, the constant friend of the bodybuilder. In case of malnutrition, the body will easily collapse in the face of any training stimulus.

# 9 Use Additional Complementary Products

The bodybuilder’s diet (containing all nutrients) forms the basis of one’s training program. Many people improve their programs by adding additional products. Complementary products, as the name suggests, should not form the basis of their diet, but rather support it. But this statement should not mean that supplements are unimportant, rather they are.

The various supplements are convenient and concentrated units due to the important nutrients and other anabolic (constructive metabolism) components they contain. As markets contain a wide variety of complementary products and the food industry evolves day by day, what matters at this point is the consumer’s need. Highlighted here is the benefit of the complementary product – the customer keeps coming back to buy again because they are satisfied with the result they have achieved.

So supplements work and should be part of your bodybuilding regimen. But; Which product works and which doesn’t? In this case, perhaps the best way is to try until you find the one that fits. Some of the most used supplements include:

Whey Protein: In my opinion, it is the best product available. If used properly, it helps other proteins (in food and complementary products) work.
• Multi-Vitamins / Minerals: A good multi-vitamin / mineral product can act like an insurance policy to compensate for any nutritional deficiencies. If a person has a certain nutritional deficiency (eg one of the B vitamins), some of their body functions may not work properly.
Creatine: Keratin monohydrate has taken the bodybuilding world by storm since 1992. Creatine aids in energy production and consequently leads to more intense training. It also makes muscle cells supersaturated with water, which leads to further growth and strength of muscle fibers. Creatine is a component that is naturally produced in our body (kidney, liver and pancreas) and after entering the muscles, creatine turns into phosphate.
Creatine phosphate helps to produce ATP, our main energy molecule. Bodybuilders are closely concerned with these effects of creatine, so creatine has now become a staple of many athletes’ diets.
L-Glutamine: Approximately 60% of the free amino acids in the muscles are L-Glutamine. Hence L-Glutamine plays a very important role in protein metabolism. Other tissues also need L-Glutamine and when they cannot meet the required amount, they will interfere with the muscles. Therefore, it is very important to supplement with L-Glutamine so that the muscles are constantly saturated and restored.

# 10 Get Information

Achieving success in bodybuilding involves a continuous process of learning and experimentation. Reading an article like this, reviewing sites like Bodybuilding.com provides the desired bodybuilder with the knowledge they need in physical development studies. Books, videos and expert advice also help for this purpose.

Those who want to continue on their way without learning the basic principles of bodybuilding, learning techniques and dietary principles and gaining experience cannot go beyond the initial stage. Moreover, being aware of new scientific advances and what is happening in the bodybuilding world will help a person go beyond their genetic limits and improve their physique.

To get updated information:

Read the latest research results
• Read FitGAG.com
• Talk to highly knowledgeable experts
• Read bodybuilding and fitness books

Last Word

Many bodybuilders spend a significant amount of their time discovering some secrets to reach beyond what they desire. There is no secret in bodybuilding.

Tried, tested and found to work basic prerequisites; To do progressive endurance training, supplement with protein, sleep regularly, develop positive behavior, control tension, do aerobic training, fat supplements, avoid overdose, use supplements in a controlled manner and learn important facts that every bodybuilder must learn be willing to be informed.