Finding the right bodybuilding workout can be a real headache, especially since there are dozens of bodybuilding routines and programs out there to choose from.

How do you know that the bodybuilding routines stated in any type of program really works? And how do you choose the most effective bodybuilding workout?

This article is a simple guide for you to choose the bodybuilding workout that suits you best.

The topmost standard in choosing the right bodybuilding routine for you is to see whether or not the program has been tested. A good and well thought out bodybuilding routine discusses all of the following key factors: Goals, training loads, progress monitoring, and recovery periods.

In a bodybuilding routine, the “just do it and see” attitude will not likely drive any major results. What a bodybuilding workout needs is a program that allows progressive training.

Guidance on changing your workout loads and periodic progress monitoring is essential to know if the bodybuilding routine you have is working. Now often, in bodybuilding routines, recovery periods are frequently overlooked.

Keep in mind that it is just as important as working out and performing your bodybuilding routine exercises. Your bodybuilding routine plan should cover rest on a regular basis and across the training phases.

A good bodybuilding routine is one that specifies its target population, age, training level, and effective duration.

Different people have specific needs in a bodybuilding routine. Some bodybuilding routines might be too taxing for teenagers who have smaller and less developed muscles.

The same thing applies in the training level of a bodybuilding routine. You do not want to train under a bodybuilding routine for novices when you’re a bodybuilding veteran of 10 yrs.

So if you are serious about achieving your ultimate bodybuilding potential, the guide above should give you a better idea in what to look for in bodybuilding routines.

The first logical step to take for any bodybuilding fitness beginner is goal-setting. A high percentage of bodybuilding fitness programs are successful mainly because its participants are looking to improve themselves.

You can also keep a bodybuilding fitness logbook to record your progress and the goals you have set and achieved during the program. Below are a few more bodybuilding fitness tips to get you going:

To ensure success in your bodybuilding fitness plan, make a commitment to yourself and make the effort to change your habits.

As a matter of fact, the best bodybuilding fitness plans continue on indefinitely.

Bodybuilding fitness means going to the gym on a regular basis, adapting strenuous exercise routines, and tearing up muscles here and there as a result. But all that pain and discomfort is what makes bodybuilding fitness work for you.

Change your diet is one of the most important keys to success. Drink more water to optimize muscle volume. Limit your salt intake. Sleep. Never ever forget your goal in taking up bodybuilding fitness in the first place.

Get that ideal muscled body you’ve always wanted and remember to do a body full workout.

For more, please visit my blog: http://fitnessandbodybuilding.blogspot.com/

The abdomen is composed of several groups of muscles, so understanding which ones you are targeting as part of any abdominal training program is the key to toned and ripped abs.

Untrained abdominal muscles tend to look heavy and week, or when covered in layers of fat are nowhere to be seen. This is one of the most common problems that affect millions of people from around the world.

Now, with the increasing priority given to physical or visual appearance, more and more victims of “heavy” abdominal muscles find themselves feeling unhappy and often unattractive.

Nearly all of us want to get toned and have well-shaped abs, which is the reason why abdominal training is such a hot subject.

Abdominal muscle exercises are required to develop and shape the abs, which for many can be stubborn muscles.

The abdominal muscles are, however, varied and that can make it difficult for people to understand what exercises they should be doing.

Well, for those who are interested in knowing the biological aspects of abdominal training, then continue reading. I have actually mentioned below the abdominal muscles that all abdominal training exercises are aimed to improve.

Rectus Abdominus

Located at the middle of the pubic bone and the ribs, this muscle is recognized basically by its bulging and bumping characteristics. They tend to show those characteristics off when they contract through abdominal crunches. When developed perfectly, the rectus abdominus will make the six-pack most men are dreaming of. Well, the main function of these abdominal muscles is to aid bodily movements, especially those that are taking place at the pelvis and the ribcage.

Transversus Abdominus

The deepest layer of the abdominal muscles, the transversus abdominus takes the role of stabilizing the abdominal trunk while performing exercises. It is also this muscle which works to maintain pressure within the abdomen. If you are doing some abdominal exercises, this one is what works to compress your abs.

Internal Oblique

The intermediate of the abdominal muscles, this group lies just beneath the external oblique, right on top of the transverse muscle layer. They are located within the hip bones and they work biologically to control directions of movements within the abdomen. For instance, the internal oblique muscles will contract once the left trunk of the body is moved or twisted to the left.

External Oblique

Situated on the anterior and lateral portions of the abs, these abdominal muscles allows the trunk of create some twists. The twists, however, occur only to the opposite to whichever the muscles are contracting as one. Other than that, it functions to heighten the level of the so-called intra-abdominal pressure by allowing the abdominal cavity to compress.

Note that understanding all of these abdominal muscles will help you understand all the benefits that abdominal training can give. Also, knowing each of them will further make your exercises worth taking, especially when reading exercise routines for the abs that refer to the proper names listed above.

Bodybuilding enthusiasts, as well as strength training participants, all want quick, visible muscle defining results. Their main goal is to add different degrees of lean tissue or fat burning muscle to their bodies all according to personal objectives. Bodybuilders want to add as much muscle mass as possible, while fitness enthusiast want to either maintain muscle mass, or slightly increase strength and size. It all depends upon the specific goals and objectives of each participant.

Bodybuilding magic occurs not during the first rep, but the last. Do
you know the last, most difficult, repetition triggers 90% of muscle
building results?

The main principle in increasing muscle strength and size is overload. If you place a greater stress on your muscles than you had during the previous workout, that specific muscle will be stimulated, and overloaded enough causing an adaptive responsive. This event results in greater strength and muscle tissue development. The adaptive response is dependent upon the intensity of that last magic, muscle producing rep.

Bodybuilding and strength training participants should really focus
on conquering that last, near impossible muscle building repetition.
A valiant effort of trying to move that last rep will trigger the muscle group to adapt, and grow stronger.

Don’t give up too easily when you feel the weight is challenging.
Battle that rep for at least 4 seconds. Even if you are unable to
complete the full rep, you have succeeded, and the muscle building
growth process will follow. That is, only if you have had sufficient
rest between workouts. It is not during the bodybuilding workout when muscle building results occur, but rather after consecutive rest days to allow for muscle building compensation followed by overcompensation.

The last rep is the stimulus that triggers this whole process which
bodybuilding and strength gains are based upon. Please note, this
whole process can be short circuited by not allowing enough rest time between workouts for overcompensation to occur. If you allow your body sufficient rest, your muscle strength will continue to increase with each subsequent bodybuilding workout. If not, you need more days off to recover from the previous workout. You only have a limited number of resource recovery abilities available, so don’t short circuit your results by not allowing the recovery process to finish.

Instead of focusing on which bodybuilding supplement brings
good bodybuilding fortune, focus on what really matters – the last, muscle building rep. Then allow your body to do the rest.

Your primary goal should be to reach that repetition you can’t complete after struggling four or more seconds. If you follow this last rep, maximum stress,followed by sufficient rest principle, then you will see magic in your bodybuilding results.

For even more detailed bodybuilding information, tips, and resources
visit Bodybuilding Hub right now!

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Jim O’Connor – Exercise Physiologist / The Fitness Promoter

Copyright (c) – Wellness Word, LLC
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This is the first in a whole series of short videos I’m producing that show you inside the various muscle building programs that are available on-line. I’ll also be covering fat burning and six-pack abs programs soon as well.

I hope you find these videos much more interesting than your standard blog post or review!

Here it is:

Click here to get further information about this complete muscle building program

Everyone has either heard of or is familiar with the sport of competitive bodybuilding. The female component, which is known as women bodybuilding, began in the late 1970s as women began to participate in competitions. Now, more than three decades later, women bodybuilding is a large part of the sport and has begun to garner the respect that it has strived for since it’s inception.

Although physique contests for women can actually be documented in the 1960s, they were little more than bikini contests. The first true women bodybuilding competition is regarded as the one held in Canton, Ohio in 1978. Promoted by Henry McGhee, the first United States Women’s National Physique Championship was the first competition where the entrants were judged solely on their muscularity as opposed to how well they looked in swimsuits.

By 1979, more women bodybuilding competitions were being held. The sport, however, did not possess a sanctioning body until 1980. Known as the National Physique Committee, this organization hosted the first women’s nationals and became the top amateur level competition for women bodybuilding in the United States. Additionally, 1980 marked the first Ms. Olympia competition, which is the most honored competition for women bodybuilding professionals.

As the sport continued to grow and increase in overall popularity, competitors found themselves needing to train harder and improve their overall muscular physique. By the 1980s, women bodybuilding was no longer a bikini contest or seeing who could pose in the highest heels. Now, it was becoming a popular sport with championship titles and increasing fan attendance.

With films that have been produced in honor of women bodybuilding competitions, coverage on major television networks and despite some controversies along the way, women bodybuilding has more than proven it’s ability to remain in the ranks of this popular sport. As further proof, the IFBB established a Hall of Fame in 1999, which would honor bodybuilding’s top athletes. To date, 14 women bodybuilding competitors have been inducted. Among them, Carla Dunlap, Cory Everson and Rachel McLish, Bev Francis, Lisa Lyon and Abbye Stockton, Kay Baxter, Diana Dennis, Kike Elomaa, Laura Combes, Lynn Conkwright, Ellen Van Maris, Stacy Bentley and Claudia Wilbourn.

In late 2004, the IFBB introduced a new rule that required women bodybuilding participants decrease their amount of muscularity by 20%, which is now referred to simply as the ’20% rule.’ The rule applies to those whose physique requires the decrease. In 2005, another rule was introduced that would abolish the weight class system beginning with the 2005 Ms. Olympia.

In addition to women bodybuilding, there are two additional categories that are closely related and often held as part of the same event. The fitness competition includes a swimsuit round, along with a round that has the entrants judged on their performance in aerobics, dance or gymnastics. The second category is a figure competition, which is a newer format, and has the participants being judged exclusively on their symmetry and muscle tone. This category focuses less on muscle size than does women bodybuilding.

Although women bodybuilding has continued to grow in popularity, the prize money remains significantly less than is awarded to male bodybuilders.

This is a very quick guide to abdominal exercises for bodybuilding beginners.

The abdomen contains the muscles that most beginners struggle with because they take a long time to develop and need a low level of body fat to be seen.

Unless you already have a very low body fat percentage, the chances are your abs are nowhere to been seen.

Therefore, you can only really get great abs if you can reduce your fat level with a healthy diet and a regular exercise schedule that includes abdominal exercises.

What are the abdominal muscles?

The abdominal muscle group consists of three main muscles.

1. Rectus abdominis – commonly known as the abs, this is a large flat muscle wall that runs from the lower chest to the pubic bone.

2. Obliquus abdominis – commonly known as the obliques, this muscle runs diagonally along the side of the mid-section from the lower ribcage to the pubic area. The internal obliques lie underneath the external obliques.

3. Transversus abdominis – this is a thin strip of muscle that runs horizontally across the abdomen.

You can target these muscles effectively by performing the following abdominal exercises.

1. Crunches – 3 sets of 15-20 reps. This exercise will work the upper abs.

2. Pelvic tilts – 3 sets of 15-20 reps.This exercise will target the lower portion of the abdomen below the navel.

3. Side bends – 3 sets of 15-20 reps. This exercise will work the obliques.

As with all exercises you need to take care in scheduling specific body parts. To begin with you should incorporate your abdominal exercises into a program similar to the one suggested below.

Day 1: Biceps, Back, Abs

Day 2: Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs

Day 3: Quads, Forearms, Calves

Day 4: Triceps, Chest, Abs

For gaining muscle mass I suggest you train intensely and spend no more than 45 minutes on each workout.

For the first couple of weeks complete one set but then add one set each week to a maximum of three. At the end of three months you will be ready to move on to more intensive intermediate level exercises.

You can get further details on nutrition, meal plans, workouts, and exercises by browsing the website.

When we think of bodybuilders, we often automatically think of men with large, sculpted muscles competing for titles. But when it comes to the sport of bodybuilding, women have taken a larger role than ever – working to build their own muscles and compete on the same level as the men. Subsequently, bodybuilding for women has become increasingly popular for participants and fans alike.

Bodybuilding is significantly easier for men than it is for women based on one simple fact; the hormone testosterone is responsible for the building of muscle in our bodies. And while both men and women have levels of testosterone in their bodies, men have significantly higher levels. Therefore, the ability to build muscle comes much easier to men. Bodybuilding for women can be more difficult but the results are just as spectacular.

Whether taking on the sport as a hobby or in order to participate in competition, bodybuilding for women can be a terrific way for women to achieve optimum fitness and nutrition. And for a gender that is often held to higher standards for physical appearance, bodybuilding allows women to revel in their physical power as well as their femininity.

Bodybuilding for women – just like bodybuilding for men – requires a strong commitment to diet and exercise. For most women this means a weekly workout routine that combines cardiovascular exercise, core work, and weight training. But, unfortunately, when it comes to this sport some women, in an effort to increase the levels of testosterone in their body and thus increase their ability to build muscle, will turn to anabolic steroids to enhance their performance. The effects of steroid use can be disastrous on many levels and result in a bevy of physical repercussions – including hair loss, acne, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, and, in some cases, the taking on of male physical characteristics.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to bodybuilding for women is that intense workouts and dieting will significantly reduce the body fat percentage in a woman’s body. While this can be beneficial to a certain extent, body fat should ordinarily be kept at balanced levels in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Dangerously low body fat can result in a loss of the menstrual cycle and a number of physical manifestations.

Bodybuilding for women – done safely – can result in beautifully sculpted muscles and overall physical health – a fantastic reward for hard work and sacrifice.

Plenty of focus is given to the abdominal muscles when it comes to personal fitness training programs. The fact that ab exercises are very important to your overall training program should not be overlooked.

The good news is that you can do ab exercises at anytime and virtually anywhere, plus an entire abs routine shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes to complete.

As part of the American Council’s Exercise’s study in finding the most effective of ab exercises, here are the top 5:

The Bicycle Ab Exercise

Primarily targeting the six pack area, the rectus abdominis and the obliques, the bicycle exercise is known to be the most effective of ab exercises.

To perform this exercise:

Lying face up on the floor, with your hands behind your head, bring the knees towards your chest, lifting the shoulder blades off the ground.

After that, straightening the left leg while twisting your upper body to let the left elbow to meet with the right knee. Doing this continuously, while switching sides from left to right, for twelve to sixteen repetitions, completes the bicycle exercise.

The Captain’s Chair Ab Exercise

This is the second most effective abs exercise that focuses on the rectus abdominis and the obliques area of a stomach. Equipment for the Captain’s Chair exercise is commonly found in most gyms and health clubs, plus you can also buy them as part of a home gym.

To perform this exercise, you must first stand on the chair and hold onto the handles for stability. Pressing your back against a flat surface, you must then lift your legs, allowing the knees to reach the chest. You must do this while not arching your back. You then slowly lower your legs back to the starting position and repeat for 10-15 reps.

Exercise Ball Ab Crunch

The exercise ball is an excellent piece of equipment for training the abs and is actually one of my favorite ab exercises. The exercise ball ab crunch focuses on the rectus abdominis.

To perform this exercise, start by lying face up with the ball supporting your lower back. Then, cross your arms over the chest, or placing them behind your head.

The next step would then involve lifting your torso slowly from the ball, keeping the ball stable, without rolling. Then lower yourself back down to the starting position where you will get a good stretch.

Vertical Leg Abdominal Crunch

Somewhat similar to the bicycle ab exercises, the vertical leg abdominal crunch starts by lying face up on the floor, extending your legs up, with the knees crossed.

You then push your chest towards your feet, while keeping the legs in a fixed position. You then lower yourself back down and repeat.

The Torso Track Exercise

With the Torso Track Exercise, caution should be given, as you could injure your back if not done correctly. This ab exercise starts with the exerciser holding the Torso Track’s handles, and is followed by pulling the abs towards the torso, completing the exercise.

So that pretty much makes up the five most effective ab exercises, but if you still aren’t sure how to perform these exercises correctly then look out for exercise videos and exercise illustrations.

One thing to remember though, ab exercises don’t reduce the fat over the abdomen area, nor do they convert fat into "six pack abs".

Raising the body’s metabolism and building more muscles effectively does this while following a healthy diet plan. These ab exercises keep the abs trim and firm, but do not necessarily reduce the fat around the waistline.

The challenge for female fitness and bodybuilding is that, well, it doesn’t seem quite the feminine thing to do to lift weights and look muscular. ‘It’s really a mans sport’, was the cry and for a long time, women just weren’t taken seriously at all, even by themselves.

Nowadays, all this has changed and there are thousands of followers in the female fitness and bodybuilding genre. Many women take part in regular competition, looking fit, glamorous and beautiful, all at the same time.

Female Fitness And Bodybuilding – It’s About Repetitions, Not Crazy Weights

So, if you’re a woman, female fitness and bodybuilding might just be what you need – if you want to look and feel really good about your body. The secret is to ensure that by getting a great physique and well as looking feminine, you have to be clever about the way you take up your particular exercises.

And the really important part of female fitness and bodybuilding, is that women want to retain their femininity without the fear that they are going to look like, or even (goodness forbid), turn into a man!

Be assured – it won’t happen! It cannot happen. Because genetically, women just aren’t built to get to the same stature of men, however much they work out.

It’s almost impossible to become as big as a man, however much your muscle mass increases and the exercises that you do.

In fact female fitness and bodybuilding is an ideal way for many women to develop a wonderful physique that is feminine and attractive to men, whilst building self-confidence and feeling good about yourself generally.

Women typically, will not be able to manage such heavy weights as men, so using reps as an important component in their development is vital. Slight bodies will find using smaller weights regularly is a much more effective way to develop the muscles than potentially damaging heavy weights.

What’s Female Bodybuilding All About Then?

Nowadays, female fitness and bodybuilding is pretty well organized, from the casual amateur who just wants a better toned and developed body, to the really serious professional who sees competition as their goal. It’s come a long way from the days when a female bodybuilder was just a shiny, glamorous object of drool, in a skimpy bikini.

In fact it’s over 30 years since the first competitions began and it wasn’t until the early 80′s that they became a regular feature. Like all emerging sports, in a number of competitors emerged as the frontrunners from those early days.

As you might imagine a selection process began, where potential candidates for progressing professionally were picked up by sponsors.

Pretty soon national and international bodies, just for women bodybuilders, became established, shortly followed by major national and international competitions too.

As the opportunities to compete increased, more and more women took female fitness and bodybuilding seriously, so the competitions became more intense too.

It was the inception of the American Federation of Women Bodybuilders, in the 1980′s, that paved the way for serious recognition that the sport was here to stay, for female bodybuilders.

How To Become A Serious Player in the Female Bodybuilding World

If you are thinking of stepping up to the plate in the female fitness and bodybuilding arena, what do you need to do?

Well, you’ll need to get a few things just right.

– Nutrition is a vital component of any bodybuilding routine and for women, this is particularly important, both because of the varying hormone levels you experience each month and that bodybuilding is quite demanding..

– Timing and dedication to the sport are vital too, though some women really struggle with this as they are often strongly pulled towards their motherly responsibilities

– Exercise is, of course, a part of female fitness and bodybuilding – remember, reps work better than maxing out on weights alone, true for any bodybuilding activity, female or otherwise.

See, it’s not much different from the activities that your male counterparts will focus on. If you decide to take up female fitness and bodybuilding in a big way, there is now, literally, nothing to stop you.

Today I stumbled across a great article that I thought you would find interesting. It’s by Tom Venuto the author of Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.

The article lists the top 10 foods that Tom who as a natural bodybuilder eats to maintain single digit body fat.

The list is broken down into starchy carbs and whole grains, vegetables, and lean proteins, plus healthy fats.

This is not a sales page, it doesn’t try to sell you anything…it’s just a great article if you are looking for ideas for your healthy grocery shopping list.

Cheers,

Mark 

The level of commitment and work involved, just to be competitive, requires a lifestyle for women especially, that centers around intense training and a strict nutrition regime.

The rules for competition include somewhat pedantic categories such as ‘femininity.’ The prize money is also a quarter of what male bodybuilders can win.

So Why Is Female Bodybuilding So Popular?

For many, the point is not to get as big as possible but to attain a level of fitness and strength not often seen in women. The challenge you present yourself, when as a women you decide to pursue a female bodybuilding style of exercise and development is probably a lot of the reason women do it.

To push yourself and attain such lofty goals even when not for competition is admirable. So, challenge to show that ‘you can’ and the real benefit of feeling toned and strong are the major drivers

Bodybuilding for Women – Myths Exposed

There are some myths that must be confronted about female bodybuilding.

The first myth is that exercise can increase chest size. Oh, if only that were true, all the plastic surgeons would be broke! But, it is not. Women’s breasts are composed of fatty tissue for the most part so building muscle will not grow that part of the body.

Female bodybuilding myth #2, training with weights turns fat into muscle. This is not accurate. You can only burn fat through cardiovascular activity and you can only gain muscle by weight training. No doubt these will not be the only myths that need to be addressed in the future.

Male vs Female Bodybuilding – What Are The Differences?

Female bodybuilding is still an evolving sport that is fighting myths and perception problems. Unfortunately women cannot gain the kind of mass that men can due to women’s inability to produce as much testosterone as men.

To gain the bulk needed to be competitive, alternative measures are usually taken. That’s why anabolic steroids are a problem in female bodybuilding – a controversial topic we are sure to continue to hear more about.

No women should fear female bodybuilding. You need not look like the oversized competitive bodybuilders you see in picture or on tv. You can train hard with weights and sculpt your body how you want – it does not mean you even need to go beyond basic definition on your body.

Women need to remember that if they only do cardio their bodies burn both fat and muscle to use for fuel, so a weight training program, even if you are not interested in a female bodybuilding regime, can benefit you in and out of the gym.

Bodybuilding For Women – What’s The Future?

There is clearly room for growth in the female bodybuilding industry. The competitions will begin to focus on the right things and the prize money will surely grow. There are many varying opinions out there about female bodybuilding, but you can’t deny the drive and dedication women show when they train for competition.

It is impressive and many women would love to be able to do it – more and more are, every day.

For whatever reason some women catch the competition bug and others don’t, but for those of us who don’t, we can still, in our own way, participate for the good of our own fitness.

There are literally many reasons why people take up bodybuilding. Many people use bodybuilding for building up there muscles, some people use bodybuilding for fitness, it really depends on the individual.

The great thing about bodybuilding is that you are training all the major muscle groups in the body and this really helps to keep your whole body fit and not just certain parts of it. Of course, when you are training, you are burning calories and lots of them. So this immediately starts the fat burning process. Balance this with a healthy diet and you’re well on your way to having that body you’ve always dreamed of.

Using bodybuilding for fitness is more than just going to the gym a couple of times a week. It should really be a lifestyle choice and affect all the things you do in your life. This doesn’t mean that you have to think about bodybuilding 24/7 but just that you should really think about what you are eating and drinking at all times. As this will greatly affect your results in your fitness.

So try to have a well balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats. Add to these essential vitamins and make sure you are staying hydrated by drinking at least 1-2 litres of water each day. 30 minutes of exercise each day, whether it is weight training or simply aerobic exercise is recommended too.

Your diet will really depend on what you want to achieve, how fit you are and how much you weigh at present etc. A fitness instructor who will guide you through what you should and shouldn’t be consuming should really look this at. If you want to really bulk up and build your muscles, then you will increase your carb intake. If on the other hand, toning is what you want, then decrease your carbs and increase your protein.

If you’re using bodybuilding for fitness then you should see results fairly quickly as long as you balance your diet and exercise as recommended by your instructor or by the bodybuilding routine you have set yourself. So start today and don’t put it off any longer!