A Return to Bodybuilding Basics

We have lost count recently of the number of gym members who have asked us to explain the latest fad diet or training routine that has been promoted in the various magazines available, or worse still, the Internet.

There seems to be an ever increasing hope or reliance on the latest wonder idea, supplement or drug to provide results. Everyone seems to be searching for the “quick fix” and many are willing to embrace the current short cut to success without questioning the logic or science behind the idea.

Let us just for a moment put aside all of the latest ideas and products endorsed by leading Olympia competitors and consider what we are actually trying to achieve and what stages may be involved in the procedure.

At its purest Bodybuilding is all about achieving muscle cell hypertrophy, or growth, and if you will forgive a brief trip into exercise physiology, this will involve both an increase in the size (but not the number ) of contractile proteins within the muscle cell, primarily Actin and Myosin, as well as an increase in the volume of cellular fluid (sarcoplasm).

This increase in contractile proteins as opposed to cellular volume is often referred to in sports science as functional hypertrophy whereas the increase in Sarcoplasm is referred to as non functional hypertrophy due to the fact that alterations to the Actin and Myosin should result in a measurable change in our ability to perform either day by day or sporting activities, whereas changes to the cellular volume are primarily aesthetic in nature.

These changes are achieved by using the 3 basic tenets of bodybuilding:
● Stimulate growth (Train)
● Provide and assimilate nutriments (Eat)
● Recover, adapt and grow (Rest)

For the purpose of this initial article we want to address the 1st of these 3 areas -
Stimulate Growth (Train).

In our quest to return to the basics of our sport we would like to suggest that the following are the most important considerations we need to keep in mind when approaching a training routine.

● Basic understanding of Anatomy
● Exercise form and range of Motion
● Exercise Intensity
● Adaption
● Goals

The first of these will probably send the average Bodybuilder running to the hills. The thought of sitting down with a book explaining basic anatomy and/or physiology would be the last thing on the mind of most gym users but ask your self if you believe if you will truly obtain everything possible from your training without making some effort to discover the basics on how a muscle contracts or without knowing the actual function of the muscle you are training.

Once learnt this basic knowledge can be applied to your training so that you will, for example, understand how and why to construct a routine to achieve a particular effect - how many exercises? How many sets? How many reps? How much weight to use? What rest periods? What time under tension to subject the muscles to?

With regard to individual muscle actions a good example is the Biceps Brachi. It not only flexes the forearm but also supinates (rotates) it. This one small movement can transform dumbbell bicep training.

The whole point we are trying to make is that it is far better to make an effort to understand the whys and wherefores rather than simply following a routine used by one of the sports champions or another gym member without really knowing what you are doing or why you are doing it.

It is however a fact of life that we all learn in a slightly different way and for many people reading words from the page of a book and then trying to apply this knowledge to a practical situation is not the best way for them to pick up a new skill. This is particularly true of sportsmen in general who tend to be doers rather than academics. In these cases I would always recommend a good quality coach who can demonstrate the practical applications for these theoretical ideas.

Please bear in mind that these principals are not purely for beginners but even the most advanced routines will also evolve from these basic ideas

Combining nicely with knowledge of muscle actions is exercise form and Range of Motion.

Once again I would suggest that without optimising both of these areas you will not obtain a physique at the limit of your potential. Bear in mind that every major professional is a genetic freak and would probably grow on any routine performed in any fashion.

For the remaining 99% of us every advantage we can use is another brick in the wall in building the body of our dreams. Without giving a complete blow by blow breakdown of form and Range of motion for each exercise concentrate completely on the muscle you are working and try to avoid cutting reps short for the sake of adding more weight. Be particularly careful with the big compound movements such as Squats, Deadlifts, Bent over row, Overhead press or the Olympic lifts. Always ask for advice when not sure.

A very good application of these principals in a hard core bodybuilding setting is set out in Dorians DVD “A week in the Dungeon” where the main man puts American Mark Dugdale through his paces while emphasizing many of the points I have made in the article.

As ever if you are in any doubt about any aspect of the points being raised here please ask. I know it sounds pretty damn basic but when performed correctly you will revolutionise your training.

The next 2 points were Intensity and Adaption.

Let us never forget that for the vast majority of us obtaining muscle growth is extremely difficult, your body has to be given a damn good reason to become stronger and/or bigger and therefore training has to be at an intensity level sufficient to trigger that growth. So how much is enough?

Our view on this is that as it is impossible to quantify a training intensity of say 80 or 90% outside of a laboratory setting everything needs to be full on for the majority of the time. Although it is important to factor in a certain amount of down time to allow for recovery 90% of training time is to be to the point of failure with more advanced techniques such as supersets, pre exhaust, rest pause, negative only etc, etc being used as steps up the intensity ladder.

The mental message to keep in mind while completing the sets is that growth needs to be forced, make every set as though it was your last.

By providing sufficient stimulus your body will then begin to adapt to the stresses placed upon it and providing the other 2 of our basic tenets are present - Nutrition & recovery/repair increased strength and size will be the result.

Bear in mind however that your adaption to a training stimulus will be very specific, train for endurance and your endurance will improve but size and strength will be compromised (as a general rule) train as a Power Lifter and your strength will increase, muscle growth will not however be at optimum levels and endurance will be relatively poor.

Adaption will also take place to the routine which you are using. Your body will become used to a specific sequence of exercises, sets, reps etc and after a period progress will plateau. This is the reason we suggest to all our athletes that they regularly change their programs. Personally I rarely use the same routine twice in succession, relying on a wholly instinctive approach to my training.

Last but certainly not least is goal setting. This is a hugely important part of the mental approach to any form of training or self improvement.

You could visit almost any gym in the country twice over a 6 or 12 month period and the vast majority of the people training would be doing exactly the same things, in the same way and looking exactly the same.

Without setting goals and having some idea of the direction the majority of people will float through work outs more out of habit than anything else and will have still made no progress after 6 months, 12 months, 24 months…..

A motivated, goal driven athlete will stand out from any crowd.

There is a whole process of short, medium and long term goals that we discuss with our athletes based on guide lines drawn up to help each of them depending in their ultimate wants and personal circumstances.

As previously mentioned the whole purpose of this article was to raise questions about your own training and to get you to analyse your own approach, methods and ultimate goals.

Future articles will address some of the answers to questions raised but in the interim please contact either Dean McTernan or Paul Ehren with any questions you may have on the matters raised

Tel: 07768 563 688
Email: info@physicalfrontiers.co.uk