Body Building

[Singh MC]

Proper Nutrition:

It's quite well known that nutrition is one of, if not the, most important factors of bodybuilding. I'd like to give a basic breakdown of some of the more basic aspects that everyone should be aware of.

As for a very basic breakdowns, all food consist of: carbs, proteins, and fats. Again...this is on a very basic level (as it all gets much more complex).

Protien (4 calories/gram) - Protien is the building block of muscle, so it's no wonder why bodybuilders are recomended to take in 1-1.5g/lb of bodyweight....minimum. There has been a debate that has still never been solved claiming that high protien diets aren't necessary, and even dangerous, and that high protien diets produce more of a placebo effect. But for every study which shows high protien diets are not effective, there is another showing that they are. This is still being debated, and most likely will continue to be debated for a very long time. It is believed that high protien diets are dangerous because it requires a lot of water to digest protien, a simple answer to this problem is to drink more water. It is also believed to put strain on the kidneys, again, drinking a lot of water will help with this problem. Though most of these claims of protien being dangerous are outdated, people still choose to believe, and preach this theory. Though there seems to be no real threat, i figured this debate was worth mentioning to clear up any concerns that a new bodybuilder might have.

Carbohydrates (4 calories/gram) - Carbs are much more complicated than protien because each carb source is different and should be used in a different way. Here's a basic run down:

1)

Slow-Digesting Carbs(natural): yams, wild rice, beans, oats, fruts...all natural carbs are in this category. These are ideal for most people as they are digested slowly providing you with energy throught the day. They also don't spike insulin levels which is very unwanted for if you're metabolism isn't on the freakishly fast side, you're going to be gaining some fat.

2) Fast-Digesting Carbs(man-made): white bread, bagels, white rice, cold cerials, fruit juices, and other man-made carbs. These carbs hit the blood stream quicker and produce an insulin spike, which is generally only of use post-workout.

3) Bodybuilders with excess bodyfat should consume slow-digesting carbs

4) If you are low in bodyfat and have a hard time putting on weight, fast-digesting carbs can be usefull as you will be able to eat more of them and it will help stimulate appetite.

5) Take in slow-digesting carbs before training because your body will need them to sustain energy.

6) Immediately after training, take in fast-digesting carbs. They will spike insulin levels switching your muscles from a catabolic to an anabolic phase. Durring this phase after training you can take in up to .7 g of carbs/lb.

7) It is recomended to get 2.5-3 times your bodyweight in carbs/day. Use the information above to determine what sources you should get these carbs from.

Fat (9 calories/gram): This is the most feared of all of these 3 nutrients because common logic is, if someone doesn't want to store excess fat in their body, why would they eat something that bears the same name? The thing that most people don't know is, fat is as essential to a propper diet as anything else, it's just a matter of taking in the right fats. First of all, fat is very essential as it serves to keep you warm, and more importantly cushions your organs. The body also calls on fat for energy. Fats are probably the least complicated of all of these nutritents, as there really isn't much to say about them. Many people don'

t even count fat calories, they just limit the amount of saturated fat which they take in. I will say this though; it is very important to make sure you are getting all of your essential fatty acids. These are fats which the body needs and not just stored as fat as saturated fats are. You can get your essential fatty acids from fish, nuts, flax seeds, almonds, and avacados, just to name a few. With fat taken from these sources, you can supply your body with the fats that it needs without fearing your waist line expanding.

I included the calories/gram of all of those because, though you should be more concerned with where your calories are coming from, you should be sure to eat 200-300 calories over your maintnance levels every day in order to grow. If you wish to find out your maintnance levels, take a week where you just eat to maintain. Eat when you're hungry, and stop when you're not hungry anymore. Right down everything you eat in detail, and at the end of the week, add all of the calories up, and devide it by 7 (because there are 7 days in a week). The number you get is your maintnance calorie level. Add 200-300 calories on to that and you're set.

As you are just getting into bodybuilding, you are probably eating roughly 3 meals/day, with the occasional snack thrown in....well in bodybuilding, that crow won't caw

It has been understood for a very long time that you must change your eating patern from 3 large meals per day, to several small ones. There are several reasons as to why this method is best. First of all, your body gets a constant supply of nutrients throughout the day, so you can constantly feed your muscles (as they are metaboliclly active, and you're sure to have atleast 1 muscle group that is still recoving from it's previous workout) and grow. Another reason is because your body can only digest so much protien at a time. It varies from person to person but it's generally around 30g (though you can take in more upon waking up and post-workout).

If you were to eat 3 meals a day, that would mean your body would only be digesting around 90g of protien and the rest would serve as empty calories to be stored as fat. Here are some sample meal plans that a bodybuilder may follow. Feel free to use these as guides, but they must be customized to tailor your caloric needs and schedual.

---------- Thanks to www.bodybuilding.com

[Singh MC]

There is more :

Bodybuilding Terms A through K

Bodybuilding Terms L through Z

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Many young lifters jump the gun when they first begin weight training. They go into split routines, using way too many exercies for each workout. I would like to help some "newbies" as it is put, get into weight training safely and effectively.

Beginners in bodybuilding have 2 main advantages. One is when you have never weight trained before, you can see remarkable growth since everything is new to you. The other is, your muscles recover significantly quicker than more advanced bodybuilders, so you can train each muscle group more often. Someone who is new to weight training can recover in a 24 hour period where it can take around 72 hours of more for a more advanced bodybuilder to recover.

For someone who has never weight trained before, i'd recomend getting into it with a fullbody split. The reason for this is, first of all, if each muscle recovers in 24 hours, it would be efficient to work it out every other day. Another reason for this is when someone has never used those muscles before, you don't want to start working them from so many different angles with so many total sets; because even though it is harder for a young bodybuilder to overtrain, this will do it. The reason is obviously that those muscles which were never used to a strenuous extent

are now performing a greater amount of work than they can handle.

Now to your first full body split. I'd recomend performing it 3 days a week: monday, wednesday, and friday. Though they can be performed any days of the week to accomidate your schedual, just allow atleast 1 day of rest inbetween each workout session. You should also switch splits every 6 weeks or so. I will be including 3 different splits, this way you can use each for 6 weeks, and by the time you are done with this, your body will be able to move up to your first ever split routine.

In all of the following routines I am using 2 sets of 12 (2x12) for the majority of workouts. This means you would perform 12 repetitions of the workout, rest for 45 seconds or so, and then do another set of 12 repetitions. The reason i choose 12 is because higher reps will prepare your muscles for a more intense program later on. More importantly if you are using higher reps you will be using less weight, thus have a less risk of injury when learning the propper form for all of your workouts. By your third workout program, you can drop the reps down to 8 or 10, but no lower than that.

Before beginning each routine, it is necessary to warm up. The last thing you want when beginning your weight training routine is an injury. Begin with a jog lasting for 2-5 minutes. Then stretch out your entire body. By this time you will be ready to hit the weights

***IMPORTANT: Remember, if you wish to be a bodybuilder THE most important thing is FORM. Never feel tempted to use heavy weight when your training partner is lifting half and you are only doing the rest by cheating. Stick to good form and keep the weight in control throughout the movement, and you will see gains, but if you sacrafice form for weight, your gains will come much slower

(note: if you workout at home and don't have access to some of the equiptment, i will list alternatives in parenthasis)

Workout 1

(weeks 1-6)

Crunches 2x20

Squats 2x12

Leg Curls

(or lunges) 2x12

Flat-Bench Press 2x12

Lat Pulldowns (or barbell rows) 2x12

Shoulder Press 2x12

Tricep Pushdowns (or overhead extensions) 2x12

Barbell Curls 2x12

Standing Calf Raises 2x15-20

Workout 2

(weeks 7-12)

Leg Raises 2x20

Leg Press (or squats) 2x12

Leg Curls (or lunges) 2x12

Incline Bench Press 2x12

Lat Pulldown (or barbell row) 2x12

Shoulder Press 2x12

Lying Tricep Extension 2x12

Standing Dumbell Curls 2x12

Standing Calf Raises 2x15-20

Wokout 3

(weeks 13-18)

Sit Ups 2x20

Squats 2x8-12

Leg Curls (or lunges) 2x8-12

Flat Dumbell Bench Press 2x8-12

One-arm dumbell rows 2x8-12

Shoulder Press 2x8-12

Over-head extensions 2x8-12

Incline Curl 2x8-12

Seated Calf Raises (or standing calf raises) 2x15-20

Upon completion of this program, your tendon strength will be built up, and your muscles will be prepared for a more intense split. Please take to heart that flawless form is essential to building a great physique, and remaining injury free. I also advise you to read about nutrition as well and formulate a better diet for yourself upon beginning a weight training program.

Thanks to PoppaPump from Teenbodybuilding.com

[Singh MC]

A Program for the intermediate athlete to the advanced one:

This is a list of the most common exercise names you should know: Exercises

HIT Training

AND MORE INFORMATION (!WARNING!- Although this site may say otherwise YOU can TRIAN A VEGETARIAN)

[randip singh]

A Program for the intermediate athlete to the advanced one:

This is a list of the most common exercise names you should know: Exercises

HIT Training

AND MORE INFORMATION (!WARNING!- Although this site may say otherwise YOU can TRIAN A VEGETARIAN)

Hi Singh MC............I used to powerlift for many years and I have found the best source of protien to be eggs white..................I know thats no good if you are a strict vegetarian but all I can say is drink plenty of skimmed milk which is fortified.............

I used to drink a milk called VITAL....................quite good................

...........also takes amino supplements if you can..........because some of them you can't get from vegetables or if you can your body does not assimilate them well for some reason..............

Soya is just plain rubbish..............

[Singh MC]

I have a Q.... Do we, Sikhs, consider eggs to be "meat"....if so....wat bout non-organic eggs

[atl singh]

eggs are meat... all eggs are meat

[randip singh]

I have a Q.... Do we, Sikhs, consider eggs to be "meat"....if so....wat bout non-organic eggs

Depends what sort of vegetarian you are........there are many types;

1) Western Type (i.e. in the West, Europe, America etc)..........that will not eat meat but will eat eggs and sometimes........which I find confusing fish.

2) Vegan..........will not eat meat, fish, eggs, milk cheese etc...........anything that comes from an animal........these people usually look ill..........

3) Religious Types............won't touch any type of flesh which includes meat eggs and fish.............sometimes Buddhists , Sikhs, Hindus, Christians etc..........

Then there are people like me....................I am not convinced that our religion (Sikhism) prohibits us from eating meat..............and it helps make me stronger and fitter than the average Joe....................so I tryto have a balanced diet of vegetables, meat, eggs etc..........plenty of fruit and water too.............

I used to bench around 159 kilo's and Squat around 200kilos..............Dead Lift I never kept a tag of, but it was pretty heavy.......................unfortunately I have hindered by injuries I sustained from my Rugby playing days and have had to lay off for about a year...........:wub:.................I just eat too many Parontay at the moment and am gaining too much weight..............:D.......................hopefully I'll get the all clear fom the Doc soon.............

You will find too that all succesful bodybuilders eat at least eggs..............when they say they are vegetarians they mean they are western types on ovo-lacto (egg milk) diets.................eg Bill Pearl.................

[Deep Singh]

perhaps you should leave meat etc if you are planning to reduce your weight.

[Akaal Purakh Di Fauj]

In sikhi no meat of any kind is allowed!!!! (including eggs) :wub:

Look at gursikhs like Baba Deep Singh (not comparing any of you to such a chardee kala Singh) but he didnt need any eggs, meat to be able to figth 125,000 peopl on his own.

[randip singh]

In sikhi no meat of any kind is allowed!!!! (including eggs) :D

Look at gursikhs like Baba Deep Singh (not comparing any of you to such a chardee kala Singh) but he didnt need any eggs, meat to be able to figth 125,000 peopl on his own.

With all due respect brother you do NOT know what Baba Deep Singh ate.....................there are many instances of Sikhs eating meat and this nonsense that Sikhi is some kind of carte blanche menu that advocates meat eating or vegetarianism is a nonsense.....................

Eat what is good for you................if you have any doubt that it is not then do not...............be that physically, mentally, spiritually.............................for me I do not see eating meat affecting me mentally, physically of spiritually......................you do and that is your choice and I can respect that................

BUT I repea

t do not..............do not bringing Sikhism into this....................Sikhism is prescriptive on many issues such as caste, race, equality, justice etc.........................but diet.......... vegetarianism vs meat eating is not one.................if it did that then Sikhi would be just another extension of Hinduism or Islam.................

Deep Singh ji,

My problem is not meat, or eggs..............infact my doctor had told me to try cutting carbs and uping my protien.................

..........problems are Paneer, Cheese, Samosas and Parontay.......................I can assue you that these are all vegetarian.................. :wub: