The three stages of bodybuilding

The three stages of bodybuilding are:

● Foreword

The development of any thing has certain stages, and the development of different things also has its own segmented process determined by its own laws.

If you can properly master this process and conform to the law of its development, you can make it develop normally, smoothly and fully; if you violate the law and go too far or too late, you will not only fail to obtain the expected results, but even It has the opposite effect.

The development process of bodybuilding is no exception. Recognizing the stages of bodybuilding training, you can plan step by step and achieve your training goals on the basis of macro understanding.

Of course, there are often many different views on the criteria for dividing the development stage of a thing. Even for the experts, their views will not be completely the same, but there are always those that are approved by the majority and are regarded as accepted standards.

What the author introduces here is the common experience of many famous contemporary bodybuilding champions and is unanimously affirmed by many bodybuilding coaches and experts.

The first stage: lay the foundation-focus on developing muscle mass

● Main actions

Any first-rate bodybuilder has successfully experienced this stage of development .

From the 1950s, Mr. Global John. From Greenmick to Mr. Olympia in the 1980s, Lee. Lee Haney has very majestic muscles. They all use the " progressive overload " training method and " basic movements "-movements that require multiple muscle groups to complete and can withstand heavy weight.

In this stage, you should practice more basic movements , and do more exercises that can move many muscle groups and multiple joints at the same time , because you are doing squats, bench presses, deadlifts, back presses, parallel bars and curls. In these basic movements, gradually increase the weight, the beginner can strengthen the body's strength to stimulate the increase of muscle mass .

Arnold, who has won the title of Mr. Olympia seven times. Schwarzenegger, during his initial training period, used basic movements and kept increasing weight. Even after becoming a champion, he still uses heavy basic movements to maintain and increase his majestic muscle mass.

● Required time and determinants

Generally speaking, this stage takes about 1 to 2 years , and its speed often depends on the genetic factors of the exerciser, the enthusiasm and method of exercise, and conditions such as nutrition and rest.

● The main goal of this stage

Develop "basic capabilities", including:

Develop body strength, enhance the coordination of the various muscle groups in the body,

Enlarge the muscles of all parts of the body and be familiar with the functions and exercise methods of all muscles of the human body.

Before entering a higher stage, a stable neuromuscular system must be established to command and control the body's structures and functions , as well as the integration of activities under its constraints.

This neuromuscular integrated command and control ability can help you show one of the most important qualities of your bodybuilding physique when participating in competitions in the future-the symmetry of the whole body development.

The second stage: beautify the body shape

After successfully completing the first stage, it is necessary to prepare for a higher level of training.

In this stage, it generally takes more time and energy to train the already-trained large muscles into a complex, multi-layered appearance.

● When will the second phase begin?

When your physique begins to show the basic characteristics of bodybuilders-full muscles, thick chests, sharply contoured limbs, inverted triangle upper body and athlete's spirit, you should know that you can enter the second stage.

● Mainly take actions and stage goals: change the training, highlight the block

At this stage, some changes must be made to the emphasis in the original training.

After the various "basic abilities" have been firmly established and the muscle circumference has been significantly increased, some basic movements can be subtracted from the exercise program , and then some isolated movements and specialized movements can be added to develop the physique to a more mature level.

In this stage, a mature bodybuilder must treat each muscle as a separate individual, and has unique training and development needs.

In this stage, practice more isolation movements. This will enable some ambitious bodybuilders to develop from the physique trained in the first stage (it seems to have the basic characteristics of a bodybuilder, but the divisions between the various muscles are not obvious), and then develop into various muscles Both have outstanding physiques.

● The time required and the arrangement of the course

This stage will take about 12 to 18 months .

Some of the early world-famous bodybuilders, such as John Greenmick, Steve Stanko, etc., completely relied on basic movements for exercise.

Later, after the emergence of multifunctional combined exercise machines and single-function special training machines made of power devices such as pulleys, cams, hydraulics, inclined plates with variable angles, and pillars with variable lengths, they are increasingly used Equipment dedicated to exercise a certain muscle to deepen the grooves between the muscles and make the muscle lines more prominent . Since then, there have been a group of people like Steve Reeves and Pierre Pener that are not only very physical Strong, muscular and beautiful world champion.

At that historical stage, Ben Weider's Divisional Training Law came out.

Due to the design of more local exercises, the time for exercise has increased and it can only be practiced in sections, so there is a section exercise method of 4, 5, and 6 days a week.

In this stage, most bodybuilders use a four-day divisional course. Generally, they practice half of the main muscle groups on Monday and Thursday, and the rest on Tuesday and Friday.

Only after a year of four-day-a-week exercise, can the six-day-a-week division exercise be performed, and when preparing to participate in the competition.

In this stage, the amount of food consumed is slightly lower than that in the first stage to make the muscle lines more prominent . However, it is not appropriate to use excessive diet at this stage in an attempt to remove all the fat that can be seen on the surface of the body to avoid the consequences of muscle being used as fuel and consumed.

In addition, at this stage, although increasing muscle circumference is not its first goal, it is still its second goal .

The third stage: crafting

● Phase goals and deadlines

Training at this stage is actually training to prepare for competition. Enlarging muscle mass is no longer the goal of this stage. Keeping it in the same position (maintaining size) is one of the goals of this stage .

As long as a basic exercise for each muscle group every other day is enough to maintain the muscle mass and physical strength that has been trained.

The goal of this period is to develop your physique to a predetermined standard and final required form .

Of course, such standards and morphology must be set appropriately. They must be achieved through hard work, not impossible, within the range allowed by your innate genetic conditions and acquired training conditions.

Although you may not be able to become another Lee Haney no matter how hard you try, it is possible for you to become a muscle mass with the largest girth, the least amount of subcutaneous fat, and the proportions of the whole body muscles and muscle lines according to your skeleton. Obviously highly toned physique . This is the physique of a bodybuilder in the third stage.

● Competition preparation. Course arrangement. Main actions are taken

This stage should generally be carried out according to the divisional training method of 4 to 6 exercise days per week.

Most of the movements used are isolated movements and focused. For example, using a single arm to do the "Cable Cross Over" movement can make the pectoral muscles swell to the extreme, and because you do not use both arms but only use one arm to do it, you can rotate to various positions (angles) to choose which position to use Which muscle detail can be stimulated most by exercise.

In this kind of focused exercise, you can also feel how to make a certain local muscle the most tense and prominent, so that you can control and highlight this muscle when participating in the competition. Such exercise also helps to improve the function of the neuromuscular system.

At this stage, after each exercise session or between several sets of exercises, you should use the " Static Tension Rule " to contract your muscles instead of external resistance. Sometimes this muscle is contracted in different postures.

It may not be easy for you to fully contract a certain muscle in a position (angle) that you don't usually do at once, but as long as you practice it again, you can do it well.

Such exercise will consume a lot of energy and help reduce your fat. Your fat level and metabolic rate will help you determine the amount of exercise in this stage. But practice at least 4 times a week.

You can use the partial exercise method , each body part can choose to do 3 to 4 movements, and only one of them is a basic compound movement .

You can also practice 6 times a week. But practicing 4 times can guarantee the necessary recovery time, and more energy can be used to exercise each time.

● Diet

To reduce food intake during this stage, it should be gradually reduced during the three months before the game to achieve the best state of the game, but the daily calorie intake must not be less than 1,500 calories.

The elimination of fat cannot be too fast, but can only be gradually reduced, and it does not have to rely on the display of the scale.

Using fingers to measure and eye examination can show the status of fat loss and use it to determine your appetite adjustment. Conversely, if a large amount of fat is consumed in a short period of time, muscle will inevitably be consumed at the same time.

● Two weeks before the game

In the last two weeks before the competition, you can reduce your exercise a lot or even skip it at all.

Arnold often did this before participating in major competitions. As long as you practice the competition action twice a day (1 to 1.5 hours each time) during these two weeks, you can keep your muscle mass from diminishing and your muscle lines will be more obvious.

●After the game

After the game is over, the third phase of training and dietary restrictions can be suspended, unless there is a performance.

A complete rest for two weeks is a good idea to fully recover your mental and physical exhaustion.

Then, according to your experience and physical development level, you can increase muscle mass according to the first-stage exercise method. If there is another game coming soon, the second phase of training can be carried out.

The goals of the first and second phases should never be abandoned. In the long process of building a perfect physique for a bodybuilder, his training goals and focus will gradually change.

Often before entering the third stage, repeat the exercise goals and focus of the first and second stages. Under certain circumstances, it is still very beneficial .