BENEFITS OF BODYBUILDING
- josephplatt1979
- Aug 4, 2021
- 12 min read
Updated: Aug 9, 2022
BENEFITS OF BODYBUILING
There are many reasons people join a gym from keeping fit, keeping healthy, socialising, or reducing stress but we can all agree that the most popular is to build muscle. Probably the main reason we want to build muscle is to look good and become stronger but building muscle provides more health benefits to us than just trying to look good. Apart from building muscle, benefits of bodybuilding include :
BONE HEALTH - Resistance training creates force on the bone and helps it stay strong. Your body cares about survival, so it has to adapt to survive so it’ll get stronger and bones will get stronger to endure the force of weight training.
BOOST METABOLISM AND FAT LOSS – The more muscle you have on your frame will increase your metabolism and have you burning more calories. This muscle is an active tissue and burns more energy at rest compared to fat. An increase in metabolism and burning more calories will help with losing weight and burning fat.
GET A LEANER LOOK – When you build more muscle and lose fat, you will appear leaner. Muscle is denser than fat, meaning it takes up less space on your body pound for pound. Losing body fat and building stronger and larger muscles showcases more muscle definition, creating a stronger and leaner appearance.
FIGHT AGAINST DIABETES - Strength training has you burning through glucose, which is good news for those with Type 2 diabetes who consistently need to manage blood sugar levels.
STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE – we know resistance training will build muscles which will also make you grow stronger and build up more endurance in the muscles.
MORE FLEXIBLE - Resistance training increases joint range of motion (ROM), allowing for greater mobility and flexibility. Plus, those with weaker muscles tend to have lower ROM and flexibility.
BOSST CONFIDENCE - You can see yourself making progress, lifting heavier weights, doing more repetitions, or perfecting your technique. This can boost your self-esteem because it's a way of proving to yourself how you can achieve your goals and make positive changes in your life when you set your mind to it.
IMPROVE YOUR HEART – Doing regular training exercise can decrease blood pressure, lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and improve blood circulation by strengthening the heart and blood vessels. Strength training also can help you maintain a healthy body weight and manage your blood sugar levels which have an effect on the heart.
IMPROVE MOOD – Resistance training can make you feel more mentally engaged and boost your mental energy and focus. Regular exercise such as a consistent strength training routine has protective effects for memory and cognitive skills. Evidence has shown that exercise helps stave off depression and other mental illnesses and that exercise can elevate feelings of happiness and contentment.
HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE
Muscle growth occurs when a person continually challenges the muscles to deal with higher levels of resistance or weight, this process is known as muscle hypertrophy. Muscle hypertrophy is the process through which our muscles get physically larger through the act of strategically consistent and harder workouts.
Muscle hypertrophy occurs when the fibres of the muscles sustain damage or injury and the body repairs damaged fibres by fusing them, which increases the mass and size of the muscles. Certain hormones, including testosterone, human growth hormone, and insulin growth factor, also play a part in muscle growing and repair. The biggest and best benefits of bodybuilding is the fact it produces the best results for hypertrophy and muscle growth.
Muscle growth (hypertrophy) is dominated by 3 decisive influencing factors:
Mechanical tension - muscle damage - metabolic stress.
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Mechanical tension - Mechanical tension means heavy lifting and generate the largest muscle force possible through a full range of motion. Mechanical tension can be defined as the overloading force to the muscle fibres.
Muscles have receptors called mechanosensors that sense how much force the muscle is under and the length of time it sustains that tension. Once these sensors detect tension, it sets off a cascade of chemical reactions that ultimately cause the muscle to grow.
When training for mechanical tension the rep range will be 1 – 6 reps used primarily to increase muscular and neurological strength. If you’re looking to get a strong as possible, then this is your zone. It will also be important to apply progressive overload to your training. This can be achieved by simply adding 1.25-2.5kg to the bar every time you train and will ensure that you continue to place more tension on the muscle over time, which will force them to adapt by growing bigger and stronger.
Muscle damage - Muscle damage is sustained during resistance training, largely coming from eccentric and concentric contractions. People tend to feel muscle soreness the next day from this known as D.O.MS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness) this is a result of micro tears in the muscle as a result of damage, causing the muscle tissue to adapt and become larger and stronger. Eccentric contraction occurs when the total length of the muscle increases as tension is produced. Eccentric contractions cause more damage to the muscle than concentric contractions.
A concentric contraction is a type of muscle activation that causes tension on your muscle as it shortens. As your muscle shortens, it generates enough force to move an object.
Muscle damage can also occur from doing something completely new that your muscles have never done before. This could be new types of exercise or exercises you have not done for a while. If your body is unaccustomed to something, it gets a shock.
Metabolic stress - Metabolic Stress also known as metabolite training, refers to when you get the burn in the muscle. Training in this way you would have Commonly referred to as “the pump,” metabolic stress is associated with multiple sets of higher repetitions (12 – 20), longer time under tension and shorter rest periods. With the muscles continually contracting and relaxing a blood pooling effect is created within the muscle (cell swelling – the pump).
When you train for this you are physically accumulating blood, lactate, and other metabolites and a build-up of metabolites has a powerful anabolic effect on your body, which is why it’s such a potent stimulator for hypertrophy.
It’s important to add all 3 factors into your training routine to maximize your potential for muscle growth as all three have an additive effect in the body. You could train for tension one week by going heavy and the next week go lighter but do more reps for metabolic stress. Or you could include all three in your weekly routine but it’s important that you use all 3 to get the max gains. It would be up to you to find a programme that suits you and your needs.
EXERCISES TO BUILD MUSCLE
There are many exercises used to build muscle but the foundation of any weight program is to use compound movements as these exercises work multiple muscle groups at the same time. Compound exercises are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. The biggest benefit of compound exercises may be that they are an efficient use of your time. If you only have a limited amount of time to exercise, you’ll work more muscles and build more strength by focusing on compound exercises. Benefits of bodybuilding and compound exercises are they burn more calories, improve coordination, elevating the heart rate, improved flexibility, improved strength and the gaining of more muscle mass.
Many of the best compound movements are Squat, Deadlift, Lunge, pull ups bench press, Dips, Push ups, Lat pull downs and Shoulder press. Sticking to those exercises and doing a programme that incorporates these will have you build solid impressive muscle.
Most of these exercises can be used with a barbell or dumbbells and some gyms even have specific machines that do a specific muscle. Both the barbell and dumbbell are amazing implements that can bring value to your training, and you should use both, if possible.
BENCH PRESS - Bench presses can be used to increase strength, improve endurance, and tone the muscles of the upper body, including the chest, Triceps, core and front delts.
SQUATS - Squats are an excellent lower body workout targeting gluteus maximus, minimus, and medius (butt), quadriceps (front of the thigh), hamstrings (back of the thigh), adductor (groin), hip flexors, calves and core. Squats are demanding and will help burn calories
DEADLIFT - Deadlifting can increase core strength, core stability and improve your posture. Deadlifting trains most of the muscles in the legs, lower back and core. These are all muscles responsible for posture, which will help keep your shoulders, spine, and hips in alignment.
SHOULDER PRESS - The shoulder press is one of the best exercises for strengthening your shoulders and upper back. The biggest benefactor of the shoulder press is the front portion of your shoulder muscle (anterior deltoid) but you'll also be working out your deltoids, triceps, trapezius and pecs.
LUNGES - Lunges are a lower body unilateral exercise since you work on each side of your body independently. The single-leg movements activate your stabilizing muscles to develop balance, coordination, and stability. Working the quads, hamstrings, adductors and your core.
PRESS UP - Pushups are beneficial for the building upper body . They work the triceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders. When done with proper form, they can also strengthen the lower back and core by engaging (pulling in) the abdominal muscles. Pushups are a fast and effective exercise for building strength.
DIPS - Dips are a bodyweight exercise that primarily works your chest, shoulders, and triceps. First, your chest (pectoral) muscles work hard as they are the primary mover during this exercise. To emphasize your chest even more, lean your torso forward a bit.
PULL UPS - Pull-Ups Strengthen Your back, Shoulders, Arms, and core. pull-ups strengthen and sculpt your shoulders, forearms. They also work your abs, making them a great exercise for targeting many of the major muscles in the body.
LAT PULL DOWN - The lat pulldown works many muscles, including the latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, rotator cuff, and biceps brachii. This will build a good solid back as well as strong arms and core
You can start to include isolation exercises as you go along to incorporate with the compound exercises. The benefits of bodybuilding isolation exercises can provide more definition to a specific area. Isolation exercises include things like Dumbbell lateral raises, Sit ups (crunches), Tricep kickbacks and Bicep curls. A program that incorporates compound and isolation can be highly beneficial, with compound movements forming the foundation of the workout and isolation exercises added on top to target specific muscle groups. lifting weight has been proven to be the best form of exercise to boost testosterone which is the hormone needed to increase muscle mass.
Aim to improve every workout by pushing your muscles to handle progressively greater challenges. You don’t always have to add weight as there will come a point when you can lift any heavier. Staying with the same weight can provide plenty of challenge, you can decrease the rest time between sets, or even do more sets. Just find ways to push yourself and improve.
NUTRITION FOR BUILDING MUSCLE
Building muscle, getting into shape or trying to lose weight can never be achieved unless you have the correct nutrition. The more serious you are about your nutrition, the more serious your gains will be as building muscle and getting into shape is probably 50 % nutrition.
It important that you fuel your body with the correct foods to maximize your muscle gains from working out, also provide the energy to fuel your workouts and help recover from a workout out. Paying attention to macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat), calories, meal timing and certain supplements will have a huge impact on your results.
EAT PROTEIN WITH EACH MEAL - Every cell in the human body contains protein and you need protein in your diet to help your body repair cells and make new ones. Your body needs protein for repair, to build and maintain muscle. Your body relies on a steady flow of protein to help the body function. To achieve this, you should be looking to eat at least 1g per pound of body-weight. The easiest way to get this amount is to eat a whole protein source with each meal, things like Beef, pork, lamb, Chicken, turkey, duck, Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, Eggs and cottage cheese. You can also have supplements like Whey protein. There are also vegan options too, such as lentils, tofu, seeds and nuts.
EAT HEALTHY CARBS - Carbs are important for muscle building because they're protein sparing, which means the body looks to glycogen for energy instead of breaking down muscle tissue for energy. Consuming carbohydrates post-workout can prevent muscle loss and help repair muscles. Try focusing on good quality carbohydrates that provide dietary fiber, such as whole-grain breads and cereals. Many dairy products, including milk and yogurt, also provide carbohydrates. Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy foods and beverages in order to limit sources of saturated fat.
HEALTHY FATS - Your body relies on fat to supply energy to muscles during some types of activity. A general guideline, fat should make up 20 to 35% of your total calories including vegetable oils, like olive oil and canola oil and avocados. Nuts and fatty fish such as salmon, herring, sardines and trout, which are all good sources of protein, also provide healthier types of fat.
EAT MORE FOOD - Building muscle requires a positive energy balance, which means that you must take in more calories than you burn. Most people who struggle to gain weight misunderstand the most basic principle that the body will only grow if you provide it with surplus of high-quality calories each day'. In other words, you need to consume more calories than you burn each day.
When it comes to gaining weight, it is likely that you may put on a few pounds of fat along the way, but if you do find your body fat increasing, either increase the amount of aerobic exercise you are doing or slightly reduce the total number of calories you are consuming. Eating in a calorie surplus of around 300 to 500 calories a day will be fine, anymore than that will result in excess calories being stored as fat
EAT FREQUENTLY - Eat a meal that contains quality protein and carbs every 2-3 hours to ensure a steady supply of energy and amino acids for muscle growth all day long, helping you gain mass and stay lean. The key is to keep every meal approximately the same size. Aim for at least six meals per day and spread out your daily calories across each meal including your proteins, carbs and fats.
DRINK WATER - Strength training causes water loss through sweating which can impair muscle recovery and thus, it won’t help you increase your muscle mass. Drinking water prevents dehydration but also hunger since an empty stomach can make you think you’re hungry. You want to consume around 2 litres per day in water and that amount will increase on the days you train.
EAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES - Most of them low calorie so you can eat your stomach full without gaining fat or weight. Fruit and vegetables are also full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre which helps digestion.
SUPPLEMENTS - Fueling your muscle before and after a workout are vital for recovery and growth. So be sure to consume a suitable recovery drink as soon as possible following your workout. A combination of carbs and fast digesting proteins such a whey protein is the ideal post workout nutrition. Providing protein after your exercise session will help to support gains in muscle mass.
Not a lot of people can eat enough protein to keep up with the demands the body needs so Protein supplements play a vital role in giving your body what it needs. Keep your protein level up throughout the day, combined with an excess of carbohydrate and healthy fats.
Your body needs refueling before and after a workout to be able to perform, grow and recover. Make sure you give the body what it needs. CLICK HERE to get your quality protein
REST AND RECOVERY
we know the benefits of bodybuilding include building muscle and weight loss, but muscle building only happens with adequate rest and good nutrition. Rest days are a part of the muscle building process as those are the times that you build muscle. You go the gym and lift weights to stress and create several microscopic tears to form in the fibers and connective tissue of muscles. Its with proper rest and nutrients, the muscles slowly rebuild over the following days. Not having a rest or a lack of rest will cause you to hit a plateau. And this could lead to injury’s and frustration.
When you take a rest day you build more muscle, replenish glycogen stores more easily, and let the nervous system get back to an optimal working state. This will help you grow faster, but it'll also improve your performance on the day you get back to the gym.
Your rest days could be scheduled in to your needs and may look something like this:
Monday: Training day
Tuesday: Training day
Wednesday: rest day1
Thursday: Training day
Friday: Training day
Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: Training day
You don’t have to do nothing on your rest days and not use your muscle. That would good for may be for one rest day but its important to have active recovery days to stop the muscle tightening up or becoming stiff. You could try things like Yoga or may be try going for a walk or an easy bike ride or swimming. Active recovery on your rest days will help your muscles recover.
Getting enough sleep is a major factor in building muscle as you need at least 7-8 hours to help with muscle recovery through protein synthesis and human growth hormone release.
Sleep helps muscles release protein-building amino acids into the bloodstream at an increased rate which helps them grow bigger and stronger over time. Sleep helps to release growth hormones during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep which helps with muscle repair.
BOTTOM LINE
There are many benefits of bodybuilding including building muscle, weight loss, confidence, mental health and help fight against disease. Muscle growth is dominated by 3 factors, Mechanical tension, muscle damage and metabolic stress. To build muscle you want to do compound and isolation exercises. Also building muscle involves good nutrition and adequate rest.
Building muscle is a science and it will involve years of training a dedication for you to achieve the goals you set out. Many people get discouraged from not making gains quickly but we as humans are all different and our genetics plays a vital role in how much muscle we can build naturally. Some people can build muscle a lot faster than others and there is nothing we can do about that. We can all build a good physique through hard work and diet and sticking to a routine that will help us achieve our goals. Its down to us to find what is right for us and building up a solid foundation and making our routine a habit.
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