How do professional bodybuilders build technique?
Do you know how to use chopsticks? To develop this skill you must practice, concentrate on what you are doing, and in time, you will ‘get used’ to it. It’s all about building experience.
As mentioned in the previous article, when you working out, it’s important to have a plan of what you are going to do. If you don’t have a plan, I suggest you use ‘Weider Training Principles’. What’s that? You ask.
Weider Training Principles
These principles are in my opinion the building blocks of bodybuilding.
| Principle | How to do it | Why it’s important |
| Set training principle | 2-4 sets each of 1-4 per body part | Perform multiple sets of each exercises to give your muscle a thorough workout. Boosts muscle growth. |
| Progressive overload principle | Increase the amount of weight you lift to prevent plateau. | Working your muscles harder prevents stagnation. |
| Isolation principle | Involve many muscles beyond the target one. | Target your muscles and change your workouts constantly to make better progress. |
| Muscle confusion training principle | Vary your workouts (reps, order of exercise, sets, etc.) to ‘confuse’ or ‘shock; your muscles. | Use this principle to overcome your weakest area. |
| Split training principle | Train individual muscle groups to grow bigger faster | Pushing heavier weights and more sets makes you grow faster |
| Pyramid principle | Light to heavyweights and high weight and low reps to low weights and high reps. | Build strength and size |
KEY: Beginner and intermediate Weider principles. CLICK HERE for the complete guide
Professional techniques based on Weider principles
1. The Cycle Training Principle
Cutting fat during competition season is an uphill task for most bodybuilders. This principle requires you to devote portions of your training year to specific goals such as weight loss, building strength, or mass. One major advantage of following this principle is you will be competition-ready all year round.
If you are looking to burn calories, we suggest higher reps, why?
We all know that performing more repetitions raises your metabolism. A faster metabolism allows you to burn more energy.
Low weight and higher repetition, is beneficial for bodybuilders whose primary goal is to build strength and power.
I must mention that you will need heavier weights as you progress to prevent stagnation or plateau.
What is Better, High Reps or Low Reps?
If you read the previous article, by now you should know that it is in your best interest to combine high reps and low reps. Sticking to one routine is bad in that your body will ‘get used’ to it, thus progress will slow down.
2. Instinctive Training Principle and the Importance of Practicing Proper Form
We are not all good at following instructions, but I think I’m correct to say that we can all follow our instincts and design our own workout programs, right?
“you need to do what works for you”
Why that is important is very simple, our bodies react to stimuli in different ways. Because of that, a routine that works for you may not work for me.
There are lots of workout programs that promise you miracles. But the truth is, the best workout program is the one you design yourself.
Proper Form Should be Practiced 100% of the Time
The quality of your training influences the results more than the quantity. If you don’t practice proper form, you risk injury, muscle imbalance, and even death.
It’s not about speed, take your time with every repetition and you will see better results.
We recommend:
- Seek balance
- Breathe while lifting
- Learn to exercise correctly
- Sit, stand, and squat upright
Safety should always be your number 1 priority
A lot of bad things can happen at the gym or at home when you are not using proper form. There is also the issue of paying attention to your surroundings. Don’t assume that everyone around you knows what he or she is doing. Always be alert.
3. Cover all Your Bases and Maintain Equal Focus on Negative and Positive Phases
The Holistic Principle Suggests that you use numerous types of training techniques such as faster and slower speed, low and high reps, and alternate exercises to stimulate maximum muscle fibers.
It is important not to focus only on the positive phase of your lifting movements. exercise movements are composed of two phases, that is, the negative and positive phases. Lifting is the positive phase because you are lifting against gravity and lowering weight is the negative phase.
The idea is to focus on both phases. Take it slow, maintain focus, and alternate your exercises.
Findings from multiple studies suggest that the negative phase of weight lifting has more muscle splitting potential than the positive. So again. Don’t rush, take it slow.
Take Care of Your Joints
What would you be without your joints? A stiff blob of meat and bones. Your joints are designed to help you perform movements. this makes it very important to take care of them.
You may have noticed that some bodybuilders swing or ‘throw’ weights. Bouncing weights can slow down progress and it might result in injury. To maintain or improve your joints, we recommend:
- Use proper warm-ups and cooldowns
- Practice proper form and use the right exercise routine with proper weights
- Practice proper nutrition to prevent muscle tear in tendons
- If your joint hurts, look for a similar alternative exercise
- Avoid bouncing weights
- Increase joint flexibility by stretching
- Reduce stress
- Avoid locking out your joint
Conclusion
Given these points, we can all agree on one thing. There is no such thing as the ‘perfect workout routine’. To reach success, you must know your limits, have a goal and a plan, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
Now you know the basics i.e. you know that when you lift heavy, keep the rep count low or if you have the energy. Lift to failure. The trick is to mix up your workouts to prevent plateauing or getting used to your current workout routine.
You have the time, craft your own routine and record progress. Also, if you are starting out as a bodybuilder, keep your expectations at ground level and don’t get too excited. It is up to you to decide the steps.
In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger. “the worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else”.