Bodybuilding Guide to weight lifting - Types of exercises

Execution: This type of exercise is executed from a lying position on a bench, arms streched and shoulders broad apart, holding the dumbbells over the chest with a pronation grip. While performing this exercise the lower back strain should be avoided as it causes distorsion. Weight lifting from a lying position helps develop the triceps and the pectoral muscles, the outward segments of the deltoid muscles and the muscles of the forearms. There are various ways of execution: a) The same movement but with wider arms opening that secures a more intense exercise for the pectoral muscle side segments. b) With the hands closer on the dumbbell bar, situation in which the triceps are more active. c) The same movement but performed with the help of a dumbbell bar bent in the shape of a rectangle stimulates the development of the sternum muscles. d) From a sitting position on a bench 45 degrees inclined, with the back supported, the exercise stimulates the upper segments of the pectoral muscles. e) From the lying head down position, on surface 30 degrees inclined, the exercise proves usefull for the lower segment of the pectoral muscles. The inclined surface has to be narrow enough to allow unimpeded up and down movement of the arms. f) All the above variants of the exercise could be also applied when working with weights. The use of weights favours the lenghtening of the muscle fibre, which is necessary for the development of the pectoral muscles.

Execution: While performing this exercise the body should be streched and when the body is lowered, the knees and the abdomen are not supposed to touch the ground. This type of exercise is efficient for the development of the triceps, deltoid and pectoral muscles as well as of the abdominal muscles. According to the particular area you want to develop, push-ups could be executed as follows: - Palms inwards, opposing the two hands’ fingertips, to develop the triceps and the deltoid muscles. - Arms apart at a distance wider than the shoulder width to develop the side section of the pectoral muscles.

Execution: This particular exercise is performed from a standing position, with the legs spread, the trunk bent 90 degrees forward, leaned against a bench, table chair, etc. From this position the bodybuilder should execute alternative sets of liftings with both arms, using the maximum weight charge but without overlooking correct breathing technique: inhaling before lifting and exhaling when the weight is slowly lowered.

Execution: This particular exercise is performed hanging from a fix bar, hands apart at a distance shoulders broad. During exercise the legs are streched or slightly bent and crossed at the ankles level and the body is arched. This type of exercise develops the dorsal muscle, especially its upper segment. The same exercise can be executed with the arms further apart, using an end bent bar, the grip thus being on the bent ends of the bar. The more apart the hands are, the more intense the effort of the dorsal muscle during training. All types of tractions are recommended to bodybuilding trainees, regardless the age or gender. In order to stimulate dorsal muscle development, the bodybuilder should hold in position for a few seconds when the chin or the backhead reach the bar. Breathing: inhaling takes place before performing the traction while exhaling occurs when returning to the initial position.

Research conducted by specialists in the area demonstrated that women could practice bodybuilding as well. Women who practice this sport do not aquire a masculin appearance by exagerated muscular development, but, on a contrary, they improve their health and fitness and they obtain a good muscular tonus. Bodybuilding exercise help women reshape their body, shortly after giving birth. Women who are interested in loosing weight through this type of exercise should consume a smaller amount of calories than the one they normally take in during daily activities. It is reccommended that the bodybuilding exercise be accompanied by regular running. The training should consist of 6 to 8 exercises, three times a week. Each exercise should be repeated up to 6 to 9 times.

Entering a training program should necessarily be preceded by a complete set of medical tests, tests that should be repeated periodically over the training period. The training has to begin with a preparation stage, designed to prepare the body for a sustained muscular effort. The preparation is not to include weight lifting exercises but should consist only of tractions, push-ups, genuflexions and other exercise specific for invigoration gymnastics. The preparation period lasts between two weeks and a month according to gender, age and fitness of the bodybuilder. Once this stage is completed, the second part of the training could begin. During the second stage the trainee takes up weight lifting exercises in order to get used to the correct execution of the exercises, as well as to establish the right amount of weight he/she particularly should work with. It is recommended that this part of the training consist of three sessions a week, aproximately one hour each. Three different types of exercise, out of which one is to be basic, are to be executed for each group of muscles. In case you do not aim pronounced muscular development but an improved muscular tonus or fitness, the training schedule of the second stage could be continued for years.

Unsuited equipment, which impedes the development of the muscles by favouring perspiration or by inducing a state of discomfort, has a negative impact on the training session, therefore should be avoided.

The distance between the gym and your residence is an important factor to be taken into consideration. The shorter the distance the more time and energy you save, time and energy you could invest in your training sessions.

-The endomorph type: Easily increases the muscular mass with a tendency to gain weight. In this particular case same foods are to be excluded from the diet, such as: milk, flour paste ware, sugar, fruit juice. -The mesomorph type: Easily increases the muscular mass and the adipose tissue develops harder. Sugar and flour paste ware is not recommended. -The ectomorph type: Has difficulty in increasing the muscular mass. Frequent meals are recommended.

People who practice this sport, especially beginners, tend to make numerous mistakes that prevent them from achieving the results expected. Among such mistakes, we would like to draw your attention to the most frequently encountered ones: -One of the biggest mistakes is not being decided in regard to the training. Very many sportsmen delay beginning training, therefore there is nothing to build on. In order to achieve the desired results we should establish our aim and consequently persevere. Each decision we make should take into consideration our final goals. -Overtraining with the aim to increase the muscular mass faster determines same sportsmen to train hours on end, only to obtain an opposite result. They have to understand that overtraining is as damaging as undertraining. -The tendency to increase the break time reduces the intensity of the training. -Neglecting the balanced development of the body.