The basic principles that are of utmost importance when training for bodybuilding and fitness beginners.
When someone starts weight training, be it fitness or bodybuilding, they usually have a specific goal in mind. They want to improve their figure and increase their well-being, health and performance. Not everyone aspires to look like a bodybuilder. Most gym-goers want to have a well-shaped body, visible abs and better fitness.
Especially at the beginning, it is important to familiarise yourself with the basics of training and nutrition. This is the only way to effectively and healthily achieve your goals in this sport and maintain them in the long term. The preferred method of training and nutrition depends heavily on the individual metabolism. For example, if you belong to the "hardgainer" group, you should be able to follow certain basic rules that can make it much easier to build muscle."
How do muscles build up?
Training alone is not enough to build muscle, but rather a combination of three key factors: training, nutrition and regeneration. If even one of these aspects is neglected, this has a negative impact on muscle building.
Explanation: If the training is sufficiently intensive, d.h. the muscle is not stimulated too weakly or too strongly, then a signal for growth is triggered in the muscle. This can result in small injuries within the muscle. After this growth signal, it is important to supply the muscle with the right nutrients, especially high-quality protein, which helps to build and maintain muscle*. Once these two factors (growth stimulus + nutrients) have been taken into account, the muscle then needs sufficient time to regenerate and grow after training. As a rule, it is assumed that a particular muscle needs about 72 hours of rest before it can be loaded again.
Why does the body actually develop muscles?
Muscle growth is not a purely aesthetic phenomenon, but rather a defence reaction of our organism. If a muscle is subjected to particularly high stress during training, the body reacts to possible future stress by building up additional muscle mass.
How can I start training properly as a fitness beginner?
The first 1-3 months are crucial as your body is confronted with a completely new type of stress. If you are too eager at the beginning, there is a risk of overloading and injuries could lead to you having to take a longer break from training. It is therefore important to take a calm and systematic approach to training at the beginning. Nevertheless, there is good news: Beginners can make good progress, especially in the first few weeks. The body reacts to the new strain by quickly building up muscles and becoming stronger. However, the body gets used to this strain over time and progress gradually slows down. In this case, it is best to change your training programme to provide new stimuli for building strength and muscle.
The most important thing in this "beginner's phase" is to learn a solid foundation in terms of technique, movement and coordination. You also need to learn how the muscle strands work together and how the different muscles interact (intramuscular coordination). Nobody masters the use of machines or free weights perfectly straight away."
What should my training routine look like at the beginning?
If you are new to bodybuilding, it is sufficient to only train 2-3 times a week for the first 3-6 months. This will allow you to make good progress and not overload your body. In the period of one to three months, you should only train on machines. From the third to the sixth month, you can then gradually replace the machines with free weights (dumbbells). However, always pay attention to correct technique and clean movement sequences. It would be best if an experienced trainer showed you the exercises with free weights again."
From beginner to advanced:
The body gets used to the training after 3-6 months and it is time for new challenges. You can now switch from a full-body workout to a split plan, which has the advantage that you work individual muscle groups more intensively and can therefore stimulate more growth. A good way to start would be a 3-way split, where you train three times a week. The different muscle groups are distributed over the training days to avoid overloading or underloading.
The decision as to whether you switch to split training after three or six months is entirely up to you. Important factors such as strength building and muscle development as well as the correct execution of movements play a role here - this is particularly crucial when using free weights and should be largely mastered after this time.
The most common mistakes made by beginners in bodybuilding:
1. Lack of self-discipline
Good self-discipline is essential in weight training and bodybuilding. Anyone who thinks that lifting a few weights just before the summer is enough or neglects their training because of parties and going to discos will certainly be disappointed with the results.
The muscle needs regular stimulation in order to be maintained or to continue to build up. If the stimulus is too weak or does not occur at all, the muscles that have already been built up break down again very quickly.
2. Unhealthy eating habits
Many people don't realise that the right diet has a greater influence on muscle building than the actual training - a whopping 60% of success depends on it. That's why it's so important to eat a balanced and varied diet. A balanced diet means that it contains sufficient nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
3. Overuse
Especially at the beginning, people often make the mistake of thinking that more is better. However, this is absolutely not true when it comes to building muscle. Muscles do not grow during training, but only during phases of rest and regeneration. If you don't give your muscles enough time to grow, you will quickly find yourself in a situation of overuse. Overtraining is the biggest threat to a bodybuilder who wants to build muscle. However, it is not enough to stop making progress in a state of overuse - much worse is that you will lose muscle mass and strength."
How can I avoid overtraining?
Simply follow our recommendations on training and nutrition. As a beginner, you should not train with weights more than three times a week and each session should last no longer than 60-70 minutes. Make sure you plan sufficient recovery phases and get at least seven hours of sleep per night. It is important to eat a healthy and balanced diet and drink 3-4 litres of mineral water a day. If necessary, you can supplement your diet with multivitamin/mineral tablets.
4. Incorrect training plans
It is often the case that beginners copy the training plans of professionals from various fitness and bodybuilding magazines. However, this is complete nonsense, as these plans are often exaggerated and unsuitable for beginners. It is important to train intuitively over time and to adapt your own training plan according to your individual circumstances such as physique, recovery and goals.
5. Poor execution
Precise execution is of the utmost importance in bodybuilding. It ensures injury-free and long-term training, which in turn enables you to build muscle well into old age. If you use weights that are actually too heavy for you and try to make the exercise easier by "swinging", this will not bring you any benefits. This incorrect execution puts significantly less strain on the trained muscle than a proper technique. There is even a risk of serious injuries such as muscle tears, tendon injuries and joint damage. Even if you see bodybuilding professionals with heavy weights in various specialist magazines or videos - believe us - when there is no camera around, these professionals train with extreme concentration and absolutely correct technique."
6. Avoid extended training sessions
It is not beneficial to spend hours in the gym lifting weights. On the contrary, this can lead to overtraining and favour muscle breakdown. Keep your strength training to 60-70 minutes. For muscle growth, short and intense training is crucial to stimulate growth. Once this stimulus is set, drink your post-workout shake, go home and give your muscles the rest they need to grow."
7. Too many training sessions
It's not uncommon to see over-motivated beginners in the gym, training hard for several hours almost every day. They constantly switch between bench presses and bicep curls and then wonder why their favourite muscles just won't get any bigger. But here's the thing: more training doesn't automatically mean more muscle growth.
More exertion also requires more recovery time. At some point, all regeneration reserves are used up and you reach a point of overtraining - a state in which muscle breakdown is pre-programmed. Even if it works at first, you will ultimately lose more than you gain."
Train with caution and a structured approach by planning at least one day of recovery after each training day. Make use of our expert and free training plans as support and never neglect the three decisive factors in bodybuilding: the training itself, a balanced diet and adequate recovery phases.
Conclusion
Beginners often have the urge to train too much and too often due to their exuberant motivation. This inevitably leads to overtraining and muscle loss. It is important that you keep an eye on your daily diet and consume enough protein. Train each muscle once a week and don't go to the gym more than 3-4 times a week. Give your body the recovery time it needs to build muscle and try to avoid parties, alcohol, cigarettes and stress."
Note: To support bodybuilding, we at Team Viking recommend a balanced and varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.
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