Body Builder
Cast aside preconceptions of juiced-up gym bros with veins for days – when you strip it right back, bodybuilding is about just that: building your body.
Just ask IFBB pro champ and USN sports nutrition ambassador, Ryan Terry. Not only did the labourer-turned-lifter win the Arnold Classic in 2017, he was also the highest placed Brit in Mr Olympia, so the competitive bodybuilder knows a thing or two about muscle mass.
“The majority of people think bodybuilders are ‘mass monsters’, and generally not very healthy-looking people,” Terry explains. “But it’s really anyone who is trying to build or sculpt their body.”
If you want to get serious about bodybuilding, you’ll need to navigate your nutrition and training with military precision. Your regime will differ wildly if you’re gunning for gains (bulking) vs shredding fat (cutting) 12 weeks out from a competition. Needless to say, there’s not much room for a Friday night pint in either of these.
A question nearly every beginner asks: how many hours of training should you average a week to become bigger and more defined? The answer is this: it really depends on your training splits.
There are a number of ways, however, you can tackle them – for example, splitting them by upper and lower body exercises or focusing on push and pull motions – and then even more ways of scheduling them: every other day, four days on three days off, and so on. Generally speaking, the best routine is the one that fits in with your life. If Arnie’s notoriously hardcore double-split (six times per week, twice a day) doesn’t really tie in with your schedule, guess what? You`re unlikely to stick at it.
Shareable Link
|
Wide grip pull-down
3 sets of 12 reps
Grip the bar with shoulder-width palms facing away and your arms fully extended above your head. Do not lean back as you pull the bar to the top of your chest and hold it there for two seconds. Control the bar as it pulls itself back to the start position, aiming for a three second ascent with no pause at the top of the movement.
Bent-over row
3 sets of 12 reps
Grab a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart. With your legs slightly bent, keep your back perfectly straight and bend your upper body until it’s almost perpendicular to the floor. From here, row the weight upwards into the lower part of your chest. Pause. And return under control to the start position.
Deadlift
3 sets of 12 reps
Squat down and grasp a barbell with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart. Keep your chest up, pull your shoulders back and look straight ahead as you lift the bar. Focus on taking the weight back onto your heels and keep the bar as close as possible to your body at all times. Lift to thigh level, pause, then return under control to the start position.
Shareable Link
|
Incline press
3 sets of 12 reps
Lie back on a bench set to an incline angle and lift a barbell to shoulder height, palms facing away from you. Breathe out as you press up with both arms. Lock out your arms and squeeze your chest before returning slowly to the start position.
Decline press
3 sets of 12 reps
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, shoulder-width apart and overhand grip. Lie back on a decline bench and extend your arms straight above you. Lower the weights slowly until they reach your chest, then push the dumbbells back to starting position.
Flat bench fly
3 sets of 12 reps
Lie down on a flat bench holding two dumbbells at your shoulders with your palms facing inwards. Press the dumbbells up until your arms are almost fully extended. This is your starting position. From here, with a slight bend in your arms, arc the weights down to your sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return the weights to the start position by reversing the movement.
Shareable Link
|
Dumbbell lateral raise
3 sets of 12 reps
Grab some moderately light dumbbells that you don`t struggle to lift. Hold them next to your sides, with a slight bend at your elbow. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and squeeze your core, bending your elbows. Raise your arms straight out to your sides, maintaining your elbow position, until they reach shoulder height. Pause at the top for a beat, then lower the weights at a controlled pace back to the starting position.
Resistance band raise
3 sets of 12 reps
Stand on a resistance band and hold the band with underhand grip about shoulder width apart. Curl the band until it`s in line with your collar bone and your forearms touch your biceps. Lower and repeat.
Face pulls
3 sets of 12 reps
Attach rope handles to the top pulley on a cable machine. Kneel in front of it with one foot forward and flat on the grand. Grab the handles and pull them towards your face, drawing your hands apart and taking care to keep your upper arms flat. Pause, then reverse the movement.
Shareable Link
|
EZ bar curl
3 sets of 12 reps
Hold the EZ bar in front of your thighs on the outermost grips and palms facing away from you. As you breathe in, curl the bar until your hands are at your shoulders. Squeeze your bicep, then lower under control.
Crossbody dumbbell hammer curl
3 sets of 12 reps
Stand holding two dumbbells by your sides, palms facing towards each other. One at a time, curl each weight up towards your opposing shoulder. Return under control to the start position and repeat on the other side.
Tricep rope pushdown
3 sets of 12 reps
Attach a rope handle to the high pulley of a cable station. Keeping your elbows tucked in at your sides grab the handle, tense your core, and bring your hands down until your arms are fully extended, then return to the starting position. Only your forearms should move.
EZ bar skull crusher
3 sets of 12 reps
Hold the EZ bar on the inner grips and extend your arms straight up. Keeping your elbows fixed and tucked in, slowly lower the bar until it is about an inch from your forehead. Slowly extend your arms back to the starting position without locking your elbows.
Shareable Link
|