Bodybuilding Tips - What Does a Great Bodybuilding Routine Look Like?

What it Takes to Be a Bodybuilding Winner


Anybody can look at those beautiful sculpted bodies that are on display at a bodybuilding competition and wish they had such a shape.  But it doesn’t take a genius to look around and realize that most people are not perfectly formed like bodybuilders are.  What may shock some fans of the sport is that there was a time when those perfect physical bodies were not the ultimate example of physical fitness that are on display on that stage.  The men and women who are successful in bodybuilding got there because they knew what it takes to be a bodybuilder and they were willing to go all out to achieve that goal.

To be successful as a bodybuilder, you will need to develop a long-range plan that covers work out goals, diet and lifestyle choices.  Anything related to your body must be covered by that bodybuilder development plan.  The types of workouts that you will engage in will depend on two things.  First, they will depend on where you are in your state of physical fitness.  The stages of development for someone who is starting out overweight is much different from a potential athlete who needs to “bulk” up so there is enough structure to support the large muscle base of a bodybuilder.

The second thing that determines how your workout plan is your bodybuilding objective.  Everybody who puts themselves under the discipline of bodybuilding may not be doing so for the purpose of competing in bodybuilding shows.  The bodybuilding regimen of exercise and muscle development is also useful for weight lifters, wrestlers, fighters and many other athletes who need better muscle development to become winners.  Each person setting out to conquer the discipline of bodybuilding may have different goals.  So their workout program should be customized to fit those goals.

It may go without saying that to be successful in bodybuilding training, you will need a good workout facility and a trainer.  You can work out at home without guidance and there have been some success stories where athletes who did that reached the heights of the bodybuilding world.  But a good gym and trainer can make all the difference in helping you stay focused and achieve an outstanding workout each time to exercise.

Probably the most dominant personality trait of a successful bodybuilder is dogged determination to succeed.  It is going to take months and months of difficult, strenuous and continuous bodybuilding training to get one of those bodies you see on display at competitions.  Your discipline will require absolute devotion to the task and that devotion will mean that bodybuilding must become the number one priority in your life every day of your life.  It is not a figurative saying that a successful bodybuilder eats, sleeps and breathes bodybuilding because the discipline of building the perfect shape impacts your recreation time, your diet and even your rest time as well.

To become a successful bodybuilder, you will need to have a broader focus than just working out.  Nutrition is an essential part of bodybuilding.  Your diet not only must give you a well rounded nutritional plan to keep you healthy, it must be tuned to the needs of your body as it undergoes the dramatic changes that intense exercise cause.  You may need to use a dietary supplement such as a protein drink to assure that you are giving your body everything it needs to be a winner.  Your trainer can help you with designing a bodybuilder’s diet plan to fit your workout plan.

Finally, your time of rest and recovery is just as important as your workouts.  Much of the work of muscle development happen during the rest time when you are sleeping between workouts.  To devote yourself to intense training and neglect your sleep is a formula for failure as a bodybuilder.  So pay attention to this part of your physical needs because it will make all the difference in how fast you advance toward your workout goals.

You are doing well already in getting what it takes to be a bodybuilding winner because you are reading and learning about the process of development you must go through to become a bodybuilder.  Education, training, diet, rest, a good trainer, a place to workout and the support of your friends and family will all work together to make you a success.  When you have all those things and you combine them with your unstoppable determination to be a success, you will achieve your goal and get the body you want because you set out to be a bodybuilding winner.

Need more ideas? Here are some successful Body Building Techniques

The most successful body building techniques incorporate proven weight routines. A weight routine is a set of exercises, done in repetition, that develops specific parts of the body. For example, to build chest muscles, a body builder may use a weight routine that incorporates flat bench press (3 repetitions), bench dumbbell (2 repetitions) and inclined bench press (3 repetitions). The other important function a weight routine serves is to split a training program so different muscle groups are used.

Building Biceps

Dumbbells are a common piece of equipment used to build bigger biceps. The most popular technique to get the desired result is to hold the dumbbell closer to the inside of the plates. Routines for building biceps include dumbbell curls either inclined or standing, or both.

Building Chest Muscle

Good chest muscle building exercises are routines that incorporate bench presses and flyes. An even more effective way to build chest muscle is to split the chest into 3 zones – upper, middle and lower. By working each separately, using exercises that specifically target that area, you can build up some impressive chest muscle fairly quickly.

For instance, do your upper chest exercises on a 30-45% incline bench. Incline barbell and incline dumbbell flyes are excellent for working upper chest muscles. On the other hand, the lower chest muscles are best exercised using a 30-45% decline bench. You would use decline barbell and decline dumbbell flyes to build these muscles. A flat bench works best for the middle chest muscles. So you’d do flat barbell and flat dumbbell flyes on a flat bench.

Moving Onto Shoulder Training

The shoulders are made up of 3 main muscles – the lateral, anterior and posterior deltoids. Effective shoulder training to get big shoulders requires working all 3. The anterior deltoid usually gets some work in chest workouts. To build up the lateral and posterior deltoids requires additional exercises targeting these two muscles. Generally the best way to do this is with heavy barbell and dumbbell pressing in short reps as opposed to a lot of rep work with lighter weights. You should also focus on shoulder exercises that work effectively with progressive overload, a technique used to progressively add more weight to what is being lifted.

Matching Up The Back With Back Exercises

The back is one area many body builders overlook. But if you want your back to match up with those impressive chest, shoulder and bicep muscles, you will need to include back exercises in your bodybuilding routine.

Good workouts for the Lower Trapezius or lower back muscles include stiff-legged good mornings and hyper-extensions. For the middle back muscles or Rhomboids, you can do a seated cable row and bent-over barbell rows. Your Latissimus Dorsi will benefit from wide-grip lat pull-downs and pull-ups. And last but not least, try upright rows and barbell shrugs for your Trapezius.

But before starting any body-building workout, be sure to warm up properly. This will reduce the risk of damaging muscles and tendons. Stretch the muscles you’re going to be working. Also avoid lifting more weight than your body can capably handle to avoid serious injury.


About Molly Bright

As a fitness fanatic, Molly Bright knows a thing or three about the subject. She’s the proud owner of some second-hand gym equipment that she uses religiously. At least she does when she’s not researching, and penning, great health and fitness articles!