Body Building Contests

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Many people who are big into body building get interested in entering body building contests to show off their physiques.  These are great places to build confidence and motivate you to continue with your body building program.  When you decide to start competing in body building contests, there are some things you should know first.

To begin with, attend a few contests before you enter one.  Watch how the participants put together their program and what the winners do that the others don’t.  See how they carry themselves and what poses they use to accent their muscles.  Take notes and, if you get the chance, ask questions from those in the know.

You’ll need to plan well ahead of time before competing yourself, so start early – as much as six months to a year!  There’s a lot to consider and a lot of work to do before you go on stage.

Take a look at your body and find the muscles that aren’t as toned as you’d like them to be.  A body building contest is all about perfect bodies – or at least as perfect as you can get them.  Just because you’ve lost a bunch of weight doesn’t mean you should be competing.  You need strong muscles with well-defined tone in order to win.

Pick some music that will get the crowd excited.  Your routine will be your calling card and will determine whether or not you have a strong performance.  Your music should contribute to how you pose and what you focus on when in front of the judges.

Your attire is important as well.  The purpose of body building contests is to show off well-toned muscles, so you should show as much skin as possible, but do so in a tasteful way.  Swim suits are the best choice – Speedos for men and bikinis for women.  You’ll want a comfortable fit so that you can move about easily and show all of your hard work.

When you have put together a posing routine, have someone video tape it for you and then watch it with a critical eye.  Have someone else watch it as well and point out the things you are doing right as well as the things you are doing wrong.  You can then work on the areas that need to be strengthened prior to the contest.

You need to pay special attention to your diet and workout routine.  It is very important that you maintain the pace that got you here in the first place.  Before entering body building contests is no time to slack off.  You’ll need to be diligent, but the effort will pay off.

There are many, many body building contests that you can enter when you’ve reached the point where you want to start competing.  Local as well as national competitions can be very grueling, so know what you are up for.  Body building contests are great places to show off what you’ve worked hard for – a ripped, toned body.  Good luck!

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Body Building Competitions

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When you are serious about body building, the next logical step is to enter a body building competition.  You’ve worked hard to sculpt the perfect body, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t want to stand up next to others who have worked just as hard and have an impartial third party decide who has the best body.

Keep in mind that body building competitions can be very intense events and the competition can be just as difficult.  You have worked to make sure your muscles are as toned as you think they can get and you have prepared for the contest, but you need to be at the top of your game when you enter the competition.

What’s important in body building competitions?  Actually, there’s a lot involved.

To begin with, be sure you have a nice, deep, dark tan.  That means going to a tanning bed many weeks before the contest.  If you’re not comfortable with a tanning bed, you’ll need a spray-on tan the day before the contest.  Be aware, however, that many spray-on tans could make you have an orange cast.  What you are striving for is a dark look that will make your muscles pop out.

You will need to put some serious thought into the type of music you use for your posing routine.  You will want to have music that gets the crowd excited and pumped up as much as you are.  If you have music that contributes to your poses, you will most likely be a winner.

The biggest image of body builders in the mind of the general public is that of a greased up guy who is flexing freaky looking muscles.  Some body building competitions prohibit the use of oils on the bodies of participants.  Be sure you know the rules before you start competing.  But be aware that oils can make the muscles stand out in a much bigger way.  Follow the rules of the competition that you are in.

You will need to be sure that you are wearing something that will show off ALL of your muscles.  However, use caution. If you are a man, a skimpy swim suit will do just fine – much like that is made by Speedo.  For women, you will want to wear a bikini in a body building competition, but be sure it’s tasteful.  It’s not “Girls Gone Wild”, so make sure you promote your professionalism.

Body building competitions are great places to showcase a body that you’ve worked hard to make beautiful.  Don’t have unrealistic expectations, but get in it to win it!  You deserve it!

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Body Building Workout

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A body building workout should be a well-rounded program that provides an adequate amount of resistance to all areas of the body and all muscle groups.  It should contain a variety of exercises including weight training and a cardiovascular rotation as well.  If you are wondering about different types of body building workouts, there is no one magic formula for everyone.

When you are trying to devise a good body building workout, you need to consider the current state of your health.  Your health can factor in your recoverability, susceptibility to injury, and your physical limitations.  If you are beginning a body building workout to get fit, you will probably have to start slow and work your way up.

Another factor in a body building workout is to consider what your personal goals are in this endeavor.  Do you want to increase body mass, lose weight, or just become stronger?  Whatever goal you have will dictate what type of workout will work best to succeed.

You must have a basic knowledge of human anatomy and what muscles are located where on your body.  When you know where your muscles are, you’ll be better equipped to work them to their maximum capacity.  You can concentrate on the specific muscle groups and use the weights to tone and sculpt those muscles.

An effective body building workout will be four days long to begin with.  A good idea is to workout on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with your rest day on Wednesday and the weekend.  Here is a good, basic body building workout that will focus on each part of the body, but not all at the same time:

* Day 1: Deltoids, Triceps
* Day 2: Back, Traps
* Day 3: OFF
* Day 4: Legs, Forearms
* Day 5: Chest, Biceps

* Day 6: OFF
* Day 7: OFF

Working out in this way will work each body group on one day only which will allow for maximum recovery time as well as maximum growth potential.  You need recovery time due to the intensity of a strong body building workout to allow your muscles to heal in between workout sessions.  This is very important in any body building program.

Keep a log of the exercises you are performing and note your progress regularly.  By doing this, you’ll know where you stand as far as your strength potential, and you can make changes as needed to realize your personal goal.

Body building workouts vary from person to person, but they all contain basic components that can help all body builders grow their muscles and tone their bodies.  When putting together your body building workout, keep your personal goals in mind and then go for it!

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Body Building for a Woman

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Men aren’t the only ones who can build a great body.  Body building for a woman is a great way to lose weight, get fit, and look great.  An effective body building program won’t make a woman look muscular necessarily.  This is one reason why many women hesitate to start lifting weights and exercise intently.  What a good body building program for a woman will do is sculpt a beautiful body that you can be proud of.

Body building in general started gaining popularity in the 1970’s after the release of the movie “Pumping Iron” starring Arnold Schwarzeneggar.  It was about this time that the women’s liberation movement began rising in popularity as well.  As women started standing up for their rights, they also began to exercise their options to do what men were doing – and that included body building.

Now, there are two categories of body building women:  those who work for health and those who work for competition.  Of course, any body building program for a woman will have great health benefits, but those who want to compete will find themselves working in a different way.

Many women hesitate to start a body building program because they don’t want to look like male body builders with huge muscles and oversized shoulders and legs.  But women are different from men in that they cannot naturally produce the huge amount of testosterone that men have which contributes to large muscles in men.

Body building for a woman is more about sculpting muscles to look toned and strong – not to become large and massive.  It can happen for those women who choose to use illegal substances such as steroids.  But body building for a woman who chooses the healthy route will simply make a chiseled body that looks and feels great.

Many people think the female body is naturally a work of art, but it’s easy to get off track with the stresses of every day life – especially for women.  They are expected to hold to a pre-conceived ideal of what a woman is supposed to look like.  But every woman is different just as every woman’s body is different.

Body building for a woman can make her more confident, feel better about herself, and look great in the process.  Many people think that the strong, chiseled muscles that female body builders have IS the ideal of what a woman is supposed to look like.  Getting healthy and staying healthy is important for everyone.  Body building for a woman can help get her there and stay there.

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Body Building for Girls

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The term “girl” is generally thought of to be a young female, but when we’re talking about body building for girls, we’re really referring to female body building for teen girls.  Body building isn’t a sport just reserved for the male sex.  Girls can get strong, fit, and toned just like boys although their approach needs to be different.

Girls need to set realistic body building goals when they are trying to figure out just what they want to accomplish with their weight training.  Some girls just want to lose weight.  Others would like to become toned and firm.  Still others are using body building as a way to excel at sports.  Set goals and keep those goals in mind during workout programs.  Don’t lose sight of those goals and use them as motivation to keep going.

Guys – especially teen guys – produce much more testosterone than girls do, so remember that, as a girl, you won’t be building muscle in the same ways as your male counterparts.  You can, however, tone your muscles and sculpt a beautiful body when you keep an eye on the end result you want to achieve.

When it comes to nutrition, girls who are starting a body building routine need to keep a few things in mind.  First of all, girls need different nutrients than boys.  They require much more iron due to blood loss during menstruation, and they also can benefit from more protein.  Protein provides muscle building material in the body, so it should be consumed both through diet as well as supplements.

When speaking of supplements, girls should shy away from testosterone replacement supplements.  These types of artificial substances can make a woman or girl look more like a man and can seriously impede health.  While they will make your muscles grow stronger and quicker, they should still be avoided for girls who are body building seriously.

Keep in mind that both girls and boys who are body building need to get lots of rest.  This is very important for any young person, but when you are working your body, you really need to get a lot of rest.  Muscles are grown when the body is in a sedentary state.  While you sleep, your muscles will grow and you will be repairing any damage you’ve done while working out.

Get the advice of an adult before you undertake a body building program.  It’s very possible for girls who want to use body building as a fitness program to make beautiful bodies that they can be proud of.  Just be sure you do it safely and know what you are doing before you start.  Then watch the results and enjoy what you’ve done!

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Body Building Anatomy

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The anatomy of body building includes knowing what muscles are located where and how they are grown most effectively.  It can be confusing, so as you read this article, find a mirror and locate the muscles on your own body.  When you are body building, knowing the anatomy of your body can be very, very helpful.
Of course, you know where your neck is.  There are two basic neck muscles that you can focus on in your body building.  The upper trapezius runs down the back of your neck from the nape of the neck to the shoulder.  The levator scapulae runs next to the first five or six cervical vertebrae in your neck.

The trapezius muscles run down your back from the nape of your neck to the waist on either side of the spine.  In body building terms, these muscles are referred to as the trap muscles.
The deltoid muscles are located in your shoulders.  The anterior delt is in the front part of the shoulder, the middle delt runs down the side of the shoulder, the posterior deltoid muscles runs down the back part of the shoulder.  The rotator cuff muscle runs just below the anterior delt from the armpit straight out.
The muscles in your chest are the pectoral muscles. 
Your tricep muscles are located in your arms.  They run down the sides of the arms from shoulder to elbow.  The biceps, on the other hand are located on the inside of the arm.  There are also very distinct muscles in the forearms.
Your abs are located in the stomach area – or abdominal region hence their name!
In the legs, you have the quadriceps muscles in the front – or quads.  The muscles in the back of the legs are located in the calf, or lower leg, and hamstring which is the upper leg.
Other major muscle groups you will want to focus on include glutes – or the buttocks, the lats which are in the upper back, and the lower trap muscles which is the lower back.

Knowing your anatomy when you undertake a body building program is a very important part of effectively growing your muscles.  When you know the various muscle groups in your anatomy, you can build those muscles and concentrate on them during your workouts.  In body building, knowledge of human anatomy isn’t difficult when you know what you are looking for.  Know your muscles and succeed in your body building goals.

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