What type of training should I choose for bodybuilding?

You want to start weight training and you don't know which training to choose? Or you already practice but you want to change your routine without knowing what to do? You should know that there are different types of training that you can choose from. However, the criteria of choice are personal and adapted to each morphology or morphotype. So ? which bodybuilding program should you choose? Here is some useful information to help you choose.

Between full body, half body, push pull legs and split routine... You have an important choice to make. The sessions are intense and your body has to adapt gradually to the workouts.

What is bodybuilding?

The choice of workout to build muscle depends on the body part you want to transform. For your information, there are several types of workouts to choose from, including full body, half body, push pull legs, and split routine. Each workout has advantages and weaknesses that you should be aware of.

Remember that strength training is an activity that aims to grow muscles through athletic training. This will play a major role in building stronger and more developed muscles. However, to get results, you need to understand how your muscles work and go through several phases.

Recovery times, endurance and intensity of movements, tempos...during workouts are important criteria to reach your goal. If the conditions are not right, the muscles do not react and can reduce in size. That's why it's important to follow the instructions for each type of strength training. We are looking for muscular hypertrophy to develop our muscles.

The different types of training

Body weight training

Bodyweight training is ideal for beginners who want to train at home or even on vacation. With no need for a gym membership, or even a car to get there, this is an economical and practical solution if your schedule doesn't leave you a minute to yourself.

In addition to this aspect, this training format offers you plyometric work. (a set of exercises focusing on muscle tone and explosiveness. That said, just because you're training with bodyweight doesn't mean you should skip warm-ups.

If being athletic means having any physical activity, it will still have its limits to a good muscle mass gain.

Full body training

The full body is a workout that uses all the muscles of the body in a single session. It is also suitable for beginners or people returning to physical activity after a break. The movements allow the development of the nervous system and the learning of practical gestures. People who choose this type of program do not yet have the strength to perform the right movements. The result is not the same for those who are already experienced.

However, the full body is also suitable for seasoned bodybuilders. With the intensity they put into the sessions, each muscle works to its maximum. The training is done in one to three sessions per week. Finally, it is recommended to do it in the gym.

Half body training

The half body is a workout that consists of working the upper and lower body muscles separately. It is a more intense workout than the full body since each muscle will have specific exercises to develop. In addition, you will also have more time to recover since the sessions are spaced out for each part of the body.

Beginners can start training with a rest period of 2-3 days between each session. This way, the muscles will have more time to recover and their intensity at the time of effort will only be higher. More experienced athletes can afford to do up to two or more sessions per week for each body part.

Push-pull leg training

The push-pull leg workout is a little different. It involves all the pull, push and leg movements.

The ideal for beginners is one day of training followed by one day of rest. The more advanced can do up to 6 sessions per week.

To learn more about this style of training, you can read the article below.

Is Push Pull Legs (PPL) an effective training method?

Split training

Split routine training consists of optimizing the intensity of movements in one muscle group per session. It is ideal to give the muscles time to recover. However, the session for this type of training is very intense. If you can't get the intensity you need for each movement, it's best to opt for another program.

With such a training method, you have the chance to develop your muscles to their maximum. Nevertheless, the intensity when you are a beginner is still low. The practice will help you to have more strength and quality in your movements. Basically, one muscle group per day. As with any weight training program, you must wait several weeks or even months to see the results of your objectives.

To learn more about this training :

How to set up a bodybuilding split program?

Weight training: how many sessions per week?

There are no specific rules. It will depend on your experience and the program you choose. You will not have the same number of training days if you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced. Know that there are also days when we are more tired than others, it will also take into account this parameter and adapt.

The distribution of training for beginners

For best results, it is advisable to start with a body weight training program, or with rubber bands before doing a full body workout and then half body. The sessions will be 2 to 3 times a week. It is after the nervous system has evolved that you will be able to do sessions that are more adapted to muscle mass gain for example. Beginners can test the push-pull leg after several weeks of training, for example.

The distribution of the training among the confirmed

The training program for regular exercisers will be done through exercises that aim to work specific muscles of the body. As mentioned above, it is called a split program. A session that works only one muscle per session. For example just the arms or only the back. As a result, the number of sessions per week will increase to 5 or 6 days depending on the athlete's desire and goals.

When they feel that the training is no longer suitable, or that it is becoming too easy, or even that they are reaching a stagnation, they can add intensification techniques to add difficulty to the split program.

In reality, there are no precise rules, however, what is essential is to remember the warm-up. Whether we are beginners or experienced, it is absolutely essential to warm up the muscles and prepare the body for the effort. In addition, it will be necessary to attach particular importance to nutrition.

What about women?

The same is true for women who will have to go through beginner training when they start weight training or fitness. Either with bodyweight or full body. Thereafter, they can start on a more appropriate program to tone up and get some curves. Afterwards, they will be able to build muscle in split if they want to.

A few tips for choosing your bodybuilding program

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced bodybuilder, it's advisable to use a competent coach or follow a program designed by a qualified professional. These bodybuilding professionals know how each muscle reacts to each movement, as well as the intensity used, the angles of work... They are therefore in a better position to help and advise you when you encounter a problem.

If you've got a question on your mind, he'll be able to answer it, as well as encourage you in moments of doubt. The site's programs are entertaining and include videos of each exercise being performed. Doing a movement correctly is essential to your progress in bodybuilding.

It is recommended that you join a gym, but if you have the equipment at home, this can be an alternative. If you go to a gym and it offers coaching, it is obviously better. But the person must be experienced to show you a movement if necessary or answer your questions. Weight training is more complex than some other sports, and you can have serious after-effects if you do not follow the right training program. In addition, the coach will adapt your sessions to your level with movements adapted to you.

Your morphology is also a determining factor in the choice of the type of bodybuilding training. Your coach will take this parameter into account during a personalized follow-up for example.

Finally, you should know that training is one of the keys to changing your physique, but it is only one parameter among many others. In fact, nutrition is just as important as training sessions. A coach who has the knowledge to tell you the type of food that suits your level of training can help you. Gaining mass or losing fat are stages where your diet is a criterion for success. Finally, recovery and sleep are parameters not to be neglected.

Conclusion

As a beginner, when you start bodybuilding, you will gain your first kilos of muscle but later when you stagnate, you can then change your program to continue to progress and focus more seriously on your nutrition.

Need help choosing your program?

You will have to switch to beginner mode to continue gaining mass. Once the mass gain is finished, then you can think after several months or even several years to switch to a fat loss or dry program in order to draw the muscles you have built.

For women, it is not necessary to go through a real mass gain. The fact of training in a specific way in addition to a precise food program will bring of the curve and the forms to your body.

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Everything you need to know about bodybuilding morphotypes

The paleo diet for bodybuilding: Effective or not?

What are the health benefits of weight training?