Never before have there been so many influencers showing off their perfect bodies on social media. The fitness industry has an enormous following. People are looking to get fit, improve in a sport or look better. In an attempt to look better many influencers use posing techniques together with perfect lighting and others even use photoshop or surgery. But is it possible to build muscle and look good by training only?
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a competitive sport where competitors train to look a certain way. The muscles have to be big but also symmetrical. The body fat percentage has to be very low. Succesfull bodybuilders have great genetics and are well known for their steroid use. Most people looking to build muscle and a nice body are not trying to look like professional bodybuilders. Even so, a lot can be learned from this sport if you want to build muscle.
Hypertrophy
When we talk about hypertrophy training we usually meaning training to build muscle. As can be seen in the bodybuilding world every single muscle of the body can be trained. Just as a sculptor sculpts a statue exactly as he wants, we can train our body to look a certain way. This process takes times and discipline and involves some knowledge of how to train. Genetics do play a role in determining how much muscle someone can build. Yet everyone can reach their own individual potential if training smartly.
Form and ROM
While training it is important to train with good form. This does not mean there is only one correct way to train but it is important that the exercise is trained in such a way that the desired muscle is stimulated fully. With what could be considered wrong form other muscles might compensate or even get injured whilst trying to get the weight up. Typically good form means understanding the range of motion of a muscle(ROM). Muscle can be moved up and through a certain range of motion. Usually it is best to train a muscle through a full range of motion while making sure the muscle gets stretched. While bench pressing for example, you want the bar to go all the way down and touch your chest while pushing your chest up and your arms down to fully stretch the chest muscles. More advanced lifters may use a shorter range of motion (emphasising the stretch) maybe even combining this with metabolite training. However, if you are just starting it is advisable to learn to train in a full range of motion (full ROM).
Training frequency and volume
How often and how much you should train depends on all kinds of variables. Your ability to recover, gender, age, training experience, length of your muscles and your lifestyle can all affect your training and should be taken into account. Training a muscle at least twice a week is better than once. Deciding how many exercises, sets and reps you should be doing is a science in itself. You could learn this by trial and error with years of experience. There is another option. H
Personal Training
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