The discipline of fitness involves total body conditioning that building lean mass, increases metabolic efficiency, and enhances the ability to endure physical stress. The word “fitness” can be used to describe a range of activities which involve the manipulation of the body’s muscles to improve performance and health. Fitness is a general term that includes all of these aspects. Bodybuilding is the application of progressive muscular contraction to manipulate and enhance one’s muscular mass by muscular hypertrophy. It differs from other similar activities like powerlifting in that it focuses instead on physical appearance rather than strength.
One of the best age old comparisons of physical fitness is between the child who is constantly lifting weights in the gym to those who are walking around doing chores. The former are said to be fitter and stronger than the latter; however, that statement is more relative than absolute. A lot of the variation in fitness results from age, nutrition, and genetics. For example, a child who is constantly lifting weights will eventually become stronger than a child who has given up weight through diet and proper exercise. Likewise, the elderly are known to be less fit that younger people.
There are many ways to measure the level of fitness, and they are all based on progressive overload. Progressive overload is a common concept in body building, and it basically means increasing the weights or reps done in each set and adding weight to the weights every time an exercise is completed. The key to progressive overload is to increase the weight without a significant decrease in the number of repetitions. This increases efficiency and makes it easier to maintain muscle tension. Progressive overload is the basis for most muscle building exercises and is usually a rule for all exercises, regardless of the muscles being worked on. This is why your chest coach will strongly advise you to avoid bench press if you’re training your chest and focus instead on shoulders, triceps, and other smaller muscle groups.
Another important aspect of fitness is muscle hypertrophy, or the growth of larger muscles. Muscle hypertrophy is the increase of size, rather than the decrease of the size of muscles. As a general rule, you want to avoid body building workouts that focus solely on increasing muscle size (hypertrophy) and concentrate more on muscle contraction (contractions). As the old saying goes, “the muscle you think is strong, is only as strong as its weakest partner.” Effective workouts that cause the greatest amount of muscle hypertrophy are those that require a large number of repetitions and focus on muscle contractions.
In conclusion, there are many factors involved in bodybuilding and fitness. Fitness is not simply about how many times you can lift weights. It also involves nutrition, stress management, and your psychological outlook on life. If you’re interested in becoming a bodybuilder or starting a bodybuilding program, then consult with a qualified trainer and consider the factors outlined above before choosing a specific routine or workout regimen.
I hope that this article has been informative and has provided insight into the best age for beginning bodybuilding. Please remember to consult a doctor before beginning any exercise regimen, including strength training. Bodybuilding does require discipline and effort, but it can be a rewarding experience. I wish you well on your journey to become a bodybuilder and thank you for reading my many articles on healthy bodybuilding for kids and bodybuilding for seniors. Please feel free to include this information in your newsletters and websites as it provides new information regarding healthy eating, nutritional supplements, and bodybuilding for kids and adults.