Schedule for Beginners in Bodybuilding

Weight-lifting machines help guide beginners through movements. Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
By Tina Pashley

Bodybuilding develops strong, impressive muscle throughout your body and should concentrate on your major muscle groups, including your chest, back, shoulders, arms, abdomen and legs. If you are new to bodybuilding, start slow and build your strength gradually. Attempting to lift too much weight too soon can put you at risk for injury. As you physically progress, increase the amount of weight you train with and incorporate different exercises with various forms of strength-training equipment. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults perform at least two full-body strengthening sessions a week. Target every major muscle group twice a week over three days of training. Complete two sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise.

Strengthening Equipment

Three main types of strengthening equipment exist to help you build a muscular physique. Strength-training machines are ideal for beginners because this equipment isolates specific muscles and helps you learn proper technique. However, as you progress physically, incorporate free weights into your routine as well as body-weight exercises to help strengthen stabilizing muscles that help you complete your movements.

Monday

Use strength-training machines to target your legs, back, chest and abdomen. Use a leg press machine to target your quadriceps and a seated leg curl machine for your hamstrings. Perform lat pull-downs on a strength-training machine for your central back. Move on to a chest fly machine to concentrate on your pectoral muscles. Complete your workout with oblique crunches for both your central and side abdominal muscles.

Wednesday

Target your shoulders, arms, abdomen and chest on the second weight-lifting session of the week. Strengthen your chest, triceps and shoulders with a bench press machine. For your biceps, use a biceps curl machine. Finish your second bodybuilding routine of the week with an abdominal strength-training machine or perform traditional crunches on an exercise mat.

Friday

Strengthen your back, legs, arms and shoulders on the last day of training. Use a lat pull-down machine with a wide grip to target your back and biceps. Strengthen your quadriceps with a leg extension machine and your hamstrings with a lying leg curl machine. Move on to a triceps extension machine for the backs of your arms. Finish your last workout of the week by using a shoulder-building military press machine.

 Source Internet.