Are you Training like a Bodybuilder?

I am a natural bodybuilder. I’ve done 13 shows, placing in all of them. I’ve won my class three times and nearly won my pro-card on a few occasions. After years of training, with a lot of trial and error, some might consider me to be an expert in training for bodybuilding competitions and identifying how others train. If you have a gym membership, chances are, you are training like a bodybuilder. There is nothing wrong with this, if in fact you are training to do a bodybuilding competition. If putting on size, building muscle is the goal, continue on this way of training because this is one way of doing it (please note, nutrition plays a big part in this and any goal). However, if your goal is to feel better, move better, get stronger, you need to change your routine.

Most bodybuilders follow a split day training routine. Why? Simple, it is an easier way to build muscle hypertrophy (notice how I said "easier" and not the "best" because I'm not sure that's the case, but that's a blog topic for another day). A bodybuilder can effectively train on consecutive days because the body can effectively recover to perform tasks to a different body part. A common offseason routine is a 4 day training, 3 day rest approach:

Day 1-Legs/Abs

Day 2-Rest

Day 3-Back and Biceps/Abs

Day 4-Rest

Day 5-Chest and Triceps/Abs

Day 6-Shoulders

Day 7-Rest

Cardio exercise 3-4 times/week for 30-45 minutes.

Due to the nature of this style of training, bodybuilders typically lack mobility, stability and flexibility. If you are following a similar program, you will also become less proficient in these areas.

If you don’t believe me, watch a big guy at the gym do a deep squat or pull-up. Better yet, ask the person to do something as simple as touching his toes. Don’t believe touching your toes is important? Former IFBB professional Dave Draper would beg to differ. He recently wrote a blog on the toe touch, in which he notes his inability to touch his toes for 50 years. This was fixed by following a few exercises highlighted by Functional Movement Systems (FMS) founder and orthopedic, Gray Cook. See where I am going with this? Typically, whether they are aware of this or not, bodybuilders trade mobility for muscle hypertrophy.  Check Draper’s blog at: http://davedraper.com/blog/2013/03/06/gray-cook-and-the-toe-touch-discussion/

If you are following a split routine similar to the one above, be honest, do you…

1) Feel good after it? Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is common and usually occurs 1-2 days later. This is all right to an extent but pain and discomfort is not.

2) See results? Are you any closer toward your goal? Failure to see progress will make quitting exercise altogether that much easier.

3) Only focus on strength/cardiovascular exercise? Ever wondered why your mobility, stability or flexibility hasn’t improved?

4) Get your routines from a magazine, video or friend? There are many subtleties missed in basic exercises that are often overlooked.

5) Get bored with your routine? Failure to “spice” things up can be a mental drain.

Look, my goal isn’t to discourage the way you train or to put you down, it’s to help expand your training knowledge. Training like a bodybuilder has its benefits, but it is a one-dimensional way to train. I recently reached out to former bodybuilder and Strong First Level 2 Instructor, Scott Iardella for some insight about bodybuilding training. He explained non-functional exercise worked well for one purpose, hypertrophy but not much else. Basically, focusing on isolated exercises may help to build pretty muscles, however, they normally are weak links in a movement pattern. Check out Iardella’s blog pertaining to his experience bodybuilding at:

http://www.strongfirst.com/confessions-from-a-recovering-bodybuilder/?fb_action_ids=10151386068566338&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Whatever your goal is, train for that goal. I’ve made mistakes in my training and I have learned from them. The great thing is a mistake can be fixed. If you are not training to do a bodybuilder competition, then decide on what your goals are. From there, you can honestly address how to achieve your goals safely and efficiently. Best of luck in your training!