Bodybuilding can be easy for some and, at the same time, hard for others; it’s simply a matter of perspective as well as the sheer power of will. Those who find it easy to begin and remain persistent reap the benefits later. Those who find it hard from the get-go can never become great bodybuilders without altering their mentality and way of living.
This piece is for the hard workers who find it easy to work hard. We are going to take you through some of the best bodybuilding tips and tricks for bodybuilders on an advanced level. It can help you get to the very top of your game and unleash your beast mode!
Not Every Expert Is An Expert
It almost seems like there are more experts on bodybuilding than bodybuilders themselves these days. Everyone has an expert opinion to state, and it puts the people who want to work in a fit of confusion as to who to believe.
You must understand that there are many different ways to reach a goal and even more varying factors that decide how effectively you can do that. There are many different body types and structures that respond in different ways. Many expert trainers themselves admit that they aren’t aware of exactly how building muscles work.
It’s important to do your research and choose the best plan that suits you. So here are some of the best bodybuilding tips and tricks that professionals can use to optimize their bodies:
Progressively Increase Load
This one might sound pretty basic but is a common flaw in many bodybuilders at high levels. If you keep doing the same reps and weights for months, your muscles will only grow to a certain point and then stop. It is important to keep challenging your muscles, and hence you must progressively increase your load to keep pushing.
Increasing weights is an effective way but not the only one. You can also reduce your resting time, increase repetitions, lift slowly, or even change your grip to challenge yourself more.
Increase Sets Not Force
Another age-old belief makes people do the all-out set where they put all their energy into a single set until they are completely exhausted. While this isn’t a bad technique at all, distributing that energy into multiple sets has proven to be much more effective over time.
We understand the pumped-up need to exert all your energy into a single set, but instead, if you use that energy to do five different sets with rest periods, it will be more beneficial for muscle building.
Exceed The Hypertrophy Range Of Reps
The hypertrophy range relates to performing between 8 to 12 reps in a set and has been a long-standing belief in the bodybuilding community. But research has revealed that, in reality, there isn’t much difference in results between that and the endurance range (which includes 20-25 reps with lighter weights).
It was reported that the deciding factor isn’t a specific number, but rather the fulfillment of volitional failure. This failure relates to that point in a set where the bodybuilder cannot perform another rep with the appropriate form. It is important to reach that point instead of simply focusing on a certain number of reps.
It doesn’t matter whether you reach this by doing heavier weights or more reps, as reaching it will lead to type II muscle fibers, and that will ensure maximum muscle growth.
Increase Rest Period
A 60-second break had been considered to be the ideal rest between strength training sets. However, this is a major misconception, and recent studies have revealed that longer rest periods between compound move sets and isolation exercise sets can prove to be more effective for muscle gain.
A rest period of 2-3 minutes is considered to be the optimum period between these sets. Keep in mind that shorter rest periods are also important for specific objectives. But longer rest can allow you to include more reps in the subsequent sets, and this increase in volume can increase muscle gain in the long run.
Don’t Perform Reps To Absolute Failure
Absolute failure reps in lifting refer to the point when you become physically incapable of performing another rep. This is a common practice but not recommended for two major reasons.
The first one is that it rapidly increases the chances of sustaining an injury. The second reason is that it isn’t as effective as people think. As mentioned earlier, lifting till volitional failure is a much more effective strategy for increasing muscle size. This also reduces the risk of a sudden jerk or injury. These tips and tricks can help you at an advanced level of bodybuilding and ensure effective muscle gains. Nutrition and food intake are crucial to this, and eating before and after a workout is a must. A single combination of training can’t work effectively for everyone, so make sure to find your customized plan and be persistent with your work.
