7 Rules That Every Bodybuilding Beginner Should Follow

Beginners need to know that the road to becoming the master of the gym is a long one. Until then, you need to follow some fundamental rules.

Training right and getting the results you expect is not an easy task. It takes a lot of dedication, discipline, and focus to get there. And knowledge too.

When someone decides to start training, they need to know that they will have a long road ahead of them – including learning.

In the first months of training, it is necessary to have an open mind and know that one must dedicate oneself not only to the exercises but to learning how to train in the best way.

That is why we have prepared a list with some rules that everyone who is starting to train should follow.

We did not include in the list obvious things such as setting a clear objective; defining goals with achievable deadlines; having a medical examination and physical evaluation, etc.

Our list focuses on attitudes that every beginner should have during his or her first months of training.

The study of exercise physiology has already proven that the first adaptations of weight training take place in the nervous system.

How? The time when a beginner realizes that the results will not appear in the first two weeks of training, and needs to find the motivation to keep going, is the best example.

7 rules that every bodybuilding beginner should follow:

Want to know what are the golden rules for beginners in the gym?

Check them out below:

1. Don’t skip the adaptation

Muscles, tendons, and ligaments need a period of 4 to 8 weeks to adapt to new strength stimuli.

If you skip this adaptation phase, in which the exercises are lighter, the price you pay may be very high in the future – with serious injuries.

Because of this, professionals in the field recommend that you do adaptation training.

Ever heard of it? Then see below:

Adaptation Training

• Frequency: 2 to 3 workouts a week
• Repetitions: 12 to 15 repetitions
• Exercises per muscle group: 1
• Series: one in the first week; 2 in the second and third week; 3 from the fourth week on
• Load: on the last repetition it should be relatively heavy (if it is light, increase it on the next series)

2. Start on the equipment

Beginners generally find it more difficult to perform movements with free weights – for the simple fact that free weights require good technique and more experience.

It is much easier to make a mistake and perform an exercise with inadequate body posture with free weights – and inexperience increases this risk.

Machines (or equipment), on the other hand, help to guide the movement and decrease the chance of mistakes in posture, movement, and the like.

For all these reasons, it is the best option for those who are just starting out.

The equipment helps to improve motor and neuromuscular coordination, and after only one or two months of training, it is already possible to start using free weights.

But there is no point in rushing to do this, much less skipping this step.

3. Large groups first

The human body has about 600 muscles, and there is no point in thinking that you will train all of them in a short period of time.

In fact, the opposite is true: in the beginning – and for a long time – you should focus on some specific muscle groups, and train a small part of the total number of muscles in your body.

The main muscle groups to work on when you are taking your first steps in the gym are:

• Upper: Chest / Dorsal / Deltoid / Biceps / Triceps
• Core: Abs / Oblique / Paravertebral (lower back muscles)
• Lower Back: Quadriceps / Buttocks / Hamstring / Calf

It is essential to always start a training session with the larger muscle groups and then move on to the smaller ones.

The smaller muscle groups generally serve as synergists for the larger ones, and training them first can increase muscle fatigue, which will decrease your ability to train and eventually can cause injury.

An example: train chest and back first, and only then move on to triceps and biceps.

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4. Emphasize multi-articular

Multiarticular exercises are those that involve more than one joint.

This way, you engage more muscles in one exercise, generating a higher energy demand, as well as greater force generation – and, of course, better results.

Give preference to the Machine Supine, for example, over the Pec Deck.

In the bench press, in addition to the chest, you work the biceps and shoulder. In Pec Deck, the exercise practically isolates the pectoral.

5. Prioritize perfect and ample movements

The perfect execution of the movements will preserve your joints. Try to perform the movements with the best technique possible. For this – need we really say? – you need a physical educator.

It is no use watching videos on YouTube, or watching the marimba on the equipment next to you, or talking to a friend who is a fitness trainer. To learn properly, you need a teacher.

Once you have done this, it is important to prioritize larger movements over short ones.

Exercises with larger ranges of motion recruit more motor units and, consequently, the muscle fibers will gain volume, making you bigger, much faster.

6. Get the load right

Knowing the ideal load for a beginner is not an easy task.

The ideal would be to find 100% of a maximum repetition and then put around 80 to 85% of this value.

However, doing the 1RM test is not simple for a beginner, and can lead to injury.

Therefore, load adjustment should be done on a “trial and error” basis.

An experienced professional can usually get close to the appropriate load the first time – another reason to count on an expert by your side.

But, in any case, it is possible to get it right little by little.

Using the correct load in your exercises is a fundamental factor for you to grow – training with an excessively light load is a waste of time.

Adjust the load to your reality and your needs whenever necessary, even during the adaptation period – making very gradual evolutions, of course.

7. Eating and sleeping well are part of training

The pillars of good training: TRAIN + EAT + SLEEP!

A good muscle building diet is essential. It is the food that will be used by our body to build new tissue and store or use energy.

A bad, unbalanced diet can make the energy stock be greater than its use and the building of muscle – and this will make you gain weight.

You need to balance the intake of all micro and macronutrients, and it is important to know how much of each to consume.

But besides a great workout and a balanced diet, rest is fundamental. It is during rest that all the hormones will be synthesized by your body and you will anabolize.

Sleeping well is a primary and mandatory condition for anyone who wants to stay in shape!

Do you already follow all these rules or are some of them new to you? Tell us about your experience in the comments!