Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding has come a long way.
Just look at photos of champion bodybuilders in
the 1940s or ’50s and compare them to today’s
champs.
There is no comparison. Today’s
top bodybuilders boast muscles that
are far bigger, better defined, and more symmetrical
than those of their counterparts just a few
decades ago.
In many ways, this is the golden age of bodybuilding.
Advances in training techniques and
nutrition have made
it possible for more people to achieve
a rock-hard physique that once seemed out of
reach. Granted, building a great body isn’t
simple. It still takes dedication, persistence, and
patience,
of proven training principles—to help you on your
journey.
Bodybuilding stars of the past, including the
famous Arnold Schwarzenegger, often had to rely
on trial and error to make gains. They experimented
with a range of training methods and
nutritional approaches, never quite
sure what would work for them. Today, beginning
bodybuilders can benefit from the lessons of
their predecessors and make far greater gains in
far less time.
The Official Gold’s Gym Guide to Getting Started
in Bodybuilding will teach you to awaken your
dormant muscles and transform your physique,
using the latest knowledge and most advanced
techniques. Gold’s Gym has been the undisputed
leader in bodybuilding
for almost 40 years, dating back to
the opening of the original Gold’s Gym in Venice,
California, in 1965. That now-famous gym
became the mecca
for the world’s top bodybuilders in the 1960s
and ’70s. It provided the backdrop for the 1976
movie Pumping Iron, which opened up the world
of bodybuilding to the public. Today, Gold’s has
more than 500 gyms worldwide. There’s probably
one near your home.
Let’s be clear. We don’t promise overnight miracles.
The Official Gold’s Gym Guide to Getting
Started in Bodybuilding won’t turn a 98-pound
weakling or a flabby couch potato into
a world champion bodybuilder in 30 days, as
some books and products seem to promise. We’ll
leave the grandiose, unrealistic claims to others.
Instead, The Official Gold’s Gym Guide
to Getting Started in Bodybuilding offers
a sound, systematic, and safe approach to
reaching your muscle potential through proper
weight lifting.
There’s been a fitness revolution in our country—
and around the world—in recent decades. Countless
millions
of people jog, bike, swim, take aerobics classes,
lift weights—you name it.
We applaud all the different ways people choose
to get in shape.
Bodybuilding, however, is unique and needs to
be defined. Someone who goes to the gym occasionally
and lifts
a few weights for overall fitness is
not a bodybuilder. Massive men with enormous
bellies who compete in international weightlifting
competitions are not bodybuilders.
Bodybuilding is all about developing and
shaping your muscles—from the largest to the
smallest, from your head to your toes. The goal is
to sculpt your body little by little and eliminate
any glaring deficiencies. Bodybuilders achieve
impressive strength, but they probably wouldn’t
win a weightlifting contest against top-notch competitors. Bodybuilders
are concerned with their overall look.
They want to achieve the most muscular, proportional
physique they can, not necessarily perform
acts of great strength.
When some people think of bodybuilding, they
recall competitions they’ve seen on TV, where
contestants oil up their bodies to highlight their
muscles, then flex and pose for judges who
inspect their physique for the tiniest flaws. It’s
like a beauty contest—the best body wins.
Today, there are countless professional and
amateur bodybuilding contests for men and
women around the world. Some people get into
bodybuilding with the intention of competing in
contests and winning coveted titles. Others,
however, have no interest in showing off their
bodies onstage. They are drawn to the other
rewards
of bodybuilding—and there are many. For
instance, bodybuilding can help you lose fat
where it doesn’t belong (stomach and thighs)
while packing
on muscles where they do belong (shoulders,
chest, and arms). You can literally reshape your
body.
Before long, your clothes fit better. You have
more energy. You notice fewer aches and pains.
You’re more confident in your appearance. Your
sex life may even improve!
As we age, we steadily lose muscle mass;
starting at age 25, most people lose about a halfpound
of muscle
a year. Bodybuilding can reverse this process. It
can actually help you gain muscle as you grow
older. That’s a pretty attractive proposition.
It’s never too late to start strengthening and
shaping your muscles. Many top bodybuilders
began weight training in their early teens. That’s
perhaps the best time, because it allows you to
develop a muscular foundation as your body
matures. However, there are many famous bodybuilders
who didn’t start serious weight lifting
until their late teens or early twenties.
In fact, you can start bodybuilding in your thirties
or forties and make great gains. For that matter,
some seniors—in their sixties, seventies, and
beyond—pick up weights for the first time and
discover renewed vigor and vitality. Weight
training can boost your immune system,
strengthen your bones, and improve the function
of your heart and lungs. Lifting weights is as
close
to a fountain of youth as we’ve found.
One of the appeals of bodybuilding is that you
can pursue it as far as you would like. You may
begin training, start to look better in a t-shirt and
shorts, and decide you don’t want
to develop bigger and bigger muscles. Your goal
then becomes to maintain the gains you’ve
made—and that’s great.
Or you may experience an unparalleled rush from
bodybuilding that drives you to pursue greater
and greater results. You want larger muscles,
better definition, more symmetry—more, more,
more! Many of the world’s best bodybuilders
never imagined that they would become
consumed with training and reach the pinnacle
of their sport. Who knows—you could too!
This book is for anyone starting out in bodybuilding—
no matter what his
or her aspirations are. The truth is, everyone
needs to learn the same training fundamentals,
such as the proper lifting form, the right exercises
to choose, and the optimum number
of repetitions and sets. Without a good foundation,
you’re far more likely to suffer an injury or
see mediocre results. Then it’s easy to become
discouraged and abandon bodybuilding. One of
our goals is to get you motivated and keep you
motivated. That’s done by encouraging you to
follow an intelligent approach to training.
Good luck as you begin your bodybuilding
mission. Keep in mind that The Official Gold’s
Gym Guide to Getting Started in Bodybuilding
isn’t intended
to be read once and put on the shelf. Think of it
as a reference book, a guide to lead you from
beginning bodybuilding to the intermediate
stage.
Don’t be surprised if your progress seems slow,
or even stagnant, at times. All top bodybuilders
have low points
in their training—when they question their
methods, and even their desire. But the great
ones press ahead and make adjustments in their
workouts until gains resume and their enthusiasm
returns.
The Official Gold’s Gym Guide to Getting Started
in Bodybuilding will give you the knowledge and
confidence
to analyze your training and make necessary
changes from time to time.
As top bodybuilders learn, training should
become instinctive over time. You should be able
to feel what works for you, as well as what
doesn’t. There’s no one perfect regimen for
everyone.
Listen to your body. Bodybuilding, done properly,
should be as individual as you are.
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