Bodybuilding is "the act or practice of exercising, lifting weights, etc., so as to develop the muscles of the body." Your workout routine, diet and supplement regimen should reflect what your goals are. If you would like to be a "Hardcore Competitive Bodybuilder" you will have a more strict diet and supplement regimen and also dedicate more time and energy to your workout routine.
As you know "Hardcore Competitive Bodybuilders" are few and far between. There are 1,000's of guys just trying to look good for the girls at the beach or the husband trying to get back in shape for his wife. Most people can't dedicate 1-2 hours at the gym 5-6 times a week and would never eat 6-7 meals a day even if you cooked them. The majority of people are just not interested in living that lifestyle.
I am going to dedicate this article to the bodybuilder looking to improve his physique for the opposite sex. If you ask any woman, 9 times out of 10, she will probably be more attached to a fitness model than a "Hardcore Competitive Bodybuilder." So if you are looking to impress the ladies read on and I will help you carve that physique into a chick magnet.
Training
There are certain muscle groups, if developed correctly, that will attract the opposite sex. These muscle groups will need to be prioritized. I am going to list all the muscle groups and a small description about how or if we will be focusing our training around that area:
- Shoulders: Definitely will have to work on these. Especially the medial head (AKA: middle deltoids) to help with the upper body V-Taper.
- Traps: Will be included, but don't want to over develop as huge traps don't fit well into most nice clothes.
- Chest: Definitely will work on the chest to its fullest. Large full chest is a plus for the opposite sex.
- Back: Definitely work on the width of the back to increase the upper body V-taper and some thickness work as well but not too much.
- Arms: Again another must. Ladies do like to hold on to some big guns.
- Forearms: Should be worked as well. Shows strength even with a shirt on.
- Abs: A Must!!! Nothing more needs to be said.
- Quads And Hams: Large Development is bad. Large legs can't fit into most nice pants or jeans. As long as you continue with your squats to get a nice butt, the rest of your leg will stay strong. Plus you will be doing plenty of sprints to keep them from looking like sticks.
- Calves: Want to keep some work in the routine as they are seen with shorts on.
Some of you hardcore bodybuilders might have lost your minds when I said legs were not important, but you need to remember this article is not for you. This article is geared to the average Joe looking to get a killer body for the opposite sex.
The Routine
Now lets get a training routine for you:
- Day 1: Chest, Arms, Forearms, and 15-30 minutes of Steady-State Cardio
- Day 2: HIIT and Abs
- Day 3: Back, Shoulders, Traps, and 15-30 minutes of Steady-State Cardio
- Day 4: HIIT and Abs
- Day 5: Legs, Arms, and 15-30 minutes of Steady-State Cardio
- Day 6: Off
- Day 7: Off
Steady State Cardio:
You are to perform 15-30 minutes of steady state cardio post-workout on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This can be performed on any machine of your choice. This cardio should be done in a low intensity manner.
Click To Enlarge. Your Steady State Cardio Should
Be Done In A Low Intensity Manner.
High Intensity Interval Training:
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of cardio that can be done on the elliptical, treadmill, Stairmaster, bike and outdoors. I want to start you off with 20 seconds of high intensity (such as sprinting at your fastest pace) and rest for 40 seconds (slow walk). Repeat until you do this 10 times. Start with a 5-10 minute warm up and a 5-10 minute cool down. Do not perform this on an empty stomach.
Day 1: Chest/Arms
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 reps
- Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 Sets of 12 reps
- Push-ups: 3 Sets to Failure
- Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 2 Sets of 15 reps
- Barbell Curls: 4 Sets of 8-12 reps
- Lying Triceps Extensions: 4 Sets of 8-12 reps
- Machine Preacher Curls: 3 Sets of 15 reps
- Triceps Rope Push-down: 3 Sets of 15 reps
- Behind-the-Back Barbell Wrist Curls: 4 Sets of 15 reps
Day 2: Abs
- Crunches: 4 Sets of 25 reps
- Leg Raise or Knee Raises: 4 Sets of 15 reps
- Cable Crunches: 4 Sets of 20 reps
- HIIT (See Above)
Each Week try to increase rep range.
Day 3: Back/Shoulders/Traps
- Arnold Press: 3 Sets of 8 reps
- Side Dumbbell Raise: 4 Sets of 12 reps
- Lying Rear-Delt Raises: 3 Sets of 12 reps
- Pull-ups or Wide-Grip Pull-downs: 4 Sets of 12-15 reps
- Overhand-Grip Barbell Row: 3 Sets of 8-12 reps
- Close-Grip Pull-downs: 4 Sets of 12-15 reps
- Barbell Shrugs: 4 Sets of 12 reps
Day 4: Abs
- Crunches: 4 Sets of 25 reps
- Leg Raise or Knee Raises: 4 Sets of 15 reps
- Cable Crunches: 4 Sets of 20 reps
- HIIT
Each Week try to increase rep range.
Day 5: Legs/Arms
- Barbell Full Squats: 4 Sets of 12 reps
- Free-Hand Jump Squat: 2 Sets of 25 reps
- Barbell Lunge: 3 Sets of 12 reps with each leg
- Bench Dips: 4 Set of 12-15 reps
- Preacher Curls: 4 Sets of 12-15 reps
- Dumbbell One-Arm Triceps Extension: 3 Sets of 15 reps on each Arm
- Alternate Dumbbell Curl: 3 Sets of 12 reps on each Arm
Nutrition
Now, you have all your workouts set up for you to help build the perfect body, its time to talk about nutrition which goes hand and hand with working out.
Ladies are looking for a guy who is both muscular and lean, so our diet is going to reflect this. I am going to set up a diet below for a 180-pound male at a slight calorie deficit. This will help anyone that is overweight lose body fat and maintain all their muscle mass.
If you are on the leaner/skinnier side increase portions slightly so you are taking in enough calories to build more muscle. I will be keeping protein high, carbohydrates relatively low, but will include them around weight workouts and breakfast. I will also include enough healthy fats to keep hunger at bay.
Meal 1
- 5 Egg Whites
- 1 Whole Egg
- 1 1/4 cups of Oatmeal
- 1/4 cup Blueberries or Raspberries
Meal 2
- Meal Replacement Shake 3 scoops of Myo Lean Evolution from Myogenix
Meal 3
- 5 oz of Chicken Breast
- 1 1/4 cups of Brown Rice
- 1 cup of Green Veggies
Meal 4: Post-Workout
- 2 scoops of Whey Isolate Protein (Isopure is a good one)
- 1 1/2 Bananas or if you are not working out substitute the Bananas with 1/2 oz of Almonds
Meal 5
- 5 oz of Top Round Steak
- 1 oz of Olive Oil
- 1 oz of Avocados
- 1/2 cup of Green Veggies
You will have 3 whole food meals and 2 shakes a day; this way you are getting enough calories spread throughout the day, but you don't need to slave over the kitchen and make 5-6 meals a day. The shakes are convenient and will make the dieting process a lot easier.
Supplements
I listed 2 protein powders above: Myogenix Myo Lean Evolution as a meal replacement and Isopure Whey Isolate Protein. They are both great to have as shakes during the day.
Below I will list 5 supplements for best results during this program:
Multivitamin/Multi Mineral: Helps to make sure you are not deficient in any of your vitamins and minerals which happens when you exercise regularly. I use the Magnum Multivitamins from Betancourt Nutrition.
Creatine: Here are some of the things creatine can help men with (I think it speaks for itself):
- Improve performance in high intensity workouts
- Recovery of muscle from workouts
- Anaerobic capacity
- Brain function
- Reduce muscle loss
I use 5 grams Higher Power Creatine mixed with my Bullnox on workout days and have 1 serving of Creatine Chewies from Betancourt Nutrition on my off days.
Pre-Workout: I want you to look for a pre-workout that helps with energy, endurance and muscle pumps, this way you can get the most effective workout possible. The one I am currently using is Bullnox from Betancourt Nutrition.
Fat Burner: I want you to look for a fat burner that gives you energy and some thermogenic (increase internal body temperature) effect. That way you have the energy to push it in the gym and while you are not active the thermogenic effect of the fat burner is burning calories and working for you. The fat burner I use when cutting up is Ripped Juice Liquid.
Fish Oil: It seems like weekly studies come out praising the benefits of fish oil. A healthy addition to your supplement stack. I would take 1 gram 3 times a day.
Conclusion
To look good will take some hard work, and a little sacrifice, but you can do it. I've set you up with some simple yet effective guidelines to help you reach your goals of a becoming a healthier, fit, chick magnet. Now go use the info I gave you and reap the benefits.