How to Choose the Right Bodybuilding Program

Introduction

Hey there Bones, Stick Insect, Lanky, Thin Jim…etcetera. Are you sick of being the skinny person in the room? Or do you simply fancy shedding a bit of the fat around your stomach and building up your muscle a bit? Perhaps you want to mimic Schwarzenegger or become the next Hercules?

Whatever your reason for wanting to change your body image, we’ve reviewed some of the best bodybuilding programs that there are available on the internet to help you decide which one might be best for you.

What is Bodybuilding?

Bodybuilding can be a little bit of a derisive term. People often think of giant hulking walls of muscle, lathered up in baby lotion and strutting beneath hot stage lights. This isn’t the case. Okay, sometimes it is the case, but the term ‘bodybuilding’ means a lot more than you might expect. Essentially it means something more like ‘body sculpting’, which is to say that bodybuilding programs are specially designed to help you achieve the sort of body you want. This might simply be to tone up a little bit, or to improve your arm muscles, to lose fat or – yes – to become a mass of muscle.

What is your aim?

One of the first things to bear in mind when considering taking up body building is how you would like to appear at the end of your training. Different sites are suited to different workout regimes and diets, each of which is designed to help you develop a particular body form. Whilst some are more suited towards professional bodybuilding and competitive muscle shows, others have more of a healthy living vibe and are suitable for people well into their 60s and 70s. Our reviews will outline the sorts of exercise and dietary programs that each site offers, and who they might be suitable for, so make sure you read them carefully to help you make a decision.

Quality of Information

We also take a few other important elements into account. You’ll notice that our star ratings give a quick impression of how well the site performs in certain areas when compared with other sites. We consider the amount of information, and the quality of that information, that is available to you. This is really important because although one site may have tons of articles and blog posts, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the information they provide is going to be reliable. We have valued sites that base their information on scientific research and real life experience, because to us this seems a much more reliable way of knowing if a bodybuilding program is reliable or not.

You’ll also see that diet plays a big part in bodybuilding. After all, your body is essentially a machine that takes in nutrients and converts them to fuel, so if you’re not eating the right nutrients then you’re essentially putting the wrong fuel into your body. This can be vital, especially if you’re trying to build muscle, because the production of muscle requires particular proteins and if you’re not eating those proteins then you simply won’t be able to bulk up. There’s a much more serious side to this too, as eating the wrong foods and exercising very intensely could be damaging to your health. As such finding a site which offers a good dietary plan (unless you already have one) can be just as important as the exercise itself.

Natural versus Supplements

You’ll notice that a number of the sites take different approaches to bodybuilding. Some of them offer an all natural method, which usually means that they do not recommend taking any hormones or supplements. However this isn’t always the case and we’re not here to moralise. Other sites might recommend particular drugs that will help you to increase your muscle mass more quickly, and a number of them will have a store (or links to stores) which sell body building equipment and dietary products. Whether or not you’re looking for a natural or quicker route is up to you, but it’s something to remember when you’re checking out our reviews. What exactly would you be happy to do in order to achieve your ideal body?

Tracking your Progress

Whilst some sites will offer a simple one payment package and send you an e-book with a specific workout and diet plan, others have more of a community feel and may offer prolonged support and advice. Again, this all depends on what you’re looking for. There are also tools that you might take advantage of, such as dietary calendars to track your meals and make sure you’re eating properly, or workout schedules which you can print and take to the gym with you. These can be really important as tracking your progress is the best way of making sure that you’re pushing your body to the right limits. Trying to achieve too much in a short space of time can be unhealthy, but you equally don’t want to reach a plateau too early and stop improving because you haven’t been working out enough.

The Bottom Line

Bodybuilding programs really can offer a life changing opportunity. Altering the shape and tone of your body is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly, but the possibilities for self improvement (physical, but also the potential benefits to self confidence and your social life) can be great. We would recommend reading through our reviews and seeing which of the programs that are available might suit you the best. They really are very specific to your current and desired body type, as well as your lifestyle.

It’s also worth remembering that success doesn’t come instantly, and that a decent network of support (in the form of professional advice or just a forum that allows you to chat with other people who are hoping to achieve something similar) can help to make the process even more enjoyable. So crack open a bottle of tanning lotion, flex those pecs and strut yer stuff! Or not, of course, it’s up to you! Enjoy your new body.