Basic Training Principles

Individual Needs


       Of course, different people have many different reasons for doing bodybuilding training. Some want to build their bodies just to look and feel better. Others want to improve their performance in a variety of sports. And many are interested in developing a dramatic, high-muscular and well proportioned physique with the goal of competing in bodybuilding contests. When it comes to learning how to do bodybuilding properly, some basic techniques and principles will apply to everyone; others must be tailored to the needs of the individual, often on a trial-and-error basis over a period of time. Everyone, regardless of why they are doing bodybuilding,
needs to master the fundamentals and understand what is involved in putting a training program together. Most important, everybody needs to learn the basic exercises because they continue to be important no matter how advanced you become.
But I recognize that everyone is not the same. Body type, how fast or slow a person gains muscle, metabolic rate, weak points, and recuperation time are just a few of the things that can vary from one individual to another. I have tried to cover all the significant variables in this encyclopedia so that everyone will find the information they need to create the kind of body they want.

Arnold Training Triceps

In golf, many champions don't swing like Tiger Woods, but every first rate swing has to bring the club face into contact with the ball in just the right alignment. Not every skier uses exactly the same style as Olympic gold medalist Hermann "The Hermannator" Maier, but certain fundamentals have to be executed or you will never make it to the bottom of the run. When you walk into a gym full of competition bodybuilders, it is apparent that many of them are using very different approaches to their training. In the gym I hear the phrase "Every body is different" all the time, and that's true. But every body is much the same as well, so set your sights on mastering the basic guidelines and let your body tell you over time what individual variations and techniques are required for you to realize
your potential.