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Bodybuilding is the process of developing muscle fibers through the combination of weight training, increased caloric intake, and rest.
In order to achieve muscle growth (hypertrophy), bodybuilders focus in three main lines of action:
The growth and repair however cannot occur without the necessary building blocks. These are supplied by high quality nutrition. Bodybuilders require a very specialised diet. Generally speaking bodybuilders require an additional 500+ calories as well as their maintenance calories. The amounts of protien, carbohydrates, and fats often vary per a bodybuilder's goal, but usually begin with protien, carbohydrates, and oils, leaving fats last.
Bodybuilders split their food intake for the day into 5-7 meals of roughly equal nutrional content and attempt to eat at regular intervals. This interval is normally between 2-3 hours. The reason for this is to allow greater absorption of nutrients, but also to keep the body working on digesting food which burns off even more fat. This process is also valuable for those wishing merely to loss fat.
Having a large proportion of calories come from carbohydrates is so that the body has enough energy to deal with the rigours of training and recovery. Bodybuilders require complex carbohydrates as they release energy more slowly than simple sugars. This is important as simple sugars cause an insulin response which places the body in a state where it is likely to store additional calories as fat rather than muscle. However bodybuilders do ingest some simple sugars post-workout to replenish glycogen stores within the muscle.
It is recommend that bodybuilders receive 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight to help the body recover and build. These protein sources should be of a high biological value such as steak, chicken, fish, soy, milk or whey, and egg whites. Chicken, whey, and egg whites are often preferred due to their relatively low fat content, but due to it being very easily digested, whey is by far the preferred choice.
Also, adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is necessary; fruits and vegetables are good sources of these. Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3s, are consumed as well.
The third component to muscle building is rest. Without quality rest and sleep the body does not have an opportunity to recover and build. A good, solid eight hours of sleep a night is essential for the bodybuilder to be refreshed and ready for the next session. Notwithstanding, an extra nap during the day helps an adult just as much as a toddler --sleep is good.
Supplements can help muscle gain, although some are unproven and many are ineffective. Creatine however, is one which has been proven to help bodybuilders. Although creatine only helps if used in conjunction with a solid nutritional base and weight training program, this is true for all supplements.
Some bodybuilders may use drugs to gain an advantage over results due to natural hypertrophy, especially in professional competitions. Although many of these substances are illegal in many countries, in professional bodybuilding the use of anabolic steroids and precursor substances such as prohormones are essential to competing in world-class competitions. Steroids increase levels of free testosterone, and result in muscle hypertrophy. Significant negative side-effects accompany steroid abuse, such as liver damage as well as negative feedback leading to a decline in the body's own testosterone production - which can cause testicular atrophy and possibly infertility.
Although initially a men-only sport, in the 1980s women started to compete in separate competitions, but womens' bodybuilding has greatly waned in actual bodybuilding and as a result has also greatly waned in popularity.
Famous bodybuilders include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Mentzer, Chris Dickerson, Reg Park, Anders Graneheim, Lee Haney and Frank Sepe. Famous female bodybuilders include Lenda Murray and Corey Everson.
Not to be confused with olympic weightlifting, strongman competition, or powerlifting, where emphasis is on actual physical strength. While similar, the fields entail a different regiment of training and diet, as well as basic motivation. Bodybuilders aspire to the development and maintenance of an aesthetically pleasant (by bodybuilding standards), balanced physique, rather than exclusively on the maximum strength development. In bodybuilding, size and shape are far more important than how much you can lift.