What Bodybuilding had Right

In the world of training, it’s easy for most people to downplay the significance that bodybuilding has had on all fitness and health. While some of the tactics might not be applicable and even counter productive, I think it’s important to point out some of the things that the bodybuilding world had correct in training. Some of these have been proven in science while others will still be coined as “Bro Science”, but they still work. I’m not saying that high school and college athletes should pick their favorite workouts out of the Arnold Encyclopedia, but I do think there would be some value even if they chose that route. Bodybuilders have also had a reputation for not having strength levels in comparison to other athletes because of their training methods. I think it would be silly to still believe this when we’ve seen the biggest bodybuilders lifting some very impressive weights under control and often times for many reps. I like many other strength coaches were first inspired by the incredible size and physiques of the old school bodybuilders. Let’s look at some things that would benefit athletes and strength athletes from the bodybuilding world. 

Balance

A huge aspect of bodybuilding is balance in physique. Meaning is the back side matching the front side, bottom match the top and so forth. No bodybuilder will do well with a huge upper body and under developed lower body. When they track their pressing exercises, they make sure to match that volume in pulling exercises if not more. In powerlifting, the people with the strongest bench presses also have some of the strongest lat muscles ever. This is the same concept. In athletes, you need stronger hamstrings to help reduce the risk of ACL injury and also increase the Rate of Force Development (RFD). A balanced approach in training will always lead to better long term results. 

Progressive Overload

This is something that all training should be based off of. Simply put, in a weekly, monthly, annual plan you need to be adding either reps, weight or a combination of the two. You can’t expect a change in your physique if you’re placing the same demands on it every session (SAID Principle). Let’s use dumbbell bench press as the example exercise. Your progression could look something similar to this:

Week 1 - 100 x 3 Sets x 10 Reps

Week 2- 100 x 3 Sets x 15 Reps

Week 3 - 100 x 3 Sets x 20 Reps

This makes it a simple progression to essentially double the total volume done in a 3 week span. The progression will not always be this drastic, but it paints a picture. The best bodybuilders are able to look at the long term plan and make slow progressions in order to continually make progress while minimizing risk of injury. 

Change Movements

Bodybuilders understand that muscles grow from a variety of stimulus and also if there is no variety, then the Law of Accommodation will take place. Essentially meaning that once your body adapts to something, you will no longer make progress and could potentially have a detraining effect. These changes don’t need to be drastic to be effective. It can be as simple as hand placement on rowing exercises or foot placement on squats or leg presses. In the past, this has been referred to as “Muscle Confusion”, but we don’t need our muscles confused rather we need them to be effective. After 3-4 weeks of the same movement with a progressive overload, bodybuilders are wise to make slight changes in the movement pattern. This helps build the muscle slightly different and also helps create a more balanced physique. 

Protein is King

This is one of the ones that is finally getting more science research to back it up. Bodybuilders for decades have said to eat 1-1.5 grams of protein for every pound of bodyweight. Somewhere in the early 2000s, people started making claims that lead to kidney failure, increased body fat and more. This has all been proven terribly wrong. With the clients we work with at Showtime Strength & Performance, this has been one of the biggest game changers in physique, strength, and energy levels. Just simply getting people to increase protein intake. Even if they don’t hit the 1 gram per day, if there is an effort to increase it then people will notice significant results. Protein is essential for building muscle, but it also helps to keep you fuller for a longer period of time. Add in that your body has to work harder to break down protein from foods than it does carbohydrates or fat and you have a great fat burning source. 

Rest and Recover

The bodybuilding world knows you can’t expect to build world class muscle if you’re not sleeping and recovering well enough. Even in the movie Pumping Iron, it showed Arnold with other top bodybuilders taking a nap on the beach in the middle of the day. They train very hard, but they recover harder. All of their nutrition is geared towards promoting recovery so the muscles can grow optimally. You also won’t see bodybuilders going on long distance runs or out living the night party life. They know it’s not effective towards their goals and would hinder performance. 

These are some of the biggest things I think we can all take away and plug them into training regardless of goals and see tremendous benefits. The bodybuilding world gets bashed a lot, but like most things if we take a deeper look at what they’re doing we will find essentially the same principles that every coach and athlete agrees with. Bodybuilding was my first experience in strength sports a competitor and I learned a lot from many top level competitors when I ran the Natural Ohio Bodybuilding Association. When you step out of your direct scope, there is a lot to be learned. 

Nick Showman

Showtime Strength & Performance

www.showtimestrength.com