My gym instructor always used to tell me that we all know how to gym but not all of us know bodybuilding. Weird, this guy is nuts! Was my first reaction but it took me a little while to understand what he actually meant.
Let me put it in simple words for you. What we all know about bodybuilding is 3 steps process:
- Lift heavy weights
- Eat the right food
- Rest and use supplements to cope up energy need
However this three steps process has many minor details which we miss. A transformation which you believe impossible is easy to attain with right approach. These details make a lot of difference to a body building plan which I am going to detail here. 
Training Fixes
- Compound Lifts
Bench presses, shoulder presses, squats, leg presses and pull-ups; involve all these multi-joint movements in your routine. This makes sure that you are exercising more than one muscle with maximum weight. This makes your gym routine more efficient.
- Keep weight that you can handle
Most of us try to put on more weight thinking that it will bring most out of our bodies. No, stop doing that, exercise with the weight that you can lift on your in first rep without any help.
- Proper Form and reps
Don’t end up injuring yourself with wrong postures and forms. Lifting weights out of function is of no use as it doesn’t target any specific muscle.
Reps are important and you should try to maintain a rep range of 4 to 6 every now and then. This brings most out of your body but also pay attention to form.
- Negative training once a month
Negative training is an intense technique and you can definitely benefit from it. Ask you gym partner to life weight which you cannot normally lift. Then reduce weight progressively. This way you body will learn to reverse its response.
Nutrition
- Protein
Definitely you have heard it but it is not enough, take 1 gram of protein for every pound of weight. This is the right approach. Eating right kind of protein is also a necessity. Food like lean beef, salmon and tilapia, lean ground meats, chicken breasts and protein powders will do.
- Carb and Healthy Fats
For many carb is wrong when bodybuilding but you are mistaken. For proper brain and heart activity, carbohydrates are important. Fats are main source of fiber, natural sugars and phytochemicals which make you healthy and support your bodybuilding.
Supplementation
Last step of the bodybuilding process is supplementation. You need to make sure that you choose right from post and pre supplements. There are many supplements namely whey protein, arginine, BCAAS, antioxidants and Casein. Not all supplements and you need to understand which one works best for you.
Use one supplement at a time this is necessary to find out which supplement will work best for you. Also understand that supplements take time to work and you should give you body enough time to respond and react.
Mike Shiles is a bodybuilder, gym owner, freelance writer, success coach and author of “Burn fat build muscle. He has written thousands of articles on exercise, nutrition and health.