You want to customize a bodybuilding program to fit your goals but aren’t sure where to begin? For those who are aiming to achieve an aesthetic physique, it is recommended that they become more strategic in their training and nutrition. This will force muscle adaptations. It comes down to the right training splits, prioritization principles, muscle isolation and effective programming.
This blog will discuss how to personalize your workouts and maximize your results.
SQUARE ONE : ASSESSING
Compare your current health to the ideal physique you want to achieve. You will be able to visualize your goals and develop a program that is based on them.
Your body is your canvas. Bodybuilders use nutrition and training protocols instead of clay or other tools to create their masterpiece.
A HYPER LOOK at HYPERTROPHY
If you or the athlete are at an advanced level of training, and your stabilization, strength endurance, and muscular development (hypertrophy), then the bulk of your training will be in this phase. This phase of training is best for creating muscular adaptations to achieve bodybuilding goals.
You can customize your body-building program to meet your goals in many different ways.
The basic split might consist of four days per week, with a pull day and push day. There could also be a total-body workout, as well as 1-2 leg days. This approach allows you to prioritize weak areas by increasing the number of sets per week, and selecting more isolated exercises that target these muscle groups.
Your training split will need to evolve as you progress in order to avoid plateaus. You could, for example, add more training days to your weekly schedule in order to create a complex training program that focuses on the muscles you want to develop most.
Example:
Chest & Upper Back/Lats
Shoulders and Arms
Hamstrings (glutes), Low back (posterior chains)
Rest
Chest & Back
Quads, Calves and Shoulders
Active Rest Day with Corrective Workout
To help you achieve your bodybuilding goals and personalize your workouts, incorporate progressive overloading or undulating periods into your training.
Do you want to learn more about how these tips can be implemented into your training? For more information, check out our Physique and Bodybuilding coach course.
Overloading over Time
According to the principle of progressive overload, one or more acute variables must be increased gradually in order to avoid plateaus or stagnation. Most commonly, the resistance or load is increased by 3 to 5% every couple of weeks. There are many variables to consider, including time under tension (tempo), distance, intensity and resistance.
Undulating periodization is another tool that can help clients stay in a training plan for a longer time without plateauing, while still reaching their personal goals. This strategy involves integrating multiple phases of NASM’s OPT Model in a weekly or twice-weekly training program.
In a one-week block, you can undulate periodization by mixing in phase 2 strength endurance, phase 3 hypertrophy, or even phase 4 and 5 max strength/power.
Bi-weekly training involves training in one phase (e.g. phase 2 strength endurance), and then switching to a different phase (e.g. phase 3 hypertrophy) in week 2.
This undulating method combined with progressive overload and higher volumes in areas of weakness, as well as strategic training splits, will help you to create a personalized bodybuilding program.
BE SMARTY, BE SELECTIVE
Exercise selection is another key element in building your physique. Mix in different exercises, including machines, cables and compound movements, that will challenge your body. You can customize the exercises for your goals and focus on the ones that work best for you.
Bonus tip: Integrate Corrective Exercises in your warm-ups and on rest days. This will accelerate results by increasing the muscle activity in target muscle groups and increasing the range of motion of the joints.
SQUARE ONE : ASSESSING
Compare your current physique to the ideal physique you want to achieve. You will be able to visualize your goals and develop a program that is based on them.
Your body is your canvas. Bodybuilders use nutrition and training protocols instead of clay or other tools to create their masterpiece.
HYPERTROPHY: A HYPER LOOK
If you or the athlete are at an advanced level of training, and your stabilization, strength endurance, and muscular development (hypertrophy), then the bulk of the training will be in this phase. This phase of training is best for creating muscular adaptations to achieve bodybuilding goals.