There are various training schedules available online or on this site, but because every individual is different and perhaps because you need a new stimulus for yourself, we explain here how you can create your own training schedule as a bodybuilder.
Creating a Bodybuilding Training Schedule
Most training schedules mainly focus on 12 muscle groups. These are subdivided into major muscle groups and minor muscle groups. Often, a variation is applied so that you can see dynamic reps in your schedule. The different muscle groups are:
- Abdominals
- Back
- Biceps
- Calves
- Chest
- Forearms
- Hamstrings
- Lower back
- Quadriceps
- Shoulders
- Trapezius
- Triceps
Major Muscle Groups
Major muscle groups. Of the 12 muscle groups listed above, 4 muscle groups are classified as major muscle groups. Most training schedules are formed around these muscle groups. The muscle groups are:
- Back, including lower back.
- Chest muscles
- Shoulders
- Legs
Antagonistic Muscle Groups
Antagonistic muscles are muscle groups that work in opposite directions. Examples of these are:
- Biceps and triceps
- Chest muscles and back muscles
- Quadriceps and hamstrings
Other Muscle Groups
Forearms, trapezius, and lower back. It is common for many training schedules not to include the forearms, trapezius, and lower back. This is because the forearms are often trained by other exercises. When holding dumbbells and performing exercises on various machines, the forearms are often sufficiently stressed.
The trapezius is often sufficiently trained during deadlifts, shoulder presses, and rows. There are specific exercises you can perform for the trapezius, but then this should be a focus area.
Lower back. A training schedule with many compound exercises like squats and deadlifts will target a large part of the lower back. This can cause specific exercises for the lower back to have a counterproductive effect, as they can lead to overtraining.
Types of Exercises
There are 2 types of fitness exercises that we can distinguish.
Compound exercises. A compound exercise involves more than 1 muscle group.
Isolation exercises. Isolation exercises only involve 1 muscle group.
Types of Exercises
In addition to the types of exercises, there are different types of exercises. Type exercises are exercises done using a specific tool. Barbell and dumbbell compound exercises are often the most effective, but for variety, machine and bodyweight exercises are often added. The types of exercises are:
- Barbell exercises
- Bodyweight exercises
- Cable exercises
- Dumbbell exercises
- Medicine ball exercises
- Fitness machine exercises
- Other exercises
Most Effective Exercises for Muscle Growth
Often, the most performed exercises by bodybuilders are the most effective exercises for muscle growth. This is because this group of athletes is involved in this daily. The following exercises are the most effective exercises for muscle growth.
The Squat: The squat is the mother of all exercises. No training schedule should exist without squats. They are mainly performed with a barbell in a squat rack. Squats are often thought to be for the development of only the leg muscles, but the opposite is true. They provide a stable core, engaging your abdominal muscles and lower back, and have a good effect on your upper body. In addition, loading the largest muscle group in your body, namely your leg muscles, causes a huge spike in your testosterone level, benefiting all muscles in your body.
Deadlifts: After the squat, deadlifts are a close second in effectiveness and muscle growth. Like the squat, deadlifts are performed with a barbell.
Dips: Dips are often referred to as the upper body squat. With dips, you target the shoulders, chest muscles, and triceps, making it an extremely good exercise for the upper body. Dips are done on a dipping station or between 2 bench presses. There are also many machines for dipping.
Pull-Ups: This is one of the toughest exercises in fitness and bodybuilding. Pull-ups are an excellent exercise to heavily target your back muscles and biceps. If possible, pull-ups should replace lateral pulldowns, or at least they should appear in every schedule.
Bench Press: There is no better exercise to develop your chest muscles than bench pressing. With bench pressing, you work your chest muscles, shoulders, and triceps. In addition to flat bench pressing, there are different variations such as incline bench pressing or decline bench pressing. You can also bench press with barbells, making it the barbell press.
Overhead Press: Like bench pressing, there are many variations of the overhead press that can be used. Almost all seated or standing dumbbell and barbell overhead presses are good choices for your training schedule. You could use the Arnold Press or the behind-the-neck overhead press for variation.
Rows: These are essential exercises to form a well-developed back. Both barbell rows and dumbbell rows are very good exercises. If you’re not yet strong enough for rows, try them first on a row machine.
