Bodybuilding Workouts

The best bodybuilding exercises for muscle gain and how they can aid weight loss

How do you gain muscle or are you looking for the best bodybuilding workouts? What exercises give your muscles the stimulus they need to adapt and get bigger? Not to mention helping you lose fat and improve body definition.

Compound exercises are most effective as they use many muscle groups at a time. So this means you get more “bang for your buck.” The more time-under tension your muscles receive, the more they will grow.

Here are some examples of the best compound exercises for building muscle:

• Clean and Jerk
• Deadlift
• Bench Press
• Pull-ups

DEADLIFTS

The deadlift is a fantastic exercise for developing strength. When you get stronger, your muscles will adapt by growing in size.

To perform this exercise, start with the bar on the ground. Next, get in a crouched position with your legs close to the bar. Your chest should be up and retract your shoulders. If someone were to look at you from the side, your body should look like an acute triangle. Once you’re in this position, drive through your heels and lift the weight from the ground.

Deadlifts work the whole lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. It also engages the lower back and core during each repetition. The biceps are also involved as you grip the bar.

Needless to say, if you deadlift often, you will work all these muscles a lot, which will lead to making gains. The strength you gain from deadlifts will translate to other exercises. So, this will further increase the rate at which you build muscle.

Clean and Jerk

The Clean and Jerk is one of the best full-body exercises you can perform in the gym. Not to mention being a very explosive movement. The clean and jerk is a popular workout for many bodybuilders around the world such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Frank Zane.

The clean part of the lift involves deadlifting the bar up to your thighs. Next, shrug the bar above your waist before catching it in a front squat position. You should feel the burn in your lower body. Your legs have to work hard to lift the weight up from the ground and then catch the bar at the end of the clean.

Whereas, for the jerk, you stand in a neutral position with the bar. Next, pressing the bar above your head. Remember to jump and split your feet in a wide stance. The shoulders experience an immense contraction as you press upwards.

The clean and jerk are beneficial to gain muscle as you work both the upper and lower body. The whole body experiences a contraction during each repetition.

Bench Press

Bench Press is the king of upper body exercises and one of the most common bodybuilding workouts. If you want to fill your t-shirts and tighten your sleeves, this is the exercise for you.

Start by lying on a bench with your back flat. Retract your shoulders and push your chest out as much as possible. Next, lift the bar off the rack and lower it down to the middle of your chest. Make the bar touch your shirt before pressing back above you. Keep your elbows tucked in throughout the movement and engage your core.

All in all, the bench press works your chest, shoulders, and triceps. So it is fantastic to help you gain muscle in your upper body. You can also develop a lot of upper body strength from this exercise, which will lead to more gains.

Pull-Ups

Pull-Ups are an excellent bodyweight exercise for building muscle. It doesn’t need much equipment, which makes it a cheap option. All you will ever need is a bar. There are loads of these at your gym and local parks. Or you can buy one online, which you can attach to your door.

Start by standing beneath your bar with your hands on it. For a standard pull-up, grip the bar a bit wider than your shoulders with the back of your hands facing you. Pull yourself up above the bar, trying to get your chin over it. Then lower yourself down without your legs touching the floor. After this, you can complete the next repetition.

Pull-ups are phenomenal for developing your back. It is one of the best exercises for giving you a V-taper look. Where your back and shoulders are broader than your waist. Therefore, it’s a great exercise for creating the illusion you are more athletic than you are. 

You can also develop bulging biceps from this exercise. Strong arms are needed to control the movement. Not to mention aiding you to rise above the bar.

How Do These Exercises Aid Weight Loss?

Those were examples of great exercises for building muscle. But how can they help you lose fat?

In a nutshell, compound exercises use many muscles during each repetition. So your body must expend more calories. When you burn a high amount of calories, you have an increased chance of being in a caloric deficit. So you burn more energy than you consume, which leads to losing weight.

Furthermore, when you are new to resistance training, it is possible to burn fat and build muscle. Doing practical exercises such as these allow you to experience body recomposition. So you will develop a lot more tone and definition on your muscles. At the same time, you will lose some fat around your body.

These exercises also help you lose weight in the non-literal sense. When you gain muscle, your body will have more of an illusion. So even if you don’t lose weight, you will appear more muscular and athletic. For example, broader shoulders will make your waist look smaller.

Final Thoughts

To summarise, compound exercises are very beneficial. Deadlift, clean and jerk, bench press, and pull-ups are some of the best exercises for building muscle.

Still, due to being compound exercises, make sure you have enough rest between them. For example, you could do a weekly upper and lower body split. You could train deadlifts and clean and jerk on the first day. Then bench press and pull-ups on the next day. So your body will have an adequate recovery to grow and come back stronger.

Finally, bodybuilding workouts are vital to gain muscle and lose weight. So, try to include these exercises in your routine to see progress.

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