Hunt - Bodybuilding For Beginners: A 12-Week Program to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

Copyright 2019 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California

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Interior and Designer: Michael Patti

Art Producer: Sara Feinstein

Editor: Lia Ottaviano

Production Editor: Andrew Yackira

Illustrations: 2019 Charlie Layton

ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-361-5 | eBook 978-1-64152-362-2

This book is dedicated to my daughter Lucille, who has impacted my life far more than I ever thought possible. I love you.

CONTENTS

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BODYBUILDING IS the act of developing your body through proper training and nutrition. Like any activity, it can be taken to competitive extremes. You may choose to take it to that level down the road, but this book is about using bodybuilding for practical, everyday fitness.

A well-designed bodybuilding program is the most effective method to improve how you look and feel. There is a reason why resistance training is as popular as it is with physique athletes, who are judged on their appearance. Resistance training has been shown to be better at building muscle, losing fat, and improving body composition than cardio alone. Having more muscle and less body fat helps your body fight disease and contributes to lifelong health.

The first time I stepped into a weight room as a teenager, my goal was to get bigger and stronger to compete as a wrestler. I was tiny and weighed only 96 pounds as a sophomore in high school! Bodybuilding not only transformed my body; it also changed the course of my life.

I spent my teenage years gathering data about how to develop muscle, gain strength, and lose fat. After graduating high school, I knew studying exercise science in college was the natural next step. I launched my fitness company around that time, too. Since then, Ive had the opportunity to work with thousands of people, helping them transform their bodies and their lives, just like I did.

WHY BODYBUILDING?

This book will discuss how lifting weights helps you get fit and look great, but there are also holistic health benefits to lifting weights.

Body

When you hear people say they want a fit and toned physique, what they are really saying is: I want a lean and muscular physique. One of the biggest advantages to lifting weights is how it affects your metabolism. Muscle is an active tissue. When you increase the amount of muscle on your body, you increase your bodys basal metabolic rate, which is the number of calories your body burns while resting. This not only helps you lose fat; it also helps you keep it off!

A consistent resistance training program will also help you reduce stress, have more energy during the day, sleep better at night, and improve your coordination.

Health

A beach body isnt the only benefit of building muscle while maintaining a healthy body fat percentage.

Obesity and long-term weight gain: Contrary to popular belief, people are pretty successful at losing weight. The hard part is keeping off the weight long term. Building muscle through lifting weights is one of the best ways to do that.

Common diseases: There are many benefits to improving physical health, especially if you are overweight. Losing body fat decreases the risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and arthritis.

Aging: As we age, we lose muscle strength, mobility, coordination, and bone density. Lifting weights helps prevent all of those issues. A calorie-controlled diet has also been shown to increase longevity.

Mental health: Strength training elevates endorphin levels, and higher endorphin levels boost energy and lift mood. Lifting weights has also been shown to help reduce symptoms of depression, and building muscle is a great way to boost confidence.

WHY NUTRITION?

Nutrition plays a huge role in the success of your fitness journey. You may have heard this expression: You cant out-exercise a bad diet. Its true. It doesnt matter how well you stick to the training program; if you dont follow the diet component, it will be hard to get results.

When it comes to bodybuilding, nutrition is at least 60 percent of the equation. This is where I missed the boat early on in my training career. I spent a lot of time in the gym, but my efforts didnt pay off. I read about nutrition and recognized its importance, but I was surrounded by fad diets and misinformation. Understanding the core principles of nutrition is the key to unlocking fitness success.

Optimizing what we put in our bodies will not only allow us to perform better in the gym, but it will also determine if we gain, maintain, or lose weight.

WHY THIS BOOK?

This is the book I wish I had when I first started bodybuilding. So much information exists today that it can be hard to know whom to trust. Bodybuilding for Beginners is a definitive, evidence-based guide to set you up for success.

Ill cover how to perform each exercise step-by-step with proper form to help you make the most progress and avoid injury. I will also walk you through a 12-week program filled with effective workouts that target upper- and lower-body muscle groups and prepare you for the next level.