Intermediate Bodybuilding Routines

The three main types of bodybuilder can be defined by beginner, intermediate and advanced and these are the main types of bodybuilding routines that will be offered by many sites and gyms. The problem with this state of affairs is that people who are new to the sport will happily class themselves as beginners but after a while and plenty of hard work, they will want to progress to the advanced stage. This means that intermediate level can be overlooked and sometimes not enough attention is offered to intermediate bodybuilding routines. This is unfortunate as a lot of benefits can come from stepping the workout schedule from the beginner stakes without racing away to the advanced stages. Bodybuilders who are playing the long game and are confident that they will continue to make progress with their muscle gain are well advised to follow an intermediate routine to achieve the best opportunity of maintaining their improvement.

Sometimes pride and an inflated sense of ambition encourages people to race away to levels that they haven’t yet achieved and this can be dangerous. Budding bodybuilders are very happy to follow intermediate bodybuilding routines when they start working out and this is because they know they will receive the best advice about what to lift and what type of exercises they should be undertaking. However, a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing, especially if people believe they are ready to tackle the advanced bodybuilding workouts and plans. Doing too much too soon before the body is ready for it is a sure way to cause injuries and this may lead to a long lay off period or cause greater problems. Taking care to follow the bodybuilding routines that are right for your level is one of the most important issues facing bodybuilders and if in doubt, ensure that you are following intermediate bodybuilding routines before you go pushing too hard at the higher levels.

One of the important things that intermediate bodybuilders need to be aware of is there is a need for them to undertake a lot of cardiovascular work in their regular routine. Intermediate level bodybuilders are invariably still looking to cut fat and four to five medium to high intensity cardio workouts a week will greatly help them to positively change their body shape and give them a better chance of achieving their goals. This cardio work, coupled with the properly focused intermediate bodybuilding routines is the correct way for intermediate bodybuilders to go about planning their workouts.

One of the ways that bodybuilding routines for intermediate bodybuilders differ from that of the beginner bodybuilding level is that there is a greater attention placed on splitting the muscle groups and working on them extensively. The beginner may find they work on the body generally and this will help them kick off their muscle growth and improve their general fitness. It is also noticeable that a beginner will have a more rapid rate of change and growth in their body which encourages them to keep working as they can see the benefits more vividly. When the bodybuilder reaches the more advanced stages, change is harder to obtain, meaning there needs to be a greater degree of planning into the workouts to ensure the best returns are made on the work undertaken.

This is why many bodybuilding routines for intermediate bodybuilders actively encourage focusing on a particular part of the body or a well defined muscle group to get the best results. Many people will suggest that in between bodybuilders should workout and lift weights around four or five days a week to improve their physique with some people advocating that an intermediate bodybuilder can be in the gym every day of the week. By altering what muscle groups are being used on different days, proper rest periods are being factored into the workout plans making it possible for people to be in the gym as often as possible.

A general layout of the standard intermediate bodybuilding routines that are being offered to bodybuilders at this level may start on the first day of the week by focusing on the chest and triceps area. All weightlifting exercise should always start with a proper warm up as this will focus the muscles and can go a long way in preventing injury occurring.
Much in the same way that athletes and professional sports stars warm up before competing, a bodybuilder should do the same, in order to be at the maximum level of performance to minimize injuries. Regardless of what level the bodybuilder is working at, be it beginner, advanced or even intermediate, the warm up part of the workout should never be skipped, regardless of how pushed for time the bodybuilder may be.

Following this, the bodybuilder will then follow their intermediate bodybuilding routines usually doing three reps of their weight of between 8 and 12 lifts. Bodybuilding is not an exact science as every person is different and can react very differently and some people will have extremely different levels of tolerance with regards to what weights they can lift comfortably, and to their maximum. This does not make any difference if the person is an intermediate or advanced bodybuilder as it affects right across the board. Working out what level of weights allows the bodybuilder to lift the prescribed amount but takes them to their very edge of strength is what should be aimed for in a bodybuilding routine. If the weight is set too low, the bodybuilder will not gain any real benefit from lifting the weights and if the level is set too high, the bodybuilder may struggle, become disenchanted and lays themselves open to injury. Trying different levels to get a gauge of what is comfortable is a good way to start on any workout plan and just because the intermediate level of weightlifting has been reached doesn’t mean that people can start becoming overly adventurous with the weights they attempt to lift.

After working on the chest and triceps on day one, the intermediate may look to work on their back and biceps on the second day of their bodybuilding program. Again, after adhering to the warm up stage, the back and bicep routines can contain simple lifts such as bicep curls and using rowing methods to improve this area of the body. As these areas were not used during the previous day’s bodybuilding routine, the intermediate bodybuilder should be fresh in these areas allowing them to work full on which should aid them in their results.

The rest of the week carries on in this mode for the intermediate bodybuilder and they should use shoulder and traps bodybuilding exercises on one day, thighs, calves and abs on another day. Adding a lot of variety to the bodybuilding exercises and regime also helps keep the bodybuilder interested and lowers the opportunity that they will become bored.

After the full week’s intermediate workout, the bodybuilder should begin again on their bodybuilding regime but this can be only followed for a set amount of time. As already stated, boredom can become an issue but it should be remembered that the body becomes used to workouts and the effectiveness will start to diminish. This is true for all levels of bodybuilders, intermediate bodybuilders included and therefore, there needs to be a change to their bodybuilding regime to ensure they continue to get the maximum results from their regimes.

It can be easy to oversimplify bodybuilding as merely lifting weights that feel comfortable but there are different levels and people need to work out as their level dictates to get the best results. An advanced bodybuilding regime could do a lot of damage to an intermediate bodybuilder so there needs to be a strict adherence to bodybuilding plans and workouts that have been specially crafted for the individual. By knowing where you are situated with regards to weightlifting and building muscle, it will become easier to get the right plan for you and this should ensure better results can be obtained when you work out. Judging themselves in the wrong level is all too common for a number of bodybuilders and can lead to injuries and problems.