Beginners Advice
By Weight-lifter, Anton Hutchinson (AJ)

Hey guys. Now if you want to start bodybuilding, just a beginner or want to start again then this article is for you. In this article I will be telling you 2 or 3 simple but effective exercises for each body part.


Arms
To start off with I will take the arms. The arms are split into 3 areas. The Biceps, the Triceps and the Forearms. I will start with the biceps. The main exercises for the biceps are curls. I would use standing and sitting curls to start off with. Now the triceps are the biggest muscle in the arm and one of the least worked muscles in the body. I love to work the triceps because when well developed it looks really good. So many cuts and muscle just bulges out. Anyway the best exercises for the triceps are the Triceps push-downs and lying extensions. Also dips are a good triceps exercise and also works the chest well. For the forearms the best exercises are wrist curls.

Shoulders
For me, shoulders are the most difficult muscle to train. When doing exercises for the shoulders it puts a lot of strain on you back. Anyway the best exercises are shoulder presses and shrugs. When doing shrugs use a really heavy weight and that will get your shoulders packing on the muscle.

Chest
The chest is the most worked, focused on and favorite muscle for nearly all bodybuilders. The chest is split into higher and lower chest. Now the bench press is the best exercise, however there are variations. A flat bench press then there is the incline and decline. These work the uppers and lower chest area's. Another great exercise for the chest is the flies. These can be done with the machine or on a bench with dumbbells.

Back
The Back is the biggest muscle of the body, and is separated into upper and lower and then the sides. For the upper part of the back Lateral Pull downs with wide grip. Also seated pulley rows are a good exercise for the upper back. For the lower back the superman stretch is good. To perform this lie down on your stomach with hands and legs stretched straight. The raise your arms up with your lower back as far as you can and hold for a second. Return to the floor and that is 1 rep. Also the reverse extension is a good lower back exercise. For the sides of the back to get the V shape, good exercises are chins and pull downs. Both underhand grip.

Legs
The legs are a great looking body part once well developed. Squats are definitely the best exercise for the legs. Any bodybuilder will tell you that. Anyway Squats are for the quads. The legs have 3 different muscles. Quads, Hams and Calves. Now for the quads we have Squats and also leg extentions. For the Hams the best exercises are leg curls and stiff-legged deadlifts. And for the calves are calf raises both, standing and sitting.

And finally...

Abs
Abs are definitely the muscle which most beginners struggle with. Abs are developed by squeezing the muscle. Also to see your abs you need a low body fat. However abs take a long time to develop and my best gains came from crunches, pelvic tilts and side bends. With these 3 exercises you hit all 3 areas of the abs. With crunches this hits the upper abs. The pelvic tilts hit the lower abs and the side bends hit the obliques which are the side abs. The side bends can be performed in 2 different ways.

1. Standing with a dumbbell in one hand then lowering it to your knee's and
2. Lying on a bench in crunch position with arms at your side's. Then tilt one way until your hand reaches around your knee and you feel a squeeze then hold for a second, and then return. That is 1 rep.

Ok. So I have given you a few exercises for each body part. Now I will make it a whole lot clearer.
Arms
Biceps:
Standing Curls 8-12 reps
Sitting Curls 8-12 reps

Triceps:
Push Downs 8-12 reps
Lying Extension 8-12 reps

Shoulders
Shoulder Press 8-12 reps
Shrugs 8-12 reps

Chest
Bench Press
(incline & decline) 8-12 reps
Flies 8-12 reps

Back
Upper Back:
Lateral Pull-Downs 8-12 reps
Seated Pulley Rows 8-12 reps

Lower Back:
Superman Stretch 8-12 reps
Reverse Extensions 8-12 reps

Side's:
Chins 12-15 reps
Pull Downs 10-12 reps

Legs
Hamstrings:
Leg Curls 10-12 reps
Stiff Legged Deadlifts 10-12 reps

Quadriceps:
Squats 10-15 reps
Leg Extensions 10-12 reps

Calves:
Calf Raises
(standing & Sitting) 12-15 reps

Abs
Crunches 15-20 reps
Pelvic Tilts 15-20 reps
Side Bends 15-20 reps

So now with all this information you can now make a program. I definitely recommend working each body part once a week. So here is a 4 day split.

Day 1: Biceps, Back and Abs
Day 2: Hams, Shoulders and Abs
Day 3: Quads, Forearms and Calves
Day 4: Triceps and Chest and Abs