Every sculpture starts with a lump of clay. To move on to the next phase of sculpting, you have to have a decent mass of clay to start with. So you are starting from square one, not knowing the difference between a giant set and a super set. We’ve compiled the bare basics of a bodybuilding program to which most of the program information out there already assumes you have under your belt.

The number one priority is perfect form. Why? Bad form always leads to injury, which takes you off any program for a minimum of 6 weeks. It also doesn’t develop the muscles you’re trying to target with your exercise and leaves you with building a bulky, out of proportion physique.

The next priority is that you breathe, something you might think is inherent, but when you start to lift heavier and more intensely you’ll tend to hold your breath instead of breathing through the sticking point. This puts you at risk of straining yourself or even passing out. A note about the intense screamers and moaners in the gym trying to lift huge weight, or at least appear to: it takes a lot of energy to make that much noise, that energy is better focused on lifting the weight correctly and to failure. Light weights can build just as much muscle as heavy weights, especially when performed with perfect form. Don’t moan and scream, just lift, save the rest of us from the distraction of a circus show.

The perfect rep should be done under control and through a steady cadence, no swinging or using bodyweight momentum. The eccentric portion of the lift (the lowering phase) has been researched to be the primary stimulus for muscle growth versus the concentric (the raising phase). Therefore, the lowering portion of the repetition should be slower then the raising portion. This is usually a 2-0-4 count (2 seconds to raise, no pause at the top and 4 seconds to lower). In more advanced training techniques, those numbers will vary, but the 2-0-4 count is the starting point.

The next priority in performing the perfect rep should be pain recognition and realizing the differences between the two distinct types of bodybuilding pain. There is the pain caused by doing an exercise incorrectly or with too much resistance, which is usually a dull deep ache or sharp pain, all which are forms of “bad” pain. The exercise should be stopped immediately at this point. The other type of pain is associated with a burning sensation within the muscle as the fibers fatigue and lactic acids begins to build up faster then it can be cleared, which is a “good” pain. Knowing the difference is critical to continued training success. Learn to recognize pain in the joints, tearing sensations, or just feeling awkward through numerous sets of an exercise as indication that you should discontinue the exercise.

To get a better understanding of all the different bodybuilding techniques and training variations, here’s a small glossary of the basic and more advanced terminology of bodybuilding.

Repetition: The basic rep, a complete movement through an exercise’s full range of motion. A completion of both the concentric (raising) and eccentric (lowering) phases of muscle contraction.

Set: A group of repetitions. Typically 8-12 repetitions constitute a typical bodybuilding set. Each exercise usually has 2-3 sets performed before moving on to another exercise, with a rest period in between each set.

Superset: Two sets back to back with no rest in between, usually used with opposing muscle groups ( i.e., push and pull, such as one set of bench press followed by one set of machine back rows without rest in between the sets).

Giant Sets: Technique that gives your muscles more definition. Consists of four to six consecutive exercises for a single body part, with little or no rest in between them.

Negatives: Each exercise movement has two parts, the concentric portion, when you’re lifting the weight, and the eccentric portion, when you’re returning the weight to the starting position. If you focus on doing the eccentric portion of the exercise slowly, you’ll get some of the benefits of negative training. To get the full benefit of negative training, you need a partner to help you lift a weight that’s too heavy for you to lift by yourself. You then return the weight to the starting position as slowly as you can resisting the weight through the eccentric portion of the exercise. Negatives shouldn’t be employed on a regular basis due to it’s long recovery time post workout. Negative training is believed to be the primary reason behind Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS.

Peak Contraction: During a normal set, when you lift a weight to the muscles contracted state, the muscle only spends a second or two in its state of peak contraction when it’s working the hardest. You can avoid this by never fully “locking out” on any rep. By stopping short of that point, you keep the muscle you’re working under and continuously contracted state, forcing them to work harder.

Pyramiding: Is a multiple set technique where the early sets are done with a light weight and high reps and then gradually add weight while subtracting reps. Since the early sets warm up your muscles and the latter sets push them to their utmost, pyramiding allows you to train hard with less risk of injury.

Staggered Sets: Working small body parts doesn’t require a lot of energy compared to larger muscle groups. Staggered sets allow you to do both at the same time by doing a set of a smaller muscle group while you’re resting in between sets of a larger muscle group. Not only do you get through your workout faster, you also keep moving and burn more calories.

Stripping: This technique is when using spotters to peel weight plates off the bar, allowing you to continue the set past the point of failure. You start with a weight, do as many reps as possible to the point of failure, the spotter then strips off weight and you continue to push out more reps, this continues until you’ve stripped off all the weight. This technique is easier to manage by loading the bar with smaller, easier to remove plates, so the bar doesn’t become to unbalanced during the stripping process. Longer rest periods and recovery are needed with this technique.

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