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Step 1
Define your goals. If you have specific body fat percentage or size goals, knowing them will help you plan your routine. Work with a trainer to customize a routine that is right for your goals.
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Step 2
Keep your weight training sessions short. After 75 minutes of weight training, your body will no longer react the same to the exercises, and the training will become ineffective. Your body also won't be able to recover quickly, putting you in danger of overtraining.
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Step 3
Perform sets of 8 to 15 repetitions generally, as well as sets of 5 to 8 repetitions at higher weights, and rest little between sets. Muscles build most efficiently at 8 to 15 repetitions, but you also need to keep increasing strength, which the 5 to 8 repetitions will help you do. Short rests between sets keeps your blood pumping.
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Step 4
Vary your routine. Your body quickly acclimates to your routine, so keep mixing it up as you train for your competition, moving between 8 to 15 repetitions and 5 to 8 repetitions.
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Step 5
Include cardio in your training routine. Though your primary goal is to build muscle, cardio will keep your heart healthy and will keep your body fat percentage to a minimum.
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Step 6
Stay flexible with thorough stretching after your workouts. Many bodybuilders become "musclebound," and they lose much of their range of motion in their most developed muscles. This can affect your performance at a competition as well as reducing mobility in your daily life. If you stretch after each workout, you will maintain your full range of motion as you train.
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Step 7
Create a sensible diet plan, focusing on vegetables and lean proteins as you train for a competition. In the weeks before the competition, eat as few carbs as possible.
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Step 8
Monitor your progress with photos and measurements. It can be helpful to have a trainer or fellow bodybuilder analyze your progress with you. Alter your training routine as needed to get the results you want.
