Obviously, you will want to visit the sites of the bodybuilding organizations. These include:

International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) — http://www.ifbb.com

National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA) — http://www.nabba.com

National Physique Committee (NPC) — http://getbig.com/info.npc.htm

World Natural Bodybuilding Federation — http://www.wnbf.net

You will want to spend a great deal of time at these sites, where you will get tips from the pros, get up-to-date information on the sport of bodybuilding, and of course get details about various competitions that are being held.

It is a good idea to also join a bodybuilding community. Members of the community will provide you with fresh bodybuilding ideas and information, and will offer you a great deal of support — from around the world. You can find such communities through many of the larger bodybuilding websites, such as http://www.bodybuilding.com.

Aside from workout information and competitions, you can also use online resources to learn about various supplements, and to help create your own nutrition plan. Remember that proper nutrition, along with the use of supplements, is vital to successful bodybuilding.

Believe it or not, you can even connect with nutritionists and personal trainers online. Personal trainers work with you by seeing pictures of you, by receiving the measurements that you send them, and by discussing your goals with them. A nutritionist can easily work with you in an online environment as well, helping you to devise your nutrition plan. If money is an issue, consider using a site like Free Trainers at http://www.freetrainers.com.

No matter what type of bodybuilding information you are looking for, you can find it online. You may also find supplements and bodybuilding products at much lower prices online as well. Learn to use online resources – just like you learn to use the equipment in the gym.

So, which product do you need? The chances are good that you actually need more than one — and be prepared, as they are not cheap. The products that you need will depend greatly on what it is that you hope to achieve. Unfortunately, not all consumable bodybuilding products do as they promise.

The best thing that you can do for yourself, before visiting the health food store, is to hire a good nutritionist to help you plan your meals. A good nutritionist will also point you in the right direction concerning supplements that you need. You may think that you cannot afford the services of a nutritionist, but when you look at the prices of the products that are offered, you will see that you would do well to buy the right products the first time around — instead of wasting thousands of dollars on the wrong products.

In most cases, your nutritionist will have you purchase a good multivitamin, and may have you purchase individual vitamins as well. You will most likely need a good source of protein, such as whey protein. Other products that will most likely be recommended include flaxseed oil, creatine, thermogenic products, and glutamine.

If natural bodybuilding is your goal, you will want to avoid all prohormone supplements, testosterone supplements, and diuretics. Taking these types of supplements, as well as steroids, will get you banned from all natural bodybuilding competitions.

So, when it comes to consumable bodybuilding products, seek the advice of a good nutritionist first, and even if you don’t do that, go for the vitamins, the whey protein, flaxseed oil, creatine, thermogenics, and glutamine. Ignore all of the other stuff, unless it is recommended by your nutritionist.

You could say that you want to lose body fat, but that isn’t enough. How much body fat do you want to lose? You could say that you want to make your muscles bigger, but again, that is not enough. Which muscles do you want to work, and how big do you want them to get? Again, successful bodybuilding is achieved by setting clearly defined goals. You have to know your purpose.

Without knowing your purpose, you will go about bodybuilding in a helter skelter fashion, without accomplishing much. However, if you know that you want a six-pack — which is a common first goal for bodybuilders — you know that you need to work those muscles. You know that you must reduce the fat surrounding those muscles so that the six-pack can be seen. You have a goal, and you know what you need to do to achieve it.

Bodybuilding professionals suggest that you start by writing down the measurements that you hope to attain. You should write down the measurements that you want for your chest, waist, thighs, calves, arms, and forearms. You should also write down what your actual measurements are now. This is a goal — to get from where you are, to where you want to be.

It is also a good idea to set short term goals, and to review those goals every three or four weeks. You should also write down an action plan for achieving your short-term goals, and make sure that your short-term goals are in conjunction with your long-term goals.

When you look at a bodybuilder, you may see nothing more than a hard body — but you better believe that bodybuilders — successful ones — are extremely goal-oriented! They know what they want, and they are on the road to achieve it.

A professional bodybuilder is someone who has won qualifying competitions, and has earned a professional bodybuilder card from the IFBB, or International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness. A professional bodybuilder can compete in sanctioned competitions, and if they place high enough in sanctioned competitions, they can compete in the Mr. Olympia competition.

A natural bodybuilder is someone who competes in competitions where the contestants are tested for illegal substances. In other words, if you used steroids to beef up, you are not a natural bodybuilder, and cannot compete as one — ever. It isn’t just illegal drugs that are banned from natural bodybuilding, however. Anabolic steroids, diuretics, and prohormone drugs are all banned. Natural bodybuilding has its own organizations, including the North American Natural Bodybuilding Foundation (NANBF) and the Natural Physique Association (NPA).

Female bodybuilding is as the name implies. It is bodybuilding for females. Women started appearing in the sport in the 1970s, and because their bodies are physically different from male bodies, they obviously cannot be judged against each other in competition. Therefore, there are now female-only competitions. Women also have fitness and figure competitions, as opposed to just bodybuilding competitions. The Ms. Olympia competition has been around since 1980.

Because a teenage body cannot be compared to an adult body fairly, just as women and men’s bodies cannot be compared fairly, there is a division for teenage bodybuilding as well.

As you can see, the divisions are clearly defined, and it isn’t hard to figure out where you belong in the grand scheme of things. Of course, the ultimate goal for almost all competitive bodybuilders is to become Mr. or Ms. Olympia!

Muscle dysmorphia, also known as bigorexia, is a common psychological problem among bodybuilders. It is the feeling that no matter how big you are, you feel small, and you may even strive to cover it up with clothing. You may even resort to steroids to become what you perceive as to be big.

Bodybuilding becomes an obsession, and no achievement becomes good enough. Because bodybuilders are constantly graded on their appearance, they are always striving to make it better. Can you imagine what it is like to never be truly satisfied with how you look, and being obsessed by it? This goes beyond being ten pounds overweight, and telling yourself every New Years Day that this year you are going to get that extra weight off — only to promptly forget that goal as New Years dinner is served.

Bodybuilding is more than a sport. It is a lifestyle. In order to be successful, the bodybuilder is constantly focused on their workouts, their supplements, and their nutrition — almost to the exclusion of all else. Obviously, while bodybuilders have very healthy bodies, this does not contribute to a healthy mindset.

So, what can you do to combat the negative psychological effects of bodybuilding? First, make sure that you are living a life outside of bodybuilding. If bodybuilding is the only thing that you can discuss with others, you may have a problem. Seek counseling to ensure that you are staying on track as well.

Overall, you want to be a well-rounded human being — from a physical standpoint, as well as from a mental standpoint. The sport of bodybuilding, and the demands that go along with it, make it hard — but it isn’t impossible!

Start by learning some basic anatomy — you especially need to know where the major muscles and organs are located in your body. These muscles will be discussed a great deal, and if you don’t know where they are, you will be lost from the very start, and nothing that is said to you is going to make much difference.

Bodybuilding is not painless, but often pain means that injury is being done. It is a good idea to figure out what pain is acceptable, and what pain is not acceptable in your own body. Learn to listen to what your body is telling you, and stop doing what you are doing when it is telling you that you are doing injury.

Take measurements. Don’t trust yourself to remember exactly how your body looked last week. Changes are so gradual that it will be hard to notice them when you are looking in the mirror everyday. Take measurements and write them down. Also, take pictures of yourself from the front, sides, and back, so that you can take more pictures later and compare them. These two methods are the only way that you will really know for sure if what you are doing is working.

Write down what you are doing in each of your workouts as well. Use dates, and use dates on measurements and pictures. This helps you to see exactly what is getting the results that you are seeing, and what is getting no results at all.

Listen to experts. Employ the knowledge of a good nutritionist and a personal trainer. Also, visit your doctor before you start a bodybuilding program so that you can make sure that everything is okay.

As with anything else, the first step is to avoid injuries as best as you can. This can be accomplished by making sure that you drink plenty of water, so that the muscles and tissues remain hydrated. Second, learn good form when lifting weights. Lifting weights in the wrong way can cause injury. Third, don’t lift more weight than you know that you can handle. Finally, always use a spotter, in case something goes wrong.

Even after taking these precautions, things can go wrong, and injury may occur. At the first sign of injury, stop what you are doing, and seek treatment. This can mean the difference between being injured for a week or two, and being injured for life. There are those who will tell you to ignore it and work through the pain — ignore them, and seek treatment!

Learn the RICE method of treating injuries. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. The muscle needs to rest, it needs to be iced, it needs to be compressed, and it needs to be elevated. The rest will allow the muscle to start repairing. The ice will reduce swelling and alleviate pain. With compression and elevation, edema is limited.

When using ice, use crushed or chipped ice in an ice bag, or use a chemically cooled ice bag on the area. Place the bag of ice on a towel, which covers the injured area. The general rule is 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off with ice. During the first 10 minutes, however, wrap the ice bag around the injured muscle with an elastic bandage to supply compression, and of course, keep the area elevated above the heart if possible.

Depending on the muscle that has been injured, and the severity of the injury, you may do well with a splint, so that the muscle is immobilized. Do not apply heat to the area unless directed to do so by your physician, as heat will not help reduce swelling, and may encourage it. Heat is usually used after the healing process has begun, in order to help the muscle relax.

Overall, the actual workout only makes up about 20% of bodybuilding overall. The other 80% comes from rest, and proper nutrition with supplements. By supplements, we do not mean illegal drugs or steroids. We mean vitamin, mineral, and nutrient supplements.

Let’s start with proper nutrition. Bodybuilders need lots of protein, and more than the recommended daily allowance of all other vitamins and minerals. They also need a well-balanced diet, and they typically need to eat six times a day. Of course, they also need a more-than-average amount of water. It is a good idea to consult with a nutritionist before you start any bodybuilding regimen.

From there, you need the right supplements. This is something that your nutritionist should be able to work with you on. The fact is that in terms of the amount of vitamins and nutrients that bodybuilders need, you won’t be able to get it just from the foods that you eat. Supplements are needed.

The next thing to do is to hire a personal trainer. This doesn’t have to be for the long term. Many bodybuilders hire personal trainers in the beginning to help them through the break-in period. A trainer will be able to talk with you about your bodybuilding goals, and will design a workout program to help you reach those goals. You will learn proper form and safety as well.

Then there is rest. Muscles don’t grow when you are working out. Muscles grow when they are resting, after working out. Every time you work out, you are essentially doing damage to your muscles, and when you rest, they repair — and grow bigger in the process. Most trainers will recommend that you take one or two days off each week from your workouts, and that you never work the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

The list of potential vitamins seems never ending, and we are all aware of the RDA, or Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamins. However, bodybuilders typically need more vitamins than the RDA. Here is a breakdown of some of the more important vitamins for bodybuilders.

Vitamin C — This helps to build your immune system, and also plays a vital role in the formation of bones. It also gives you more energy, and plays a role as an antioxidant. The RDA recommends 40 mg a day, but as a bodybuilder, you need anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 mg per day. You can take vitamins, or you can get your vitamin C from cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, or peppers. Eating an orange won’t do it, as it would take about 22 oranges to give you 1,000 mg of vitamin C.

Vitamin Bs — There are numerous Vitamin Bs, and you need them all. These include B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12. These help to give you extra energy, and are also important to the function of your brain. They aid in digestion, and also aid your body in making good use of the protein that you provide for it. Vitamin Bs do many other things as well. They are very important. The dosages recommended for bodybuilders are: B1 — 160 mg, B2 — 200 mg, B3 — 200 mg, B5 — 200 mg, B6 — 200 mg, B12 — 100 mcg.

Vitamin Bs can be found in numerous foods, including cabbage, mushrooms, and broccoli. However, you won’t get enough B vitamins from food, and you do need a supplement. Split the dosages up, so that you take Vitamin B supplements about three times per day.

Naturally, there are many other vitamins that you need. It is important to talk with a nutritionist who can devise an eating and supplemental plan that is right for you. Remember that proper nutrition, including supplements, is vital to the bodybuilding process.

Obviously, the first thing you need is protein, and lots of it. Do not, however, make the mistake of only looking for sources of protein, and excluding other foods with different minerals and vitamins that you need. You need a well-balanced diet.

With that said, ideally, you should eat lots of whole fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and chicken. Oatmeal and eggs are also highly recommended foods for bodybuilders, and these two food items are typically included in breakfasts, along with a protein shake.

You can find whey protein, which can be used to make shakes, at a variety of health food stores. Whey protein is used more than any other bodybuilding product, because it accelerates muscle development, and also helps the muscles to repair. It is a source of both essential and nonessential amino acids as well. This is definitely a product that bodybuilders need.

Bodybuilders do not eat three times a day. In fact, bodybuilders eat six times a day, ensuring that their bodies are fueled about every 2-2 1/2 hours. This is an important aspect of bodybuilding; however, you should note that the six meals are smaller than the average meal that would be consumed three times per day. It isn’t so much that you are eating more — you are just eating more often.

On top of food and supplements, bodybuilders also need water. While the average person needs just eight to ten glasses of water per day, bodybuilders typically require more water, because their bodies use more water than average people.