BEWARE OF THE BOXY LOOK

163. BEWARE OF THE BOXY LOOK Although ribcage expansion may be desirable for some, for others it should be avoided. Those with a narrow shoulder structure should probably avoid trying to expand the ribcage, as it will only leave you looking like a "box." By this we mean you'll be nearly as thick as wide. Those with boxy physiques tend to look fat in clothes.

RIBCAGE EXPANSION

162. RIBCAGE EXPANSION Although the chest muscles receive all the glor it is the underlying ribcage that makes up most of tne chest measurement. While you can't enlarge tne ribs, it is possible to slightly lengthen the cartilage and ligaments connecting the ribs to the sternum (center rib bone). We should add that by your early 20s these soft connective tissues have hardened, so the techniques for expanding the rib cage won't have much effect. Ribcage expansion works best in the teenage years. The two best exercises for expanding the ribcage are breathing squats and cross-bench pullovers.

TO BULK OR NOT TO BULK

161. TO BULK OR NOT TO BULK Buying up was a popular term back in the '60s and 70s. (t basically means eating as much as possible and training as heavy as possible to gain as much bodyweight as possible. The reason bulking up has fallen out of favor is that much of the weight gained is fat, which has to be lost if you want to compete (or even just look good). Today many bodybuilderstryto keep their off-season weight to within 20 pounds of their competitive weight (as opposed to the 40 to 50 pounds of years ago). Unless you are very skinny and have a hard time gaining muscular body weight, we don't recommend bulking up.

COMPOUND EXERCISES

I60. COMPOUND EXERCISES When beginning bodybuilding, virtually all your exercises should be compound. Compound exercises are those in which more than one joint is involved and more than one muscle group is utilized. Compound exercises are the ones that allow you to use the most weight, and hence they are the best for gaining mass. Examples of compound exercises are bench presses, squats, deadlifts, barbel! rows, barbel! curls, chin-ups, and shoulder presses.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

159- KEEP IT SIMPLE The primary goal at the beginning level is to learn how to train - nothing fancy, just basic sets and reps. For the first few months follow a full-body three- times-a-week training routine. Pay strict attention to form and increase the weight only when the muscles are capable of handling it.

WHAT DO I WANT

158. WHAT DO I WANT? One of the most fundamental questions you should ask yourself before you pick up that first dumbell is "what do I want to achieve from bodybuilding?" For some, losing a few pounds and perhaps some general conditioning is all they are after. Building a 50-inch chest is the furthest thing from their minds. For others, nothing short of elbowing the current Mr. Olympia off the stage will suffice. Keep in mind that even if your goal is dethroning the current Mr. Olympia, you don't start training at the Mr. Olympia level. Start out slowly and gradually progress to the next level.