One of the American Bully's most recognizable features is its heavily developed muscles. From head to tail, the body can look dense and strong. Although genetics play a major role, daily exercise is still essential, and different muscle groups require different training methods.
Training an American Bully into a dog with a truly muscular physique is not easy. The first thing to understand is that from about one to two years of age, the dog is still in an important stage of growth and development. During that period, it is best not to focus too aggressively on bodybuilding-style muscle training. Instead, the dog should simply get enough daily exercise to prevent it from becoming overweight. Too much fat will create major problems for later conditioning. At the same time, the diet should still include plenty of protein and the nutrients needed for muscle development.
Second, not every American Bully can be trained into a dramatic muscle dog, because much depends on what it inherited from its parents. Also, muscle training should be divided according to different groups, such as the jaw muscles, forelimb muscles, chest muscles, and hind-leg muscles.
Training the hind legs is relatively simple. One method is to let the dog climb stairs using the rear legs actively. Training the chest and front-body muscles is somewhat harder. Running is one useful method. In daily life, many American Bullies naturally want to tug when owners pick up a mop or a towel, and this kind of playful tugging can unexpectedly serve as jaw-muscle training too.
Finally, whether or not muscle training happens every single day, owners should be consistent once they begin. A routine such as about one and a half hours in the morning and one and a half hours in the afternoon is often enough. Combined with reasonable exercise and a healthy diet, a visibly muscular American Bully may develop within a few months.
Protein is one of the main building blocks of muscle. If you want an American Bully to develop a firm and powerful body, then foods rich in protein, such as eggs and meat, are essential. This is one reason the cost of raising an American Bully is not low. If the dog is a larger type, its food budget may even exceed that of a person.