When venturing into the world of Bodybuilding for the
first time, it is easy to be confused and sometimes
intimidated. Don't let these things throw you off.
Be prepared to take on anything that comes at you and
most importantly NEVER give up. The rewards will
undoubtedly be yours to keep for a lifetime of
healthiness and happiness!
Things to remember when getting started:
1. Be consistent and patient - Remember everything
comes in time whether you like it or not. If you are
consistent with your training, results of some type
will inevitably come. There is no stopping it.
However, most beginners get discouraged at the slow
on come of results. This is normal, but as you move
around and adjust your routine, gains will be a little
more continual. Results take time. That's all there
is to it. If it were that easy to get big, or get
lean, or become physically fit, everybody would be
that way, and we all know they are not. Make yourself
stand out from most others; make yourself special! If
you are training hard, you will get what is yours,
just be patient with your training. Don't be
discouraged by sore muscles. They are going to hurt
the next day. This is normal and necessary for
growth. Stick with it and stop at NOTHING and nothing
will stop you!
2. Don't worry about what others think - Don't fall
into the egotistical game that takes place in every
gym every day! It is critically important when you
are starting out, that you don't let other people's
thoughts of you get in the way of you building a safe
and effective training program. For example, if you
are just beginning, you CANNOT squat 450 lbs, so don't
try it! You will not look impressive; you will look
crushed and broken. Remember, start small and you
will grow in leaps and bounds. And so what if you can
squat 450 lbs? You are not the greatest person in the
world, you will not get an award, you will not get put
on a pedestal, and you will not be above anybody so
don't lie about it or even attempt it in the first
place. It is not going to make you any better than
anybody else. To be better than somebody else, it
takes a lot more than physical strength. Everybody is
equal to you in this world as far as the quality of
your individual attributes goes. Remember that there
will always be someone bigger and stronger than you.
no matter WHAT you do. Also, when performing
exercises, don't worry about how you look in other
people's eyes. Their opinion doesn't really count
anyway. If everyone's opinion counted as to how we
looked, we would constantly be changing every second.
Think about any length of time into the future be it 2
months, 1 year, 5 years, or 20 years down the road.
Is what that person thought about you on any given
particular day really going to matter? I highly doubt
it, and if it does, it is better that you didn't trade
in your entire life of self-regard just for that one
opinion anyway. Do what you have to do in the gym,
and see to it that it gets done without the slightest
bit of self-consciousness.
3. Stay motivated - It is easy to fall off track and
deviate from your training regimen to things that are
giving you more pleasure, more results and more
comfort in life than your training routine. To get
results, YOU have to WANT them. Nobody is going to
give them to you; you have to take them for YOURSELF!
If you don't want it bad enough, you'll never have it.
It is as simple as that. Establish why you want what
you do and constantly think about that. If you want
it for a good enough reason, having the drive to get
it will come natural. If you don't advance, someone
else will and knock you down a step. In reference to
bodybuilding, there is always someone coming up trying
to take your spot. There always will be, and YOU have
to do something about it. Have the WILL to succeed at
what you are doing and what you are doing it for!
Take what you want, and nobody can stop you!
4. Build a foundation - With any solid structure, a
good foundation is it's base and helps keep it strong.
It prevents it from falling down, and gives it a
place to stand on. It is what the structure is built
on and from. Your body is that solid structure. You
need something to launch yourself off of into a whole
new world (resistance training). When first starting
out, it is vital that you learn and MASTER the basic
compound movements. This will give you a good
building block and send your training to levels you
never even knew existed. A compound movement is a
movement that involves many muscle groups to perform
the movement. There is the primary muscle group that
you are targeting, and many secondary muscles helping
out. For example, the bench press. The primary
muscle used in the bench press is the chest
(pectoralis major and minor) but secondary muscles
also come into play. You are not moving that bar with
just your chest. Your triceps and deltoids are
helping you move that bar. Other basic compound
movements are squats and dead lifts. Learning these
types of movements first will prepare you for the
onslaught you are about to put your muscles and joints
through in the following years of training. Build a
strong foundation and nothing can bring you down!
5. Read all you can - If you want to succeed in
bodybuilding, you have to learn about it. Learn what
works, what doesn't work, learn what your doing what
you should be eating and so on. Bodybuilding is a
never-ending process and the learning never stops.
There will ALWAYS be something new to learn when it
comes to bodybuilding. New training principles, new
studies, and new information regarding safe and unsafe
bodybuilding practices. Read every chance you get and
you will eventually be able to piece things together
and grown almost right out of your skin. Subscribe to
a magazine, read books at your library, borrow
magazines from your friends if you have to. Whatever
you have to do to read about it, get it done because
it's important. If you are that serious about it you
will want to learn about it anyway so it won't be much
of a big deal at all. There are books out and tons of
information on it all over the internet. The more you
read, the more you know, and the more you know, the
more you grow!
6. Ask questions - If you don't know something ask
someone in the gym or someone else you know that has a
good chance of knowing it. Having someone to answer
your questions is a HUGE benefit when starting out.
If you know someone at school that might know, ask
them. Chances are that if they are a bodybuilder they
will have NO problem answering your question with
enthusiasm and with as much information as you can
possibly handle. If they really love the sport then
they will be happy to help you out. Knowledge is
power and without it, you cannot push yourself through
your current limits. Asking questions is one of the
best ways to learn about bodybuilding and forge ahead
into a whole new world.
7. Start with high reps - Many newcomers to the sport
of bodybuilding or weight training make the common
mistake of starting too heavy. If you are new to a
movement and don't have it mastered to the point of
perfection, then you have no business handling a
weight that you can not do at least 12-15 times.
Learn the moves first and you will be able to use them
for the rest of your lifting career. Also, your
muscles and joints need time to get used to handling
the weights. If you are just starting, chances are
your body has never felt anything like a workout. The
training is new to it and it needs time to adjust.
This will prevent injuries and help you build your new
foundation of a wide variety of exercises in the
safest way possible.
8. Set your goals! - Without goals your training can
become meaningless. If you have nothing to work for,
then how are you supposed to get there? You need a
destination before you can start traveling. Set a
goal, map your route, and go get it. Hopefully there
will be no stop offs along the way. Setting goals high
for yourself and striving as hard as you can to
achieve them is a very important in both weight
training as well as all other aspects of life. No
goal is too high if you truly want it and truly put
your mind to accomplishing it. Remember that you can
have ANYTHING you want you just have to work for it.
That is what is so great about this country. There
are no limitations. nothing holds you back, so why
don't you achieve your goals? Because there are
always interferences, most likely lack of dedication
or motivation. If you need motivation, talk to me, or
someone else that can motivate you. Remember that
there are 3 steps to getting what you want. 1. Set a
goal 2. Plan your route 3. Achieve!
9. Proper Nutrition - If you want to look big, you
have to eat big! It can not be said any more simple
than that. Depending on your goal, you have to eat to
reach that specific goal. It is amazing how humans
can be so controlled by food but it is undeniable that
food is necessary to live and to grow. Nutrients are
the building blocks of every ounce of your weight
training goals. Without them, you will go nowhere.
In fact, you will retrogress into the past. Be sure
to take a multi-vitamin every day whether you are
training or not. You can't afford to be sick or
unhealthy. You only have one life and you want it to
last as long as possible. Treat it like your most
valuable possession and you will not be let down.
Face things for what they are. You are born and your
natural instinct from the time you first come into the
world is to stay alive. Why would you want to hinder
the length of your life in any way? That is another
extreme benefit of weight training and bodybuilding.
There is nothing like someone that is big, ripped to
the bone, healthy, and in shape at the same time.
That is the essence of being in good shape. And to be
this way you must eat correctly. If you are trying to
get big, eat big. If you are trying to get small, eat
small. It is not as complicated as everyone makes it
out to be. A few things however are undeniable. Good
nutrients are vital to your health and can in no way
be harmful to you. They will benefit you in almost
every way possible so eat a good variety of foods.
Fruits and vegetables are always fun to eat! Give up
the "junk food" that you eat almost every day. After
a while you won't even want it anymore. If I can give
up drinking soda, then you can give up eating your
"junk foods" and sugary drinks. Eat well, Live well!
10. Supplements - Before taking supplements to enhance
your training efforts, understand one thing!
Supplements are NOT necessary! In spite of what
advertisers tell you, you do not NEED supplements to
make gains. About 98% of the population believe the
contrary and they are sorely mislead. Clever
advertisers and marketers have "brainwashed" them into
thinking that to make gains you need supplements.
This is not true at all. Supplements are just that;
they supplement your current training and eating
habits. They are NOT replacements and don't take the
place of any foods. Good nutrition comes WAY before
any supplements. If you don't have good nutrition,
you have NO business EVER even touching a bodybuilding
supplement or otherwise. When you are of intermediate
experience, then taking supplements may be beneficial
but still not necessary. They are NEVER necessary.
They are merely in my opinion a short cut to what you
would have attained anyway had you kept at your goal a
little longer with hard work and consistency. I view
supplements as a shortcut for lazy people but I will
also probably receive heavy criticism for writing any
of this because people are so hooked on their
supplements. They live and breathe supplements
believing that it is the only way to go. Not so.
Enough Said.
Once you begin training, things can get confusing.
There are many questions to ask and so much
information to know. It is easy to fall off track and
disregard your training routine but if you do, you
will be doing yourself one of the biggest disservice's
possible. Stick with it, ask questions and most
importantly, never give your dreams and goals up for
anything! Treat yourself. train yourself!
Thanks,
anthony@anthonychurch.com
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