Sure, read the articles, ask questions on the forum, but remember, posting on the forums is not a substitute for doing the work in the gym.
Educate yourself, Lift Heavy, Incorporate speed work, EAT.
Seven habits of highly effective trainees
- Consistency
An inferior program consistently followed will often yield better results than a superior program inconsistently followed. This goes for diet as well as training. If you want success, you must be consistent. - Progressive
The demands of your workouts should get progressively greater. This can be measured in intensity, weight, volume, etc. E.g., a trainee could progressively add small amounts of weight to one or more lifts each workout. This doesn?t mean you must progress in every workout, but there should be an undeniable increase over time. Don?t be the guy who does the same weight, for the same number of sets and reps, year in and year out. Again, this goes for diet as well?as you get heavier, gradually add calories (or take them out as you get leaner). - Fundamentals are kept fundamental
The basic lifts include, but are not limited to, dead lift, squat, chin up (or pull up), presses, rows and dips. Keep these movements fundamental to all your training programs?that?s why they?re called fundamental. You could do nothing but these movements and obtain an excellent physique and admirable strength. You may add more movements if you desire, such as isolation movements, e.g., concentration curls, but realize they are only a supplement to the basic lifts. As you might have guessed, this also applies to diet. Most bodybuilders, and many athletes keep simple diets. You can add creatine, or glutamine, or what have you, but only on top of a solid diet built on the fundamentals. See the article ?Foods that make you look good nekid? for more info. - Keep logs
Surprise, this applies to training as well as diet. You cannot possible get a clear picture of where to go unless you have an accurate picture of where you?ve been. You cannot track progressive training or eating without keeping records. - Periodize
You should have periods of doing more, and periods of doing less. You can do this in a very complex manner involving intricate micro, meso, and macro cycles leading to a single date or objective. Or, you can do it informally, backing off and jacking it up according to a loose time frame or how you feel (e.g., if you start to feel run down, back off). However you do it, do it. It will keep you from going stale, physically as well as mentally, and help stave off injury. Note: in the big picture, remember to keep your efforts progressive. - Longevity
This habit includes several principles. You should train using movements that are effective for you. You should perform movements in a reasonably safe and controlled manner. I say ?reasonably? because all exercise involves some risk?learn to reduce that risk and avoid injury, no one makes progress while laid up with an injury. If you train long enough you will get injured minimize it by using sound techniques. You should do preventative measures, e.g., rotator cuff work (ask ZEB about the Shoulder Horn
). Finally, you should have fun, i.e., find a way to make your efforts enjoyable. You?ll be more likely to stick with it, and it will make it more worthwhile. - Be a student
There is more to know about training and diet than any one person will ever know; lucky you, that means there?s always more for you to learn. There are always new data that science is providing. New ideas, from people in the industry, and on the bench next to you. I won?t bore you with more platitudes about the value of learning?you already know them, just remember to make it a habit.
Disclaimer: Not everyone will agree with this list. It is but my humble attempt at passing on wisdom. I could expand greatly on each habit, but I haven?t because these are supposed to be tips, not a dissertation.
For a newbie I would recomend getting a postural analysis by a competent coach or therapist. Iron out all the kinks in your kinetic chain, if there are any, early on so you don’t make them worse latter on.
post-workout nutrition and timing is the most important. surge is the best!
Hey Newbies,Don’t do drugs!
Hey Chris make that a large Testosterone T.
-
Set your goal! Do you want to gain LBM or do you want to lose BF?
-
Please make some realistic goals!Dont expect to get HYOOOOGE in a couple of months because youll most likely fail and end up quiting.
-
The most important factor that will determine your progress is nutrition!
If your diet looks like shit, youll look like shit. Focus first on getting enough quality WHOLE foods, and once you have this in order, worry about supplements.
Make it fun. Best thing you can do because this keeps you consistent and this is the key to success.
Don’t ignore a particular lift because you just don’t like it or you can’t load it up. It’s probably the lift that will benefit you the most cause it’s been neglected for so long. Remember we don’t do this cause it’s easy.
Decide what ONE THING you most want from your training: write it down and be clear. Then pursue that thing…
You cannot spread your effort over many goals; you won’t attain any of them. Of course, as you go on you can always change what that single focus is…but for any given period of training, it is essential that you have a central focus to which you devote yourself.
If your young, or bulking, it is impossible to eat too much in the 3 hours after working out.
Don’t fall into the trap of training upper body only and neglecting the lower body.
At my gym I see so many guys do 5 to 10 lifts for arms and maybe 1 or 2 lower body lifts. Lolly-pop syndrome is rampant!
My tip is a simple one with regards to supplementation. It’s an easy rule:
“Don’t put anything in your mouth that you can’t identify.”
That’s it. If you don’t know what it is or what it does, don’t take it. In the beginning, start simple. Take a good multivitamin and eat fresh food - stuff that if you don’t eat it inside three days you have to throw it away. Later, after you’ve gotten used to eating clean, then you can add extra stuff like protein powders. Initially, just get used to not eating crap. Your brain needs a while to know that this is the new style.
Q
Hard work with proper knowledge pays off.
Don’t push yourself past the wrong kind of pain. You will know it when you feel it. Its better to take off a day of trainign rather than miss a couple months worth.
Leave your insecurities home when you go to the gym. As someone said, don’t be nervous about approaching someone and asking for help. If you think they are going to think you are stupid, imagine what they’ll think when you try doing an exercise wrong because your too afraid to ask. Also, don’t play games with your weights, no one is impressed when someone throws 50 pounds more on the bar than they should and they do two half reps with bad form. In the end, you only run the risk of an injury and have wasted a potential chance to work out and build quality muscle. I have much more respect for the man benching two 25’s (95 pounds) than I have for the guy pushing two 45’s (135) half way up with his back arched off the bench because he doesn’t want people to think he is weak. At the end of the work out, mr. 25 is building up muscle and well on his way to benching 35’s while mr. 45 is thankful he knocked out both reps and hopes maybe next time, if there isn’t anyone around, he can try pushin 25. Most of us hate looking around and seeing a see of fat, slovenly people. When we are given the chance to help change that, you can bet we are willing to put in as much as you are.
That being said, when you go home, you need to find another place to put your insecurity. Don’t lurk around the forums waiting for someone to ask your question, if you get lucky and they do, you better hope they have similar stats to you and similar goals or else, you are still stuck in the dark. Instead: ask your question yourself, people will be able to answer YOUR question as it pertains to YOU and explain things further if you don’t understand… all of this for three easy payments of… no, its free, so you have nothing to lose.
In the end, we are all playing the “game” together and it is just that. None of us are any more qualified to play than you are, and while we might have been playing for a longer time and have more experience, the rules of the game are still not set in stone and every day, we find out new details of the game. Start playing with us instead of watching, you don’t learn when you follow, you learn when you lead
Diet is the main ingredient to get the body you want. Keep a workout and food log. Focus on the basics and continually try to become bigger, stronger and leaner each year. Remember it takes time.
When wading through advice for training or nutrition remember that there are no rules only options. Everything needs to be changed up once in awhile.
My advice to newbies.
-
Decide why you are at the gym.
What do you want to get out of your experience? Do you want to gain muscle mass? Gain strength, power and speed for sports? Lose bodyfat? First off decide what you want your outcome to be. That way you can tailor your training to meet those goals. I’m tired of seeing H.S. football players doing bodybuilding routines they took out of Flex. You results will more likely coincide with your goals if you mirror your training type to your desired outcome and your chances of sticking with a program are greater if you see the results you desire. -
Go to the gym regularly.
Sounds obvious I know but I know many people who think going to the gym twice a week is good enough to make a radical change in their body composition. As humans, we are designed to be active creatures. Spending the day sitting behind a desk or in a classroom is not being active. Our bodies work hard to maintain homeostasis. It takes a lot of supplemental activity (workouts) to make changes in our physique when most of are time is spent being inactive. -
Clean up your diet.
You don’t have to go on the latest, fad diet. The modern diet is truly unhealthy and our increasing obesity rate is a reflection of this. Don’t try to get crazy with your diet. Start by cleaning it up. Eliminate processed foods. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat lean protein with every meal. Drink adequate amounts of water. These little changes will have a substantial impact on your health and body composition. -
Read and learn about your body.
Surround your with information about health. Take an interest in learning about nutrition and exercise. Make it a lifestyle. The more you surround yourself with information on fitness the more likely you are to adopt positive, healthy habits. By the way, get a training partner, preferably someone close to you and someone who understands your goals. It keeps things interesting and will increase your odds of keeping up a regular exercise program. -
Get out of the gym.
It doesn’t make much sense to spend so much time and effort working out and eating healthy if you are not going to reap the benefits that come with it. Use your new found physique to take on a new sport. Try Judo, hiking, kayaking or anything that you wouldn’t do but have had an interest in. Use your new physique and improved self confidence to open up new adventures in your life. While your at it, buy a new wardrobe or at least a new outfit. Go out on the town, maybe to a place you wouldn’t normally go. Maybe a new hot spot that draws outgoing, attractive people. It’s a great ego boost and motivator feeling comfortable in an environment like this. Live a little, enjoy the new life you have created for yourself.
Enjoy your life.
Brian
I just signed up about 3 months ago when I started training. One of the first questions I asked was about diet. I think most of the newbies are like me and interested in shedding fat.
It would be nice for T-Mag to link the top 5 articles about nutrition basics so that a newbie wouldn’t have to search the newbie could pull up a “fatloss index” and different nutrition plans and training plans would be in there.
OK enough of my suggestions. Here’s my tip.
Direct links to the T-dawg 2.0 and don’t diet diet, massive eating articles would help out a lot.
Direct links to training programs like EDT, ABBH, and other programs.
Direct links to proper form on lifts.
Just build a newbie section on the website. Then if people still have questions they can ask them in the forum.