Always squatted, and went relatively low from the start.
I listened to the little voice inside me that told me to carry on lifting when all my buddies gave up/moved on/lost interest in it. Also started reading articles on T-Nation very early on which saved me from lord knows how many mistakes.
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I always squatted from the start. In fact that’s what improved my back injury, and got me large enough jumps to compete interstate athletics.
I saw this linked on the Weekly Dose, so I thought I’d chime in.
There’s probably only two things I’ve done correctly since I started lifting years ago:
- Lift with intensity
- Follow smart programs designed by experts until I knew enough to design my own.
The first one is simple enough. Even when I had no idea what I was doing, back when I was using that weird ass side-shoulder raise machine, dammit, I was trying. Before I found T-Nation, EliteFTS, books on lifting, or before I ever consulted a single website, I lifted with the purpose to sweat and make myself sore as hell. I always gave 110% in there. If only I gave 110% to the right place, I’d be squatting 500lbs by now.
As for the second one, although I did goof around in the gym before I started being serious about lifting, there were but a few visits before I picked up The New Rules of Lifting. From then on, I lifted for a year and a half by that book’s programs and recommendations. I didn’t follow the diet part very well… or at all… but I figured, “Hey, this Al-winn… All-wine… Awl-in… This Mr. Cosgrove got rich and famous off of making people get stronger and leaner. He probably knows his shit.”
This thread is amazing, by the way.
I listened to the people around me (I was surrounded by huge people), I ate a lot, I went balls to the wall many times when I shouldn’t but over all was good for me, and I kept a log.
- Brother
I never ever missed a workout.
I need to get back to this mentality…
the only thing I did right from the beginning was hitting my biceps directly… and that’s about it
My junior high wrestling coach let me read his copy of " The Strongest Shall Survive". I have been basing a good portion of my workouts from what I read in that book.
To quote Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never give up.” For me, this included always assuming that I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but knowing that I was getting more of a clue all the time. And also constantly ignoring my mile-long list of “reasons” why I couldn’t succeed.
The best thing of all that I’ve done? Getting on T-Nation. No joke…
- Kept a log (I still have the records of my very first training session)
- Squatted (I was looking back at my logs and I spent about 6 months just working on flexibility etc so I could squat)
3 Ate a lot of food
always left my ego at the door, form/technique > weight
i trained my back, hard. from the beginning i wanted a big back so i trained back and legs hard.
everything else i did was probably wrong but i didnt have any help.
Looking back, my exercise selection was pretty good: squat, deadlift, bench press (in that order)! and of course, the dedication to change my lazy pothead lifestyle! if only my nutrition had been as good…
The one and only one thing I did right from the start was use good form and technique, iv never had a lifting injury not even a minor strain or anything.
Trained from article I read in MMK 2000 and Muscle and Fitness. Worked fine, I would have done way more legs from the start.
I never thought I knew everything about weight lifting. I always wanted to learn more and more.
Nothing i can think of.
Shit i didnt even know what rows or deadlifts were when i first started lifting.
What I did right was starting. I got a Weider course right after I graduated from high school in 1967 and put on 25 pounds that summer. Joe Weider got me started and I thank him for that.
I’m glad I took a lot of time looking into how to do the exercises properly and safely and taking my time learning them when I wasn’t good at doing them. Watching the dude at my gym who thinks he is strong enough to barbell row 135 almost hurts me as much as it will hurt him.
Kept a log,
Read as much as i could,
trained really hard,
open minded/willing to learn.