Everyone (even Arnold) had to start somewhere, right?
For the beginner, bodybuilding can be confusing.
All those machines… all those metal plates… all those no-neck brutes to laugh at you if you find yourself flipping around like a hooked bass when the barbell is resting on your Adam’s Apple after an unsuccessful last rep.
Spare yourself the embarrassment and you’ll also get faster results from your muscle-building battle plan.
Follow these 5 powerful beginner bodybuilding tips and you can enter the upper ranks of gym rats at your local iron jungle in no time…
Bodybuilding Mistake #1:
You can’t just go into a gym, jerk some weights around, drink protein powder and walk out rippling.
Unfortunately, even “experienced” lifters go to the gym without a game plan, and frankly, it’s holding you back if you’re one of these guys.
Know what you’re going to do BEFORE you step out of the locker room – have it in writing – and follow it every workout
Bodybuilding Mistake #2:
Pick up weight… jerk up… drop down… repeat.
Bodybuilding is simple, right?
No so fast there sparky!
I’ve stopped counting the number of knuckleheads I’ve seen in the gym who think of themselves as “experienced” yet have horrible form!
Do yourself a favor and take a course on bodybuilding or hire a personal trainer for a few sessions to learn the proper form for your exercises.
Don’t get sloppy. Don’t rush. Bad form just wastes your time.
Good form takes balance, flexibility, and concentration – all good things.
Use good form, and you get great results.
Bodybuilding Mistake #3:
Don’t trust everything you read in magazines about supplements.
Guess which products they’ll push?
Many magazines are nothing more than glorified ads aimed at beginner bodybuilding suckers.
Don’t get drawn into a bunch of expensive supplements because some juiced-up pro is holding a bottle of it, claiming it’s what created his mountains of muscle.
A great bodybuilding workout plan and proper nutrition will serve you WAY better than any supplement ever will!
Bodybuilding Mistake #4:
Be patient!
You build muscle by taxing it in the gym and then allowing your body to repair the microscopic tears you caused.
This takes time – about a week for each targeted muscle group – and patience.
If you’re tempted to overdo it – a common beginner bodybuilding mistake – it’s like taking the lid off a pot of water you want to boil.
It’ll never happen because you keep interrupting the process.
Start by only training each muscle group just one time per week and then experiment with your own frequency after that.
Keep your workouts short but intense.
Don’t work out more than an hour a day 3-5 days a week.
Go past that, and your workout’s working against you.
If you work efficiently, you don’t have to live at the gym.
Bodybuilding Mistake #5:
Don’t overestimate your capabilities.
It’s tempting to load up the bar with a bunch of plates to try to NOT look like a “beginner”, but believe me, nothing screams “newbie” more than some guy with horrible form because he’s attempting too much weight.
Plus, you’re just inviting a nagging injury that can keep you out of the gym for weeks as you heal.
Start with a lighter weight and stick with absolutely perfect form and you’ll see the best results from your bodybuilding workout!
These (obviously) aren’t the only mistakes I’m sure you’ve noticed, right?
