How to become a bodybuilder
This article is going to come from personal experience, after 15 years of bodybuilding I’ll clue you into what I’ve learned to be the most crucial life lessons to become successful at bodybuilding. I’ll preface this article by saying the journey never ends and I’m sure I still have more to learn on this long journey of fitness, but if you are just starting out these life lessons will get you ahead of the curve.
Food is Everything
Everyone thinks there is some magic pill that will instantly make you huge or shredded, this is a false narrative when it comes to bodybuilding. I’ve experimented will all sorts of diets and one thing remains true in all of my observations and that is you need to live a clean lifestyle. Nothing will replace clean food.
If you’ve read any of my other articles or seen some of my videos you’ll know this is what I preach the most. You cannot outwork a bad diet. What diet will work for you, will vary depending on your genetics and goals. One thing will remain true for everyone and that is you need high quality foods throughout your day to promote lean muscle gains and fat loss. I suggest getting a Costco membership and loading up on high quality chicken, steak, ground turkey and clean fats or carbohydrates depending on your goals.
Focus on form when lifting
Something I see every single day I go into my local gym is bad form. Mostly from men who are lifting with their ego vs a logical approach. I was extremely guilty of this when I was younger up until I was about 18. I hired a few trainers that directed me onto the right path and my results came faster than ever.
When trying to develop high quality muscle you want to focus on getting the blood in the desired muscle group. When you are using bad form, you start utilizing muscle groups that you don’t intend to. This can lead to poor results and even worse.. Injuries!
Do your homework and watch pro bodybuilders workout. Chances are they will be a hell of a lot bigger than you and have relatively perfect form. I learned this when I was training at a local gym in Las Vegas and had Jay Cutler and Dennis Wold frequent the gym a few times a week. When I watched them train biceps for example, the most I ever saw the curl was about 40 lb dumbbell and they probably had 22 inch biceps. Choose a weight you can completely control and go up from there, also focusing on rep ranges of 10-12 can greatly increase muscle growth.
Luck is just repeated perfection
If you want to become a bodybuilder you’re going to have to give up a lot of life’s extras. Prepare to bring meals with you to school or work. If you want to be great you’ll have to give up anything that is a distraction from your goals. This means meaningless relationships, social events and poor eating habits will have to be kicked to the curb.
The best bodybuilders are borderline OCD about their eating, sleeping and workout schedule. Develop a plan that works for you and repeat it. You results will change greatly if you are consistent and prioritize your goals.
Get a Mentor
Bodybuilding is a lot of guess work to be honest. You can hack this long process by seeking out a mentor or experienced trainer to help you on your journey. I’ve had about 4 at this point and while I did not end up taking 100% of their advice as I got older, I did learn something from each trainer that greatly helped my results moving forward.
Conclusion
Here are some quick tips and tricks to start your bodybuilding journey, feel free to look throughout some of my other articles and find some more secret knowledge to improve your fitness!