Top SIX Things Every Beginner Bodybuilder Should Know

So you've decided to join the ranks of buff bodybuilders the world over and are committed to developing your body into the form of a marbled Adonis. That's great! But before you don your spandex and sweatbands, there are a few things you should know.

1. No one anywhere, ever grew big muscles by accident

   This thing you're starting is a serious endeavour. Whether it was sparked from a magazine at the grocery store or some plastic TV model on a super-flex home gym contraption commercial, this new hobby of yours isn't going to be a cake walk. Sure you can take it casually, you can spend as much or as little time at the gym as you want, but ultimately, your success as a bodybuilder is in your hands alone.
   All of the professional bodybuilders you see in the magazines have spent huge amounts of time, effort and money on their training, diets and supplements. For the most part, they've viewed their training as a full time job even before signing a professional contract.
   No matter what; getting big arms, sculpted legs and a rippling chest will require effort, commitment and focus.

2. You need to feed the machine constantly

   Many people would be surprised by the amount of food a typical bodybuilder consumes. To most people 6-8 meals a day sounds like a ridiculous proposition, as opposed to their standard one and a half meals a day.
   What every intermediate and advanced bodybuilder knows is that food equals energy, muscle and growth. The three elements of any bodybuilder's diet that are most important are protein intake, meal frequency and smart carbohydrate choices.
   Protein = Muscle; it's almost that simple. Your muscles are made of protein and they need protein to grow.
   Meal frequency determines your rate of metabolism, which in turn controls how fast you grow (or lose weight). Sporadic meals through out the day mean a slower metabolism, which means more stored fat and less muscle gained. Evenly spaced and planned meals over the course of a day, do exactly the opposite; they increase your metabolism, increase growth and increase fat loss.
   Smart carb choices translate to more efficient energy conversion, less stored fat and better performance in the gym. Choosing the right type and amount of carbs will determine your success.

3. Planning overcomes life's difficulties

   No matter how dedicated, committed or focused you are in your new hobby, life will throw surprises at you. You schedule may work for a while, but something will change eventually and force you to change with it. If you aren't prepared for changes, you can become discouraged and even quit altogether. The best way to overcome the little surprises life can throw at you is to create a training and diet plan.
   These plans should be detailed, written outlines of what you want to do, where you want to be, how long it will take to get there and how you plan to do it. Write out your goals, an idea of what meals you will be eating and what they will consist of, the exercises you plan to use, your training schedule and even clip recipes and sample training plans from magazines to help.
   The point is, if you've written all of this out for yourself, not only can you return to it to gauge your progress and stay on track, but you can use it to measure the changes in your body and life so that no matter what life throws at you, you can adapt to overcome those difficulties.

4. Form is more important than weight

   So many new bodybuilders fall prey to ego; they look around the gym and see more experienced bodybuilders lifting more weight, flexing more muscle and they push themselves beyond safety and common sense. This often results in injury and almost always results in stunted development.
   
   Form is the manner in which you perform a particular movement or exercise. It's the way you move the weight and the way your various body parts move in relation to the weight. There is a proper way to perform every exercise, and in most cases there are several improper ways.
   Do some research on the exercises you choose and make sure you understand not only the proper form for each movement, but also learn what each movement is supposed to do for you and why. Get an understanding of the relationship between your muscles and the kinetic world around you.

5. Go heavy or go home

   There's a reason why the big guys in the gym are that big. You can hear them grunting and moaning as they push ungodly amounts of weight in every imaginable direction doing seemingly unnatural exercises. Are they lifting heavy simply because they can? Well, maybe they are, but there's a more fundamental reason. Lifting heavy stimulates muscle, stimulating muscle makes it grow, and growing makes you look cool. Ok, so maybe that last one goes a little far, but you get the point.
   If you never push your muscles beyond their current capabilities, you'll never grow. The best way to determine the appropriate weights for you is to choose a weight that is comfortable (meaning you can perform 10 to 12 reps easily but not much more) and add between 10 and 20 pounds (to the total weight). This increased weight should allow you to perform six to eight reps fairly easily, and 10 with a struggle.
   Try to realise of course that being a beginner, there is very little likelihood that you will be able to lift anywhere near as much weight as an advanced or even intermediate bodybuilder. Your strength gains are unique to you and are determined by the amount of effort you put into your training plan as a whole. Don't compare your development, your physique or your progress to anyone but yourself.
   “It is not so much what I am in the eyes of others, as what I am in my own eyes that is important.” - Unknown

6. Rest your weary bones

   The single most important element of any bodybuilder's training plan is rest. At rest is where your muscles grow, it is when tissue repair happens, it is when food is metabolised and fat is burned. Without proper rest, you will achieve no gains.
   Now, rest isn't only sleep, it isn't only lazing on the couch. Rest is any time you spend doing anything other than taxing your muscles. Sleeping is important, but so is taking time between sets to allow your muscles to accept increased blood flow and begin returning to a normal resting state. Rest is also when you're sitting at your office computer in a big comfy chair, as opposed to running laps around a gymnasium.
   The point to all this is, if you're always on the go, always running around and never at rest, you aren't giving your body a chance to recover from the stresses of your day or the constructive damage you're subjecting it to at the gym.
   “If you don't have to run, walk; if you don't have to stand, sit; if you don't have to sit, lie; and if you don't have to stay awake…sleep.” - Arnold Swarzenegger
   Take these simple ideas and add them to your bodybuilding tool kit, make smart choices and always try to understand why you're doing, what you're doing. Do all that and you just might have a chance at being a successful bodybuilder.

Lift heavy, stay safe and eat well!