Whats something you wish you knew about bodybuilding earlier?

[Whopperflopper]

1.) Don't bench on Mondays

2.)don't eat refined, processed foods.

3.) White rice is ok, most of the world lives on it. Cooked " al dente", acts to slow conversion.

4.) Constant change in workout. When you plateau, or stall, change things up, your body adapts quickly, have to keep tricking it.

5.)*** WOMEN *** Your never going to figure them out.

A. They are very shallow insecure creatures that know how to get what they want.

B. Sometimes you just need to understand that they just want to use you for a bit, don't let feelings get in the way.

C. If you want a 2nd date, take care of them first, girls talk, and sneak around. Don't be surprised when her friends chat you up.

6.) If your not thoroughly disgusted at the sight of food, your probably not eating enough.

7. Buy the good toilet paper.

 

[Jerryp]

1.) Don't bench on Mondays

Why ?
Crowded gym ?

4.) Constant change in workout. When you plateau, or stall, change things up, your body adapts quickly, have to keep tricking it.

Personnaly, I have been using the same basic workout for the last few year.
The only thing I vary, is the rep-range, and the weights.

The only significant changes I have made, were to avoid some form of injury.

7. Buy the good toilet paper.

Good one

 

[Mongo966]

I would have bought a shitload of bitcoin in 2015, sold it in 2021, and I'd be living on a yacht in costa rica getting my knob polished by whoever is next in line.

 

[Millard]

Also I was in my mid 20’s before I realized I wasn’t eating enough

Food. Why wasn't I eating more food?

How much food needs to be eaten, and what kind.

If you think you are eating enough food, you probably are not.

Food. Getting your calories in from clean whole foods is entirely different from junk.

I guess this was an easy lesson for me to learn...

I'm not gaining weight, I need to keep eating more until I do.
I'm not losing weight, I need to keep eating less until I do.

Not complicated at all, right?

However, what I didn't realize is how much effort and time it would take to eat so much and how miserable and awful I would feel that I would just hate the sight of food.

I loved training hard all the time but my inability to enthusiastically embrace the consumption of massive amounts of calories doomed me in my quest as a bodybuilder.

So I really wish I would have known this not that It would have really made a difference.

 

[Millard]

That girls don't really care about big guys.

In the end the "girls:boys approaching me ratio" is quite poor as well

I swear I get much more guys hitting on me then women, ESPECIALLY at the gym. My gym is basically a gay cruising spot

Sad, but true.

But I didn't get into bodybuilding to get women. I know the percentage of women who fetishize ifbb pro size men is low. And I've had many women tell me in confidence that they were intimated by me because I'm in very good shape.

There's no shortage of women that are attracted to athletic men of various sizes. Everyone has there own preferences. Some preferences just have a bigger audience.

Having gone from 150 to 250+ and back down closer to 200, I'd say the sweet spot is somewhere around a lean 210 to 220 - it's the maximum appeal for the widest number and variety of women.

The further beyond 220, I seemed to attract more women who were fetishists, strippers, sex bucket list seekers, into alternative lifestyles, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with that... to the contrary.

And then there are gay men. I pity the homophobic bodybuilders who can't handle all the attention they get.

 

[Deleted member 127229]

I pity the homophobic bodybuilders who can't handle all the attention they get.

I only want attention from cute twinks though

 

[S.B.C]

avoiding injury is the key

 

[Dang-1]

#1 For me it’s the damn life changing food scale. Constantly estimating everything was just a fools errand. (Also, binging destroys everything!)

#2 Stop lifting for max weight on dead’s and squats and i don’t need to pass out or puke after a set. Just drop the competitively pushing plates in general. Seriously, could have saved my back from permanent injury.

#3a is consistent slow weight loss at 2lbs a week max not 4-6lbs a week with my stupid protein powder, grapefruit and carrots diet. Obviously, this only works when you have #1

#3b cutting cycles, I didn’t ever try one and with just 200mg a week I can keep all my gains, that would have been epic info back then.

#4 therapy: My biggest issue was always binging. I would just overeat one day and then freak out and diet hard. Then do it all over again and again and… childhood trama and that 12-14 year old period where I got fat and was bullied left some marks.

 

[borkies]

#4 therapy: My biggest issue was always binging. I would just overeat one day and then freak out and diet hard. Then do it all over again and again and… childhood trama and that 12-14 year old period where I got fat and was bullied left some marks.

Sometimes I hear my dear old dad in my head "you're only 18 and have a size 52 waist you tub of lard, I'm not buying you any more clothes".

 

[big mikey]

When I was starting out I bought a copy of this book & did what Arnold said and sure enough, I made gains. Then the gains stopped for years. Then I started using gear & I made more gains. Now I pretty much have to use gear for, if anything, to avoid turning into a suicidal, fat blob of shit. I sometimes wonder if that bargain I made with the juice devil was worth it. I'm in my 60's & jacked like I wrestle bears for the circus. I can't go back on it now.

 

[TheRingloVale]

When I was starting out I bought a copy of this book & did what Arnold said and sure enough, I made gains. Then the gains stopped for years. Then I started using gear & I made more gains. Now I pretty much have to use gear for, if anything, to avoid turning into a suicidal, fat blob of shit. I sometimes wonder if that bargain I made with the juice devil was worth it. I'm in my 60's & jacked like I wrestle bears for the circus. I can't go back on it now.

I loved that book! I read it so much that it fell apart. I had to have it rebound with a spiral loop. The pictures in that book are just awesome.

He recommends an insane amount of volume in that book...more than I can recover from.

 

[Blange89]

Not to overcomplicate a cycle. Its fun to try to find some breakthrough synergy and end up doing too much.

 

[Country Club Hero]

1.) Don't bench on Mondays

2.)don't eat refined, processed foods.

3.) White rice is ok, most of the world lives on it. Cooked " al dente", acts to slow conversion.

4.) Constant change in workout. When you plateau, or stall, change things up, your body adapts quickly, have to keep tricking it.

5.)*** WOMEN *** Your never going to figure them out.

A. They are very shallow insecure creatures that know how to get what they want.

B. Sometimes you just need to understand that they just want to use you for a bit, don't let feelings get in the way.

C. If you want a 2nd date, take care of them first, girls talk, and sneak around. Don't be surprised when her friends chat you up.

6.) If your not thoroughly disgusted at the sight of food, your probably not eating enough.

7. Buy the good toilet paper.

Toilet paper? Maybe for the first pass if you’re on a Glp-1 bus still need wipes to verify. Or you can just go with all wipes.

 

[6tren]

To know the difference between a working set and a warm up set

 

[freddymac]

Consistency is the most important variable.

 

[Jerryp]

Consistency is the most important variable.

I would add : In Training, as in Dieting as well, before even talking about AAS.

 

[The_Dane]

Recovery can be more important than effort.

Everyone does gear.

2 hours a day, 6 days a week workouts without deloading is why I was injury prone, not genetics.

Could have benefitted from a coach.

Deadlifts can keep a motherfucker from killing themselves. 2am crew at the gym knows whats up.

 

[Dang-1]

Toilet paper? Maybe for the first pass if you’re on a Glp-1 bus still need wipes to verify. Or you can just go with all wipes.

After nice toilet paper and whipes, I discovered those bidet toilet seats and it was hilariously life changing . I’m now adverse to sitting anywhere else.

 

[cdubw44]

Start bodybuilding before 40's
And if you're over 6'4" you don't ever get to skip leg day.

 

[TonyTwoPosts]

That there's no "secret" to making progress. It's basically all about consistently doing the same thing over and over and over again for long periods of time.

Yes not always trying to get big quick. Learn as much as you can and start slow if you have to until you fully understand what your goals need to be.