I’ve known and trained with a lot of bodybuilders since the first time I picked up a barbell and many if not all of those experiences have given me useful tools and knowledge for my own bodybuilding endeavors, and now I get to share this with anyone who looks to me for help. Some of the information I have is based upon personal experiences or trial and error while other information was passed on to me from the people I came in contact with while chasing this bodybuilding dream. I have trained with some very, very good amateurs, some of our current Pros and with some people who probably had no business in the gym at all. By putting it all together, I have come up with a pretty good top five list of “advice” I’ve received to be a better bodybuilder.
- “You can’t build a house without a foundation.” This advice applies to those who fail to regularly train their legs, and I was given this piece of advice very early on in my training.
- “To be a bodybuilder, you have to BE a bodybuilder.” This piece of advice was given to me during my University years as I had other things on the go that prevented me from training properly, eating properly and getting enough rest. I was training hard each time I worked out, but the gains were almost nil and progress was at a standstill.
- “Say your prayers and eat your supplements.” Even from an early age, I have used sports supplements for my training. I saw it as an opportunity to better myself with an advantage over those who didn’t use supplements. I have stuck with this and used almost every product AST Sports Science has to offer.
- “Get in and get out!” This piece of advice is referring to the time spent in the gym. All my mentors subscribed to the high intensity, low volume approach and this just seemed to resonate with me, and I continue to train under the principles of Max-OT each time I hit the gym.
- “There’s a difference between gym ready and stage ready.” It’s always nice to have people at your gym tell you how good you look as you prepare for competition, but don’t let those compliments go to your head too soon. Of course, those people are only being nice, but you need someone with a trained eye telling you exactly how you look, listen to them and trust their critiques. It may be harsh at first, but it will save you embarrassment on stage.
This list could go on and on forever, but to me even up to this point in my career, I believe these are five of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received and passed on to others willing to listen. I trusted those people who were generous enough to share their wisdom with me and I would never steer you in the wrong direction either. Your best approach to bodybuilding is to learn as much as you can, filter out anything that will not be useful and keep track of the things you experience along the way; the good and the bad.
