Things you wish you had known/done when you first started

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Somebody started a post like this in a different forum and I thought it was a pretty cool topic to bring here. What do you wish you had known or done differently when you first started the fitness lifestyle?

 

Here's my list:

 

1. Counting calories forces me to be honest with myself about what I eat and, combined with eating 6-7 small meals a day, it is the only way that I can make significant progress in losing fat and gaining muscle (also, websites like www.fitday.com make counting calories, protein and carbs very easy).

 

2. Nutrition is the most important aspect of getting into shape: Overeating and undereating lead to horrible results.

 

3. Never take being in shape for granted: Once you have achieved your fitness goals do not revert back to old habits. It is exceedingly easy to "get used" to being in shape, forget how bad you felt when you were out of shape, and reverse all the hardwork. Get in shape, and stay in shape.

 

4. One of the only times that I am truly happy and content is when I am physically fit. Physical fitness impacts ever aspect of your life. Physical fitness is mental fitness.

 

5. When I am running hard and I can barely breath, I always remind myself that if I can do this--if I can conquer this run--I can do anything. How can classes or work pose any kind of challenge for me compared to this?

 

When a high intensity interval gets really hard, I run to the cadence of "I run for those who can't." And when I really think about how lucky I am to be able to struggle with a hard run, I run even harder.

 

a. There is nothing that will burn as many calories, is as rewarding, or as challenging, as a hard run.

 

6. The stresses of life fade into the background when you are focused on physical fitness and the gym. This goes back to the idea that physical fitness equals mental fitness.

 

7. Make time.

 

8. When you are working hard to get fit and stay fit you become a positive influence on all those around you. Your hard work inspires others to better themselves. Pretty soon you have friends and relatives asking you how you do it and what they can do to change. This helps offset all the times that you have been a negative influence on others (e.g. I often wonder how many people starting smoking because they observed me when I was a stupid college student? I know of at least two. How many people drank more heavily at some party because I was pushing my friends to take shots with me? The list goes on and on... I would rather consider how many people have changed for the better because of my example. I now strive to be a positive force in the lives of others and bring positive energy to those I come into contact with).

 

9. It's totally possible to do it vegan!

[xjohanx]

i wish somebody had told me that compound movements are pretty essential.

i wish that the people who worked at my first gym weren't complete idiots who said that machines are better than free weights.

and i wish i had known that you needed to eat more to build muscles.

[Richard]

I wish I had known that diet was more important than training, in terms of losing fat.

[Dr. Pink]

I wish I knew better nutrition. The first time I went vegan I had a hard time figuring out what the hell to eat. I lasted 3 months until I cracked and went back to regular vegetarianism. That was in mid 2004. I didn't re-enter Veganism until early 2006. And I haven't looked back since.

[thendanisays]

i wish i had known to only lose 1-2 lbs / week instead of losing it so quickly that it's been unhealthy for me.

 

 

i wish i had known how much garbage i was eating when i thought i was eating healthy.

 

i wish i had known how many people would be put off by my being healthier than they are. i though people would be happy for me, but most people are just pretty rude about it. i wish i had been prepared for that.

[Mike]

If I could start over, I would devote more attention to progressive overload. I did so much research on periodization, conjugate method, Russian training, etc. that I thought prog overload was a waste of time. I think I would have made better gains if I would have just started with a single prog overload routine and stuck to it for a while.

 

Mike

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i wish i had known how many people would be put off by my being healthier than they are. i though people would be happy for me, but most people are just pretty rude about it. i wish i had been prepared for that.

 

while many people have been supportive, i definitely found this to be the case.

 

e.g., when i quit smoking (at this point, many years ago) one of my best friends at the time basically stopped talking to me. it was as if he took it as a personal insult...

 

i think lots of people who deep down know that they behave incorrectly seek affirmation for their bad actions by surrounding themselves by others who behave the same way. thus the reason that certain people become offended when those around them change their bad behavior...

 

on the bright side, the corollary to this it that when you make positive improvements to your health you begin to attract others who make similar choices. pretty soon you find yourself surrounded by supportive people (like the ones here!) who reaffirm your positive behaviors. and that's really good!

[Guest]

I wish I paid attention to injuries instead of toughing things out when I was younger. I would mostly not be cycling now and I'd be a pro track and field athlete if I weren't so stupid.

[phillipeb]

I wish i had known that working out is mental attitude and breathing.

[VeganEssentials]

1. Don't believe supplement ads and their outlandish claims, and don't follow the routines in bodybuilding magazines unless you want to burn out hard. I lost a LOT of money on stuff that never helped my training, but it did make my wallet easier to lift once all the money was gone

 

2. Compound movements, compound movements, compound movements for the best gains. Don't waste time as a newbie trying to sculpt your rear delts when you should be building a wide back and big legs!

 

3. Don't give a crap what anyone else in the gym thinks of you. Trying to impress others is a waste of time, and worrying about how the big guys perceive you isn't worth the care. Just do the work and have fun with it - the gym isn't supposed to be a social place or a zone where you feel intimidated. Focus, do what you need to do, get out and reap the benefits.

 

4. If you want to get big, DON'T run 5 miles per day. I wasted a lot of time thinking that I'd keep the fat off while getting big as long as I kept up the heavy cardio. I barely put on any weight and was just worn out all the time, and I still managed to put on fat somehow!

 

5. Barbells and dumbbells first, machines always secondary. Why so many people want to hit the machines and get less bang for their buck than spending the time with free weights is beyond me, except for the possibility that they just don't know better.

 

6. Keep it simple! When you're starting out, don't follow a Westside Barbell powerlifting program, or something equally technical that's made for experienced athletes. Start simple with basic compound movements, and once you have a few years under your belt, if you want to try something technical, go for it, but there's no magic in any program if you don't have a solid foundation and experience under your belt.

 

7. Be realistic! I thought in my first year that I'd end up looking like the guys in the old Body For Life challenge that inspired me to start training. Little did I know the tricks used by lifters to put on a bit of fat and pose badly then strip it off to look like miraculous results in 90 days.

 

I'd have probably made 10 years' worth of progress in half that time had I actually known this or listened to the people who were telling me this kind of stuff

[Wobbly Lifter]

Compound Movements, Planned Progression!, Free Weights, Explosive Lifts.

[Marcina]

I wish I learned earlier that it's okay to eat.

I was so obsessed with losing body fat that I was gaining very slowly. Now I'm growing muscles faster than ever. I eat all the time, never let myself go hungry, and I can still see my abs so I know I'm not overdoing it.

[Lena01]

I wish I paid attention to injuries instead of toughing things out when I was younger. I would mostly not be cycling now and I'd be a pro track and field athlete if I weren't so stupid.

 

I went through this, and yet recently. It's awful and when you look back you realize that instead of being strong you were just losing your time and stealing some from the future. Now I try to help beginners to avoid this, I don't want them to do the same foolish things I did.

 

Things I wish I had done before:

 

Pay more attention to diet

Know that chronic pain wasn't quicker results but overtraining

Drink water and water and water and w...

[Aaron]

I wish I'd learned earlier to put in some downtime. A few days between sets ain't a bad thing for me.

[Couture547]

1. Don't believe supplement ads and their outlandish claims, and don't follow the routines in bodybuilding magazines unless you want to burn out hard. I lost a LOT of money on stuff that never helped my training, but it did make my wallet easier to lift once all the money was gone

 

2. Compound movements, compound movements, compound movements for the best gains. Don't waste time as a newbie trying to sculpt your rear delts when you should be building a wide back and big legs!

 

3. Don't give a crap what anyone else in the gym thinks of you. Trying to impress others is a waste of time, and worrying about how the big guys perceive you isn't worth the care. Just do the work and have fun with it - the gym isn't supposed to be a social place or a zone where you feel intimidated. Focus, do what you need to do, get out and reap the benefits.

 

4. If you want to get big, DON'T run 5 miles per day. I wasted a lot of time thinking that I'd keep the fat off while getting big as long as I kept up the heavy cardio. I barely put on any weight and was just worn out all the time, and I still managed to put on fat somehow!

 

5. Barbells and dumbbells first, machines always secondary. Why so many people want to hit the machines and get less bang for their buck than spending the time with free weights is beyond me, except for the possibility that they just don't know better.

 

6. Keep it simple! When you're starting out, don't follow a Westside Barbell powerlifting program, or something equally technical that's made for experienced athletes. Start simple with basic compound movements, and once you have a few years under your belt, if you want to try something technical, go for it, but there's no magic in any program if you don't have a solid foundation and experience under your belt.

 

7. Be realistic! I thought in my first year that I'd end up looking like the guys in the old Body For Life challenge that inspired me to start training. Little did I know the tricks used by lifters to put on a bit of fat and pose badly then strip it off to look like miraculous results in 90 days.

 

I'd have probably made 10 years' worth of progress in half that time had I actually known this or listened to the people who were telling me this kind of stuff

 

I agree very much. When i first got into lifting at 15 i was a sucker for those supplement ads and alot of that stuff made my health alot worse. Basicly any thing that was legal i took becasue i figured if it's legal it can't be that bad for me. So i used that stuff until i was 18 or so and go pretty big and pretty strong, but as i got more unhealthy i lost all drive to lift and lost all that size and strength i had. Now i'm health number 1, Training martial arts 2, strength 3 but much different strength than i had before. I go for strength that is useable in grappling or striking instead of just good gym numbers

[Lean and Green]

I agree very much. When i first got into lifting at 15 i was a sucker for those supplement ads and alot of that stuff made my health alot worse. Basicly any thing that was legal i took becasue i figured if it's legal it can't be that bad for me.

 

Till this day, I have yet had to consume any pill even next to near the size of the Amino Acid pills I used to take. Let's not forget about ultimate orange, universal (50 per package) Animal Paks, 19-nor-4 Androstenediol.

 

Whoever started the idea that any serious bber should be consuming cottage cheese should rot. I had it once back in the day and never again. It is the most appalling thing ever to come across my plate.

 

Wish I knew about my transverse abdominus and what the word core meant and that these muscles should always be tight when possible.

[Guest]

Hah...I tried the cottage cheese thing but it only lasted about 3 days before another bite would make me gag. That crap sucks big time. I remember those huge horse pills too...some of them made it seem like you were swallowing a golf ball.

[Im Your Man]

Many things I wish I would have done differently. But past is past, and what's important is to keep learning, progressing and improving.

Some of the things I knew since the beginning but never applied.

 

-being happy, and happy while training, otherwise you can't perform right. Eventhough lifting weights and intense cardio is putting stress to the body, we must love it and find it kind of restful because it free tensions, it's a sort of meditation for the body.

 

-contract as hard as you can the muscles you're working on during all rep movement

 

-always contract abs for all exercices instead of the back, samething goes for posture all day long.

 

-use variety and variations, all techniques possible, such as reverse grips, wide and close grip, rest-pause, high reps, slow reps, fast, etc, etc..

 

-change program about every month or as soon as you're bored

 

-eat well

 

-sleep well

 

-concentration

 

-set goals

[threeloaves]

I was trying to turn my scrawny 118lb frame into a monster by eating like miss teen universe.

[Im Your Man]

I would add to my list:

 

-set goals but also find deep motivations

 

-it's not enough to work hard, you must work harder - harder than before, always, otherwise there's no progress. Keeping a training log can help. Always excel, exceed, surpass yourself.

 

-eat more than usual if you wanna gain muscles, eat less if you wanna lose weight -- but always eat well, quality food.