Bodybuilding for beginners

[TitanWIP]

If you could impart any advice for beginners who want to get into bodybuilding what would it be?

[Abaddon]

Where do I start?!

[rippednmichigan]

Number one, learn your body. How it reacts to certain foods, lifts, supplements, recovery times etc... if you have those down you'll be well on your way.

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[Soldier]

Research, research, research. Read every article here. Read every article AND livespill on t-nation. Read every article on stronglifts. NEVER read a fitness magazine, EVER.

Take your first 2-3 years to get as strong as humanly possible. Don't go over 20-23% bodyfat, but get as strong as you can. After 2 years, get below 13% bodyfat and never get over it again.

[Off Road]

Start off by training like a powerlifter...seriously.

[BendtheBar]

Start with the basic, most potent exercises and build strength. You should be able to build a lot of quality muscle this way and learn a lot about your body.

Right now you have the opportunity to add a lot of weight to your big lifts. This is where you need to focus your time and energy, and not on isolation exercise overkill.

[Shadowschmadow]

Originally Posted by Soldier

Read every article AND livespill on t-nation.

T-Nation? I'll admit that occasionally they have some great articles, written by very knowledgeable coaches and lifters. But I've read just as much garbage on there.

[Shadowschmadow]

I would say learn the importance of proper nutrition for training, and focus on compound movements. More importantly; learn that this shit takes time, and that great aesthetics are the side effects of busting your ass day after day.

[Soldier]

Originally Posted by Shadow

T-Nation? I'll admit that occasionally they have some great articles, written by very knowledgeable coaches and lifters. But I've read just as much garbage on there.

I agree. A lot of the articles also go against each other. That's why it's so important to read them all, so you can come away with lots of info, and figure things out for yourself from there. Also, after reading a bunch of them you'll start to find certain authors your like and trust, and you can focus more on those specific authors from that point on.

[Shadowschmadow]

Originally Posted by Soldier

I agree. A lot of the articles also go against each other. That's why it's so important to read them all, so you can come away with lots of info, and figure things out for yourself from there. Also, after reading a bunch of them you'll start to find certain authors your like and trust, and you can focus more on those specific authors from that point on.

I definitely can agree with that. I think that's very important for people to do. Often times they read one source and walk away as though what was discussed is gospel. I believe that if you're going to disagree with something, you should do enough research to understand why exactly you disagree with it.

But yeah, T-Nation always has contradictory articles.