5 Biggest Diet & Workout Regrets and Mistakes

You’ll probably laugh when I tell you that one of my best ‘qualifications’ for teaching you to approach bodybuilding the right way is that I have made a lot of ‘dumbass’ mistakes in my time. But I am honest enough to admit this without any qualms whatsoever. I realize that making mistakes and learning from them made me a better individual. Here are 5 common mistakes that most bodybuilders commit.

1 – Training like an Idiot at the Initial Stages

One of the first mistakes I made was to do too much at the very beginning. Granted that one of the biggest gains you will make will be within your first one or two months of consistently working out, it pays to plan out exactly which exercises you will do, for how many sets and in what order. The same goes for your eating habits. If you do not have a track record of what you are putting down the hatch from day to day, the times you are eating and a rough estimate of the calories consumed, you are as clueless as the majority of guys starting off on their bodybuilding programs. Doing too much too soon can tire you out and make the whole effort counterproductive.

2 – Training like an Idiot While a Teenager

Well, they say that it’s never too early to start bodybuilding. This does not mean however that you start at 5 or even 8 years of age. However, the teenage years are the best time to start because they are accompanied by hormonal changes that are likened to a bodybuilder on steroids (or something really close). I started off at age 12 or 13 using the plastic variety of equipment available at Walmart. Then at age 16 I took my first step towards professional bodybuilding by joining a gym with a friend. However since your body slows down as you age and making progress at anything gets more and more difficult, it is suggested that the sooner you get into bodybuilding or fitness, the better it will be for you.

3 – Doing Stuff that Led to Injuries

Over-enthusiasm and lack of proper training or direction mean that newbies will sometimes end up with injuries or strains due to not doing the exercise properly, avoiding form and using poor posture while performing the exercises. I was luckier than most, however due to over-exertion in my professional years, I have been plagued by pain in my shoulders, arms and back. That is why I will caution every bodybuilder to concentrate on proper form and movement before getting into sets and repetitions. A good workout plan that develops the legs, back and shoulders is extremely important, for this is the core of your body.

4 – Struggling with Bulking Up

When you are bulking up for the first time, it pays to follow a professional developed program, not invent one of your own. I did for a while and though I ate only clean foods, bulked up on milk and proteins, I ended up by gaining a lot of bulk. The result is that I felt incredibly self-conscious and out of place in a gym. That is why I will caution every bodybuilder to use the services of an expert in planning out a diet and exercise program.

5 – Getting Toned Down and Losing Muscles

When I finally reversed gears and proceeded to lose weight through a determined fat loss program, I ended up losing both fat and muscle. So the net result of my early efforts in the bodybuilding field was to end up looking skinny fat.

How to Avoid These Mistakes

Now that you’ve read my story, I hope you have learned from it. Please make every effort not to repeat my mistakes and start with a professionally sculpted diet and fitness regimen so that you are better off in the long run.