Lessons Learned

  1. Count your macros
  2. Singles build strength. Train it often.
  3. Heavy partial raises builds insane delts
  4. Train rear delts
  5. Protein powder + oats win
  6. Go for the pump in arms training

just wanted to say that, this is and its going to be even more a great thread.

There are no ‘secrets’ to building muscle. There is however one ingredient I rarely hear mentioned when it comes to progress and that is Patience. And buckets full of the stuff.

Failing that get some test :b

-Bodybuilding is not rocket science, but it takes a very good understanding about how all the simple pieces fit together to actually produce a defined physique, while still possessing a respectable amount of muscle.

-It’s easy to be cut at 140 lbs. It’s also easy to be ‘big’ at 250 lbs. Focus more on having muscle, and being ripped at the same time.

-Anyone who tells you that they know it all, or how much of an authority they are, usually isn’t. The best coaches will admit that they’ve come to their current beliefs through many years of observation, study, and evaluation. Still, they will always admit when they find what they consider a ‘better way’. (This is why Thibaudeau gets so much respect IMO)

-People on an online forum can claim whatever they want, with no real world proof whatsoever. Take what they say with a handful of salt, even if all they’re doing is quoting a study they read online. Real world results don’t always mirror controlled scientific experiments.

-Photos lie. We’ve all had those amazing shots, with perfect lighting, just the right angle, and our hands placed just perfectly to hide a weak point.

-If you have to wait for ‘proof’ of a physique, move along. I never hold my breath when anyone says that they’ll “get photos up as soon as they get around to it.” In this day and age, everyone has a camera in their phone, and when the top competitors are perfectly willing to show their fans what they look like in the offseason, waiting for some 20 year old kid to put up or shut up on an internet forum (just for example sake) is a waste of time.

S

this is great, keep them coming.

[quote]MAK40 wrote:
this is great, keep them coming. [/quote]

bumpage

<----learnin’

This is for the personal trainers out there…

Admitting that you do not know something will actually get you MORE respect out of your clients… especially more than if you try to hide your lack of knowledge by a made-up answer.

To me, admitting that you do not know everything is a sign of confidence and competency. “Know it all” coaches might get a lot of respect at first, but it doesn’t take much for them to fall off the pedestal.

Another one for personal trainers:

When you write a program to a client, the goal is to design something that will bring results, not to showcase how much cool stuff you know.

The most potentially helpful person is not necessarily the one with the best physique or the biggest lifts… it is quite possible that these people are genetically gifted and because of that, do not know what to do when someone runs into issues that prevents him from progressing.

People with a lot of knowledge but little physical development is not a good source either because if he cannot get results for himself with all his knowledge, how will he be able to help you? Even those with mediocre genetics should be able to progress.

The most useful people are generally those who are not genetically gifted but developed a respectable physique and/or strength level. These people had to face many plateaus and find ways to get past them…these are the people who are the most likely to be able to help you.

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
The most potentially helpful person is not necessarily the one with the best physique or the biggest lifts… it is quite possible that these people are genetically gifted and because of that, do not know what to do when someone runs into issues that prevents him from progressing.

People with a lot of knowledge but little physical development is not a good source either because if he cannot get results for himself with all his knowledge, how will he be able to help you? Even those with mediocre genetics should be able to progress.

The most useful people are generally those who are not genetically gifted but developed a respectable physique and/or strength level. These people had to face many plateaus and find ways to get past them…these are the people who are the most likely to be able to help you.[/quote]

Thanks for the input CT, yourself and John Meadows spring to mind. Also together you are both the biggest influences on changes made to my training in the last year (and many, many others judging by these boards) and the results speak for themselves.

[quote]lemony2j wrote:

Thanks for the input CT, yourself and John Meadows spring to mind. Also together you are both the biggest influences on changes made to my training in the last year (and many, many others judging by these boards) and the results speak for themselves.[/quote]

John is a great guy. I see him as the “master tweaker”… he is superior to any other bodybuilding coach when ti comes to making small adjustements to an exercise, or creating a new one, to get the best pump possible.

If it hurts, generally speaking, stop doing it.

I’ve pushed past too many small pains thinking I was tough only to get to the point where I had to drop exercises from my rotation for longer than I would have liked.

[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:

[quote]lemony2j wrote:

Thanks for the input CT, yourself and John Meadows spring to mind. Also together you are both the biggest influences on changes made to my training in the last year (and many, many others judging by these boards) and the results speak for themselves.[/quote]

John is a great guy. I see him as the “master tweaker”… he is superior to any other bodybuilding coach when ti comes to making small adjustements to an exercise, or creating a new one, to get the best pump possible.[/quote]

he’s a beast fo sho. I just do everything he says now and it’s all worked like a charm so far

Overall health is the most important part of training. If your health goes to shit so does your training.

Don’t rush back from injuries ( ill prlly continue to be guilty of this one)

Mobility is key, ignore it and it will eventually bite you in the ass (or spinal erectors, either or)

What progressive overload is not:

Week 1: 250x6
Week 2: 260x4 + 2 shit reps
Week 3: 270x3 + 1 shit rep + 1/2 rep
Week 4: 280x2 + 10 second pause + 1/3 rep
Week 5: repeat cycle

Some people focus so hard on trying to lift heavier weight week after week that they complete neglect the fact that the goal is to train a muscle rather than to practice a lift. Probably obvious to most, but it happens way too often.

[quote]bulkNcut wrote:
Overall health is the most important part of training. If your health goes to shit so does your training.

Don’t rush back from injuries ( ill prlly continue to be guilty of this one)

Mobility is key, ignore it and it will eventually bite you in the ass (or spinal erectors, either or) [/quote]

QFT

also, bodybuilding at the top level is a dark…dark world

Don’t be greedy with progress (make smaller jumps in weight or big jumps less often).

Find exercises that make you feel the muscle (think “outside the box” like John Meadows/Joe Daniels).

More protein.

Realize that some muscles take longer to recover than others.

Newb Lessons Learned:

  1. Bodybuilding is, strangely, somewhat similar to Buddhism. It is almost as if it should be designated as a style of yoga or something.

  2. This is going to take years.

  3. The heavier you lift, the more your crappy technique will start to hurt your body.

[quote]roland2000 wrote:
Newb Lessons Learned:

  1. Bodybuilding is, strangely, somewhat similar to Buddhism. It is almost as if it should be designated as a style of yoga or something.

[/quote]

Can you elaborate?

[quote]roland2000 wrote:

  1. The heavier you lift, the more your crappy technique will start to hurt your body.
    [/quote]

Hmmm, not sure I agree with this. The reason being that when I started out, squatting 100kg for 1-2 reps was a bit shaky with imperfect form but it served a purpose: building strength. Without building that base of strength with the sub-par form I couldn’t see myself now being able to do high rep squats with 100kg+ with good form.