HOT TOPIC: Newbie mistakes

[Pseudonym]

I bought my first tub of creatine from the chemist after reading all the exciting stuff about "enhanced strength" and "increased muscular development". It had graphs and things, and you bought it from the chemist, so it must be really effective, right?

I knew it was going to be hard to measure an increase in strength since I wasn't working out. That was ok, though... my goal was size, not strength anyway. I wasn't sure what I'd say to family and friends when I turned into the Hulk overnight, but I'd think of something.

I sneaked my creatine into the house and hid it in the basement where my parents wouldn't find it. Then I went and looked in the mirror. I needed to be sure what I looked like before I started this wonder-drug. Heart pounding, I mixed up my first serving and chugged it down. Back to the mirror. No change. Well, obviously it wasn't going to happen within minutes! Check again tomorrow.

Sadly (and despite checking daily) no miracle transformation occurred. I couldn't understand it... those graphs had looked so good, too! :cry:

We've all done it. So 'fess up... what newbie mistakes did you make when starting bodybuilding?

[pimp]

i remembered when i thought 50 grams of protein was the weight of the meat cut...hahahaha i was wondering how da hell is that 50gram of steak gona build muscle...i didnt know that for every 200+grams of steak or wateva meat cut had 50 grams...so for me to be eating 50 grams of steak, i was probably getting 10 - 15 grams of protein...crak up aye...lol probably the samoan in me...hahaha

[ExpensiveUrine]

--Not eating enough.

--Not sleeping enough.

--Doing Pullovers to 'expand' my ribcage. (Someone should have expanded my head on that one.)

--Not reading enough about nutrition/training/recovery.

--Not being able to find good sources of information.

--Not being able to find studies.

--Listening to Enya while training. (Don't even think about questioning my sexuality.)

--Registering on BB.com

--Not being able to understand principles behind progression.

--Not being able to apply progressive overload correctly.

--Using a training programme without understanding training principles/science behind it.

--Not concentrating on an exercise while using heavy loading.

--(At times) not keeping a flat back/using bad technique. (Resulted in an injury.)

--Not being able to identify stages of overtraining syndrome.

--Letting unexperienced spotters spot me.

--Not training around an injury, allowing myself to detrain.

--Not drinking enough water during training.

--Not using adequate warm up prior to work-sets.

--Not stretching after a workout.

[pimp]

ENYA WHAT THE HELL!!! :pfft: :pfft: :pfft: hahahahahaha

[pimp]

ENYA WHAT THE HELL!!! :pfft: :pfft: :pfft: hahahahahaha

[frogie2001]

DEFINATLY NOT SORTING OUT MY DIET EARLY ENOUGH.

SPENDING ALOT OF TIME TRYING TO LIFT HEAVY INSTEAD OF CONCENTRATING ON CORRECT TECHNIQUE AND PUMP

NOT RESTING ENOUGH

dRINKING ALCOHOL WHILE TRYING TO GROW.

THINKING IF I EAT LESS I WILL LOSE BF

SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY ON "WONDER SUPS" THAT ARE THE NEXT BEST THING AND RELYING ON THEM TO MAKE UP FOR SHIT DIET AND TRAINING (METHOXY, ANDRO, TRIBULUS, NITRIX ETC)

[deegee]

I bought my first tub of creatine from the chemist after reading all the exciting stuff about "enhanced strength" and "increased muscular development". It had graphs and things, and you bought it from the chemist, so it must be really effective, right?

I knew it was going to be hard to measure an increase in strength since I wasn't working out. That was ok, though... my goal was size, not strength anyway. I wasn't sure what I'd say to family and friends when I turned into the Hulk overnight, but I'd think of something.

I sneaked my creatine into the house and hid it in the basement where my parents wouldn't find it. Then I went and looked in the mirror. I needed to be sure what I looked like before I started this wonder-drug. Heart pounding, I mixed up my first serving and chugged it down. Back to the mirror. No change. Well, obviously it wasn't going to happen within minutes! Check again tomorrow.

Sadly (and despite checking daily) no miracle transformation occurred. I couldn't understand it... those graphs had looked so good, too! :cry:

We've all done it. So 'fess up... what newbie mistakes did you make when starting bodybuilding?

Ah psudo you were looking for the magic pill that builds muscles without diet or hard work, I know so many who are still searching for this supplement!!

[jono]

the #1 mistake of all time is not eating enough

mistakes ive made.. not eating enough, not training hard enough .. but really just the diet thing. i was lucky i was on a split within the 1st week of stepping into the gym.. just took about a year to figure out i had to eat food :grin:

[Marcus]

A mistake I made was not resting enough. Not being able to say "ok I need a rest from the gym this week." I did just about a year straight of heavy training & my CNS was fried. Random muscle twitching all the time & feeling really lethargic. Don't be afraid to take a week or two off if you're feeling down.

[Growth]

Random muscle twitching all the time & feeling really lethargic.

Hey Marcus is the mucle twitching thing a big deal?, i get some pretty bad muscle twitches often.

[Ash]

Besides not eating enough, the biggest mistake for me has been trying to lift too much weight at the expense of form, which has led to some pretty harsh injuries over the years and has set me back more than anything else.

[Marcus]

Growth I don't know if it is a big deal or not. I've read somewhere that it is linked to CNS strain. I get it sometimes now but no where near as bad as what I used too. It used to prevent me sleeping.

[frogie2001]

i like it when i can sit on the couch and see my quad twitch, i call the wif over to have a look I always just thought it was the muscle recovering as best it can. i don't think it is serious though

[waldo]

Biggest mistake I ever made....playing social rugby for just ONE more season, dislocating my shoulder soooooo badly......then 're-habing' my injury by attempting to bench again. Having had a previous best of 140kg, I was surprised to find myself dislocating my shoulder again trying to un-rack the bar!

Lesson #1: Physios actually know what they are talking about. The little exercises may be boring, but they help. I might not have so many problems now if I had listened to the man who gave me qualified advice.

[brock_solid]

Spending faaaaar too much time in the gym, i had no car or anything when i was going to the gym last year so afterschool i would either walk/run/bike to the gym and be there for like 3 - 4 hours a day, doing weights until i couldn't move then i would go home, half the time though was chatting to my mates or chicks, not 3 - 4 hours of straight weight training.

[deegee]

Overtraining, undereating.

I still think too many people overtrain. If the goal is build mass that is

[jono]

I bought my first tub of creatine from the chemist after reading all the exciting stuff about "enhanced strength" and "increased muscular development". It had graphs and things, and you bought it from the chemist, so it must be really effective, right?

I knew it was going to be hard to measure an increase in strength since I wasn't working out. That was ok, though... my goal was size, not strength anyway. I wasn't sure what I'd say to family and friends when I turned into the Hulk overnight, but I'd think of something.

I sneaked my creatine into the house and hid it in the basement where my parents wouldn't find it. Then I went and looked in the mirror. I needed to be sure what I looked like before I started this wonder-drug. Heart pounding, I mixed up my first serving and chugged it down. Back to the mirror. No change. Well, obviously it wasn't going to happen within minutes! Check again tomorrow.

Sadly (and despite checking daily) no miracle transformation occurred. I couldn't understand it... those graphs had looked so good, too! :cry:

We've all done it. So 'fess up... what newbie mistakes did you make when starting bodybuilding?

btw man, when i take creatine i can tell the diff in the mirror after 3-4 days. :grin: makes me retain water, the muslces look more full

[THEBERG]

I've the same mistakes as most outlined here, i too use to think that 50 grams of chicken steak was 50 grams of preotein.

it took my about one year to realize i needed to eat properly, but i was blessed to start lifting with a partner that was expereinced and taught me good controlled form from the start.

[Varven]

Newbie mistakes I made :

not squatting and deadlifting from day1.

also not figuring out diet from day1.

[Tehhaxorr]

Eating pies and cream chese to gain mass :?

[lazyone]

Too much cardio.

I upped the cardio in the week before a competition, and ended up losing ALOT of muscle. I was definitely the leanest I had ever been, but had pretty much just wasted about 6 months of working out to building muscle. Totally gutted :crazy:

[chop]

walking into the weight room and looking at the arnold posing picture for insparational motivation, bench 140 kgs and realize as the bar came fli-ing down towards my throat that anorld just didnt wake up one morning and become 7 time mr oylympia champ

[Oros]

ooooo...thats gotta hurt..........the ego too.........140kg's, bench first time in a gym!!!!! :idea2:....... :clubbed:

Most common mistake I've noticed is newbies trying to follow routines straight out of M & F magazine, or which ever magazine they've managed to get their sweaty little mits on! :roll:

TOO MUCH TIME TRAINING/TOO MANY SETS/NOT ENOUGH REST TIME away from the gym, is another mistake that's quite common, it's not just a newbie mistake either. Unfortunately, I've fallen victim to this mistake... :stupid:

Not understanding the basic mechanics of correct exercise form............newbies usualyy seem to notice all the gym's idiot posers heaving heavy DB's around doing cheat rep after cheat rep (not the good type of cheat rep either!!) and then try to copy the same "technique".........(Bbaaaaaa...)

Too many supplements...........hang on, that's me too.. :shifty:

My worst mistake to date though, was following (or atleast trying to...) too much pre-comp-prep advice, from too many different sources, some of whom I considered to be my friends..........made myself as sick as a dog.......ended up with serious concerns of renal failure, and it took nearly three years for my liver functions to return to normal...........good thing is, nearly 15 years, no alchohol!!!!

Probably saved myself heaps of money.......then spent it all on supplements.. :shock:

My advice, (I know thats not the topic!!), listern to others, but don't do as they say until you've done your OWN research..........not too difficult with the net nowdays anyway.

[Varven]

Supplements are over-rated.

The only supplements I reckon most average gym goers will ever need are whey, creatine and an EFA.

[Oros]

Good new thread to start.........no-compromise, bare basic supplements.

Lets see who can come up with the shortest supplement list, that no-one else can improve on...