Perhaps one of these situations fits you:
- You’ve just finished high school and you’re looking to build muscle to attract girls
- Your looking to become a top tier athlete in your chosen sport and need to build some muscle to do so
- You’ve been overweight and unhappy for too long, you want to burn all of that stubborn fat and reveal the lean muscle you have hiding beneath the surface
- You’ve been following an exercise regime for a period of time now but are failing to see the results you desire
- You’ve built some mass and cut some fat however you’ve hit a plateau and can’t find a way to overcome it and continue progressing
Regardless, all of these individuals have no doubt gone to their web browser and searched for ‘how to build muscle mass’ or ‘how to get shredded’ and Google has instantly returned MILLIONS of search results with THOUSANDS of different opinions, workout regimes, supplements and products designed to supposedly help you achieve that elusive body you oh so desire.
You think to yourself ‘Fantastic! I’ve got all the information I need right at my fingertips, this is going to be easy’ shortly after you begin to realise that there are so many methods being discussed... your mind becomes overloaded shortly thereafter and you sit there frustrated, not implementing a workout routine or diet because you now have far more unanswered questions than before you searched for how to build muscle.
Do I really need to buy that $200 protein powder?
How do I know if my testosterone is low?
Do I need to perform 10 sets or 12 sets of abdominal crunches to get ripped?
What happens if I don’t get my protein shake in 20 minutes after my workout?
Does the chicken I eat have to be boiled, or can it be grilled?
Will I lose muscle if I forget one of my meals?
The issue here is simply too much thinking and not enough doing
The internet is considered to be the greatest tool we have to access information, however at the same time it is also a weapon - far too much information from very few reputable sources. The amount of false information, broscience, marketing hype and pseudoscience is mind boggling.
Stop researching and stressing over whether you should do barbell curls or dumbbell curls for your biceps, simply pick one and do it.
Construct your own plan - you don’t have to listen, over interpret and obsess over what famous bodybuilding A says in comparison to Strength Coach B, many of these individuals literally have cult followings.
Who cares?
Stop looking for the perfect exercise, the perfect repetition scheme, the perfect supplement, the perfect diet, the perfect workout regime.
Because it simply doesn’t exist
Bodybuilding and gaining muscle in general is a marathon, not a sprint – it’s a journey on which you take action for a pre-determined period of time, measure your results to assess what is and what isn’t working and then alter the necessary portions of your diet or workout regime. Instead of reading 100 articles on Bodybuilding.com read what YOUR BODY is telling you after you have applied a workout, diet or exercise, you will learn far more from it than from any article like ‘How to Build Killer Biceps Today – the 3 must do exercises’.
The 2 thing I’d like you to take away from this post is to simply not buy into all the hype you are reading, don’t let it confuse or consume you.
- Stop looking for that perfect quick fix to get your results
- Take action now, stop reading start implementing
Pick a workout routine, follow it, eat well and get adequate rest. Follow this consistently for six months, during the course of this time track your weight, your body fat your arm size, your chest size, how you feel after each workout and from there you can reassess and make the necessary changes.
Best of luck.
What are your thoughts on the endless information available on building muscle? Do you agree or disagree with this post?
Let me know in the comments below!