Bodybuilding Question of the Month - Ironlife Magazine Issue #20

What do you feel are some of the biggest mistakes made by bodybuilders or weight trainers today to slow their progress?
What were some of your biggest mistakes that you feel had you "spinning your wheels?"

Kidrok - Mod @ www.intensemuscle.com

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Olafur Pall Olafsson Mod @ www.ProActiveHealthNet.com
I don't really consider myself a bodybuilder but I do lift weights to improve my physique and health. There are many things that have slowed down my progress in reaching the physique I want but a lot of them I definitely wouldn't call mistakes even though they slowed down my progress. This is because I find my health a lot more important than my weight lifting progress. I don't even drink a protein shake with carbs after workout because the simple sugars are just unhealthy empty calories. I know it slows me down but I don't care, I don't want to be a monster and I will be reaching the physique I want by the end of this year anyway.

I don't necessarily think slowing down my progress is a mistake. What I think is the biggest mistake bodybuilders do is making their physique a priority instead of their health. Eating more calories than you need to maintain weight, eating more often in the day and carrying extra muscle mass are all things that increase your metabolism. Bodybuilders usually try to increase their metabolism but there are some very good reasons to suspect that this is bad for their health and possibly accelerates their aging process. It's much healthier to weight 150lb than weighting 200lb with the same body fat percentage. All that extra muscle mass puts extra strain on the body. Many bodybuilders also eat lots of junk food in the off season to gain weight as fast as they can. You don't need to be an expert to realize how unhealthy that is. And the extra fat many bodybuilders carry in the off season is particularly unhealthy. In the long run carrying all that extra body fat most of the year predisposes them to all kinds of diseases and cut's years of their life. The fact that bodybuilders exercise regularly doesn't necessarily mean they are living a healthy lifestyle, that is IMO the biggest misinformation in bodybuilding today.
My recommendation to bodybuilders interested in improving their health is to eat healthy and keep their body fat level low all year around. For males I recommend keeping your body fat as close to 5% as you can and never go over 10%. For women it's probably healthiest to keep their body fat level as low as possible without going so low that they stop menstruating. The body fat percentage at which women stop menstruating is probably individual so I'm not going to mention any numbers.

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Iron_Gook - Mod @ www.ChemicalFitness.com
Some of my most biggest mistakes are as follows:
1. Not eating enough food when bulking or while "on".
2. Over training while "on".
3. Taking advice from other people whose metabolism and body types were completely different than my own.
4. Cutting too much food out of my diet when cutting.
5. Drastically increasing cardio to cut. (not planning a cut well.)
6. Buying stupid and useless supplements based upon marketing hype and promotional savvy. (i.e. Cybergenics.) LOL! That was back in the day!

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speedracer59 - Mod @ www.ChemicalFitness.com
Diet tweaks and over training. My diet was a huge problem. When I was cutting I would go to low on calories. I was eating a ton but it was not enough. I started writing down what I was eating and couldnt believe it. Since I have up my calories by about 200-500 my weight has increased but Im am losing pants sizes.

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DOUBLE J - Mod @ www.ChemicalFitness.com
Over training and under eating
Food. lots of guys feel they are eating enough but if you count the calories they are still barely above maintenance.
Also guys who do chest 2-3 X a week and legs every 2 weeks. squats and deads make your whole body grow.
Proper form is another. in order to do the heavier weight guys lack proper form and short change their gains by not isolating the muscle as well.

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trip - Mod @ www.ChemicalFitness.com
Ditto IG.
Adding one: Fake pharmaceuticals, both AS wise, and ancillaries are a nightmare, due to usually throwing body out of homeostasis for months and months on end, which no matter how good training and diet are, it's one thing that can't be overcome.

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Iron_Gook - Mod @ www.ChemicalFitness.com
Damn good point trip...sucks when you're trying to recover and your SERMs SUCK ASS!

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stonecold54 - Mod @ www.ChemicalFitness.com
I would say the number one thing people in weightlifting don't understand is that recovery time is not in direct correlation to training experience. In fact the gap widens with every workout that passes. Workouts need to be more brief and more infrequent as one becomes more advanced. The endocrine system does not mature as training matures (even with the addition of exogenous hormones).

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TxStateJuice - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
The biggest mistake that I tend to make is not eating enough. It kills me.

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Steel Reserves - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
I'd have to say not knowing when to say when. What I mean is training too hard and/or to fast and causing myself an injury. Injuries suck and are always a set back, you gotta learn to train with your head; know how and when to push yourself.

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postpremium - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
One word... form! can lead to injuries that definitely slow you down and can hinder your training in the future! o yeah...and eating to grow too!

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boowaxwell - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
I can't believe all the mistakes I made. By far the largest was not eating right. I spent my 20's working out 6 days a week and then having it go to waste by a bad diet. I was eating around 100 gms of protein and 3,000 calories per day, mostly simple carbs. I made very little progress and just ended up with endless cycles of over training. I spent some days working out for 3 hours and couldn't understand why I was getting bigger, although I did manage to injure myself.

I was wise enough to keep workout logs and here is a sample of then and now:

year: 1982
Hours in Gym per week: 15
Weekly Sets: +500 sets
Calories: 3,000/day
Protein : 100 gms/day
Results: Strength gains, little muscle gains and injuries

year: 2004
Hours in Gym per week: 8
Weekly Sets: 100-130 sets
Calories: 3,000/day
Protein: 270 gms/day
Results: Still growing in my 40's
The other big difference was the lack of information back then. The internet has helped spread the bodybuilding word and I have learned more in the last 5 years on the internet about bodybuilding than I did in the first 25 years in the gym. It's communities and places like this that are the key in learning how to achieve and surpass your goals.

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powerstrokin - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
I am with most other people, diet has been my big mistake. During college, I would eat but not the right things, drink alcohol, not get enough sleep and because financially I couldn't do the things I wanted to, I just figured it wasn't worth it. Now it's a different story, I can do the things I want and alcohol is not as important in my life anymore.

[QUOTE]bigkap - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
Over training.

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Chest Rockwell - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
Absolutely bar none...the biggest factor that holds people's gains back is nutrition. Whether it is gaining size or trying to lower body fat...nutrition is the key that is usually lacking to achieve the goal.

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BioHazard03 - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
Lack of sleep and parties.

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BacardiSlang - Mod @ www.FreakzOnline.com
Bump that Bio, and add alcohol to the mix too.

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johnnyb - Member @ www.FreakzOnline.com
Currently, H2O.

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QueenofDamned - Mod @ www.FreakzOnline.com
The first bb show I ever did, I dieted on 700calories a day. this was and will always be my biggest mistake. I had a "pro" helping my training and refused his diet advice. I figured I could do it myself.

I sucked big time placed 4th in a very large show (Western North American Natural Championships) I went in thinking I was "all that" and, when i seen the girls i was up against, didn't want to go onstage.

My trainer made me go out for the pre-judge, I refused to do the night show (he made me do it anyways) and, once everything was said and done, I started reading and studying EVERYTHING I could get my hands on.

I questioned everything I read. cross-referenced every subject, every "theory" and....started LISTENING to my trainer....

I guess my point is, if you have an accomplished athlete that is willing to help you, LISTEN TO HIM/HER!!!!!!! but always question EVERYTHING. this is the only way you will know for sure.

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w8girl - Member @ www.worldclassbodybuilding.com
I'd have to say it's definitely poor nutrition. Muscles are made in the kitchen, and if you don't get your nutrition right you can really hinder your gains in the gym. I'm natty, so can't speak to the differences when on or off cycle, but I do know I spent a lot of time spinning my wheels in the gym when my nutrition was off. I worked hard, yet didn't see the gains I wanted. It was very discouraging to spend all that time in the gym and not like the way my body looked.

When I finally learned about proper nutrition, macros, meal frequency, etc., the results were amazing! In my first two months of eating properly, I dropped from 27%BF (ugh!) down to 18%BF, for a total fat loss of 13.19 lbs and a total LBM gain of 7.79 lbs!!
I believe, for a natty bb'er anyway, that nutrition makes a HUGE difference in the end result.

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Stout1 - Member @ www.worldclassbodybuilding.com
Working out too much and to often. The majority of people do well on a three day split.
Not supplementing with the right type of PWO shake. (needed carbs)
When eating meals you always want to separate your meals either protein/carbs or protein/fats. I was initially mixing them a lil bit.

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skarhead - Member @ www.worldclassbodybuilding.com
Diet is probably the biggest issue

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jamescb77 - Member @ www.worldclassbodybuilding.com
for sure it's diet

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jamesbrosky - Member @ www.worldclassbodybuilding.com
not enough food.
no cardio.
too much volume.

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Liftsiron - Owner/Admin @ www.premiermuscle.com
Over training first and poor nutrition second.

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Deacon - Admin @ www.MMSfitness.com
I know I have made several over my 27 years of training -
Lack of focus - putting off training for other things.
Over training - this at one time cost me dearly in mass and injury.
Failure to realize how important diet was and how to structure the proper diet. Not just shoveling in anything I could get my hands on.

Learning to listen to my body. If you do not respond correctly to what your body is telling you; you�re going to lose out in the end.

Realizing that drugs and or supplements have their place but should not be placed above training, resting and diet.

Training with intensity and accepting trouble or weak areas and then improving upon them.

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frenchBB - Member @ www.sculptedbyiron.com
Over training and poor nutrition. I would add reading the bodybuilding magazines and trusting what's inside !

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tephlon - Member @ www.sculptedbyiron.com
Luckily, by the time I started really training I had the intaweb already, so not too many mistakes.

- eating everything, drinking weight gainer shakes late at night (instant stored to fat for me few years into lifting, was ok at the beginning)
- partial reps (squats, bench, leg press) i.e. ego building, instead of muscle

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mystery_meat Mod @ www.sculptedbyiron.com
Lack of form
Adaptation (not changing the workout routine every 6-8 weeks)
Cheating themselves by not giving 100% when lifting...

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Tazmaniac - Mod @ www.sculptedbyiron.com
Over training, diet, lack of focus...
Not lifting for a goal...
Not incorporating enough cardio as well...training for overall health instead of getting big.

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BASK8KACE - Mod @ www.sculptedbyiron.com
There are a four things that I see people doing over and over again that hinder progress (listed in order of most common to least common mistakes):

1. Poor nutrition
2. Over-training/not resting
3. Bad form (using momentum to move weights)
4. Insufficient training intensity.

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ncsports - Admin @ www.sculptedbyiron.com
Mostly for me it has been poor/inconsistent nutrition.
Early on it was serious over training and I got no where but frustrated and walked away.

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trip - Member @ www.fitnessgeared.com
1. plan your plan
2. then stick to your plan
Seems so simple, yet, emotions get the better of us at times and we end up taking wrong road.

Example: Vowed to only use pharma grade products, and be on 12 weeks.
Well, cycle going so well and found some UG sales that were 3 times cheaper, so I extended cycle. Needless to say my UG PCT stuff was bunk, and I paid for with a good 16 weeks of feeling like crap.
So, in the end, broke the plan, and paid dearly for it.
Live and learn.

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GirlPatriot - Admin @ www.fitnessgeared.com
Taking "time off" from the gym. I am not saying one week is a problem. However, a lot of us let life get the better of us sometimes and maybe skip out on a month or more at the gym. Not only do you lose a degree of muscle in that time, you also lose a great deal of strength. So what happens when you finally get your ass back in the gym? You can't lift as much as you could before, you get VERY sore which further hinders your lifting capabilities, and you feel like a puny weakling. Every time I think about how much further I could be right now if I had just stayed dedicated to my workouts in the past I feel a little queasy.

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SUGARBABY - Mod @ www.fitnessgeared.com
*holla @ GP's response* and not only that...but Diet. So many people do not put an emphasis on what a good/clean diet can do.

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Met - Member @ www.ironlife.com
Sticking properly to my diet is definitely the most important barrier that I had to overcome. I was on a plateau for years before I got it sorted, in my opinion it's the no.1 thing that stops people's progress.

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Jjaden - Member @ www.ironlife.com
Learning to control intensity and focus while lifting so that you don't throw up more weight than your body can safely handle, and incurring a long-term injury.

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educedglycerine - Member @ www.ironlife.com
Proper Nutrition and not over training. I used to always over train, and train even more when I didn't see results, thinking that I just had to work harder then everything would be fine. Training smart is as important as training hard. The Window of Opportunity theory has helped me gain a lot of muscle...
And injuries...because of my injuries, I am still half the size I used to be. Still always trying to get back in shape.

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Uncle Silvio - Member @ www.ironlife.com
Overtraining, not eating enough simple carbs after weights due to fear of gaining fat and not sleeping properly

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GUNG HO- Member @ www.ironlife.com
Ditto Uncle Silvio
And not eating enough protein... that's all I can think of.

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Preist943 - Mod @ www.ironlife.com
It's always diet. It you fail at working this out, look to the food you're eating.

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Kidrok - Mod @ www.intensemuscle.com
"What do you feel are some of the biggest mistakes made by bodybuilders today to slow their progress?"

Over-training: So many young (and even some older trainees) are in the gym almost everyday doing numerous sets for each bodypart. They never give the body time to rest and grow.

Under-eating: This is basically self explanatory yet so often overlooked. If you provide a stimulus to make a muscle grow (training), then you need to provide enough food for your body to complete the repairs which results in growth.
Poor choice of exercises: When did we lose sight of the basics? So many trainees come in and do these exotic type movements, like the �standing-double-biceps-flexing-cable-crossover-curl� in their quest for size. They would do so much better with barbell or dumbbell curls. They don�t want to squat, refuse to deadlift, or do heavy shoulder presses, but you can find them bench-pressing 3 times a week.

"What were some of your biggest mistakes that you feel had you "spinning your wheels?"
I�ve been training for 25 years and over this time it seems like I have tried almost every type of routine ever created. Many times after I realized I�m not making the progress I should, I�d go back to the basics. Power movements like heavy squats, and short intense workouts always seemed to break the sticking points. But then I�d stray again to try the latest high-volume workout. So I spent a good many years making 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

But my biggest mistake by far was under-eating. I figured this out a few years ago and made some good progress after I improved my eating. However, training under Dante this past year has taught me that I need to continue to eat even more if I want to surpass any previous strength and size gains.

~*~

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the question!
Special thanks to kidrok for allowing me to use his picture and I'd like to include his stats and accomplishments~

Kidrock Profile

Off-season weight: 200-210lbs
Competition weight: 176lbs
Height: 5�6�
2002 NPC Ironman Classic � 5th Middleweight
2003 NPC Rochester Bodybuilding Championships � 3rd Middleweight
2003 NPC Ironman Classic � 1st Middleweight, Overall
2004 NPC JR USA � 3rd Middleweight
2004 NPC JR Nationals � 12th Middleweight

Currently prepping for the 2005 JR Nationals, and then possibly on to the USA's or North American Championships.
Kidrok is also available to work with clients on contest prep or personal training, male or female. You can email him at: FXL@twcny.rr.com

Til next month, eat nutritiously!~
~lacey