Give your beginner-self one piece of advice.

If you could go back and give your beginner-self one piece of training advice, what would it be?

Austin

Learn how to eat, you skinny, bird-legged bastard.  More specifically, make sure you're eating enough quality food.  I know that it takes all you have to choke down your daily 1400 calories, but you're going to need to start doubling that to keep up with the training you are doing and start putting on some size.  I am positive you would rather eat two meals a day consisting entirely of Pop-Tarts, fruit roll-ups and chocolate milk, but that ain't going to cut it with your two hour lifting sessions that inexcusably never involve your legs.  Holy shit, are we allowed to tell ourselves more than one thing?  I am starting to remember that I didn't do a damn thing right besides showing up everyday.

Seriously, write this down and look at it every day:  Eat lots of real, whole food.  Meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables, starches, and even add your Pop-Tarts and fruit roll-ups in.  Then lift hard, heavy and for God's sake don't skip leg day.

Tommy

See that guy in the corner of the gym lifting everyday and keeping to himself?  He isn't anti-social, he is just dedicated and working hard.  Don't be afraid to introduce yourself and ask for a spot or a form critique.  I've met some great people that have been lifting for a lot of years and they all can teach you something.  Whether it's technique, diet or programming you can expand your lifting knowledge more often than you think.

Oh, and EAT, real food and lots of it!  That bowl of frosted flakes for breakfast isn't doing you any favors.

Tanner

Don't worry about supplements... at all.  Those don't deserve to even be in the conversation for you yet.  You've got to get your training and diet in better order first.  Once you have that important 98% more dialed in, then you can worry about the remaining 2%.  Save all that money and spend it at the grocery store, or put more of it in the bank.  I know you're probably not going to listen to that, so if you really think you HAVE to buy something from bodybuilding.com, just stick to some simple protein powder. 

Some other real quick advice in case you get this..  Use some of that money you save to invest in Apple.  If you think that iPod nano you have now is pretty cool, you haven't seen shit yet.  Bet everything you've got on the Giants in Super Bowl 42.  I know it's the Patriots and they haven't lost all year, but trust me dude...

Tyler

Don't wait any longer. I wasted a lot of time sitting on my ass thinking, "I should start working out before I die of heart failure." Once I finally started, the progress was gradual but very addicting and gave me the momentum I needed to keep the ball rolling. Most people KNOW what they should be doing. Bridging the gap between KNOWING and DOING is the hardest part, and I wasted a lot of time on that step.  Part of taking that first step is getting out of your comfort zone. Get used to it.... That's where all the good stuff is hiding.

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