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My “quest for more muscle” lifestyle has attracted a lot my friends and co-workers. So much so, they start working out themselves. Overtime, I’ve seen friends succeed and transform their bodies, while others fizzled. And during that time, I’ve come up with a few (quite a few actually) factors that should be a “red flag” for someone destined for failure.

“Winging it”

You need a structured routine to follow. Don’t just go into a gym and go from one machine to the next expecting good results. Don’t wake up and start eating meals you THINK you are what your supposed to be eating. Start with a well proportioned diet.

You Think You Know Enough

Maybe you lifted during high school or played sports. You think to yourself, “How hard can it be to do 3 sets of 10 reps of various exercises a few times a week?” Wrong mentality.

I continually learn more because I convince myself I still know nothing. Be humble and admit to yourself that you need to learn more.

You Think It’s All About Just Getting to the Gym

Throwing weights around at the gym is easy, heck it’s usually fun. It’s going to the grocery store, eating every 3 hours, and pre-cooking food that makes bodybuilding hard.

Going to the gym should just be the highlight of your routine, not the foundation. Make diet your foundation.

Not making it a habit

The biggest reason why I get up everyday and start my morning routine is not because I push myself, it’s because it’s what I did yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that.

My routine has such strong momentum, it’d be difficult to stop. Make bodybuilding (or any activity you wish to take on) a second nature, not a forced activity.

Not changing your lifestyle

If you don’t make it a lifestyle, then bodybuilding is a huge pain in the butt which takes up way too much time, ultimately leading to burnout. However, make it a lifestyle, and it becomes something you just do without thinking. Which is much more pleasant, trust me

Letting Your Friends Think For You

Your friends still go out and get wasted, but do you? Take everyone in your life you know right now, and think about each one individually.

“Will (Your Friend’s Name) either help me achieve my goals, or hold me back?”

While this is a harsh way to look at your friends, it’s a mind-opener as well. Don’t cut off relationships left and right, but consider who your putting yourself around. Instead, make more meaningful relationships, because the people you hang out with - you become.

Setting Unrealistic Goals

When I first started working out, I wanted to gain 10 pounds a month, every month. I wanted to get so big and look so good that girls’ jaw’s would drop at the sight of me without a shirt on.

Needless to say, this didn’t happen after my first month of working out, and I was disappointed too. I felt like quitting. Now, however, I set big goals and lots of mini goals along with way that are much more achievable. Expect big results every 90 days if you do everything perfect, not every 9 days.

You work out for the wrong reasons

My initial reason for working out was to get more attention from girls. But after a few months, I just fell in love with the bodybuilding lifestyle. And if that doesn’t happen to you, then you might be in trouble. Working out purely for attention for how you look will lead to failure.

You Believe, “Maximum Effort = Maximum Results”

In the gym, maximum effort is what tears muscle fibers (which is a good thing.) But in the big picture of trying to look like a chiseled god (or goddess), it’s more important to combine maximum effort with the most optimal way of doing things. What’s the most optimal way of doing things? It’s a diet and training program developed specifically for you.