What are some things you wish you knew starting out?

[DanOsman]

That's a bad advice imo.
Having visible abs year round means restricted calories for most people.Restricted calories=little to no gains..

Agreed, awful advice.
If you wish to build muscle mass, while being natural and sporting a fully visible 6pack 24h...... than good luck with that.

[MaximusPlatypus]

That's a bad advice imo. The beginner should bulk and build a solid foundation not worry about staying cut year round.That is only practical for those that have fast metabolism.
Having visible abs year round means restricted calories for most people.Restricted calories=little to no gains.Yes I know newbies can still grow with relatively few calories, but why limit the huge amount of LBM one can add when he is a newbie for the sake of having abs...
Proper bulk doesn't result in being a fatass btw...unless you pig out.

I never said don't bulk. Also if you aren't doing any cardio at all, you're just lazy (I neglected it for years back when I lifted more seriously). 250 - 300 calories is a protein bar.. work your heart muscle and just eat that extra mouthful to offset the calories. And I'm not saying you need to be 8% bodyfat year round.. but at least keep sight of some ab definition at all times. I've been there, doing the perma bulk.. gained a ton of size but was never happy how I looked. That's no way to live

Agreed, awful advice.
If you wish to build muscle mass, while being natural and sporting a fully visible 6pack 24h...... than good luck with that.

"Never lose sight of your abs" does not mean "Always have fully visible 6 pack and don't go over 10% bodyfat ever" .. I just mean never go full dreamer bulk, at least have some semblance of definition. Bulking to 20% is counter-productive

[RobberBaron13]

You do have a point, most lifter don't know how to bulk properly, they pig out for too long and end up being fat as hell.
Cardio, well I for one don't do it, but I do stand for 8 hours at work, and it's a relatively demanding job btw.I dont need and dont have the time for cardio either either.
Cardio is good for anyone, if that person has the time and is in very bad shape.
I also don't think there is a clear figure, say 10 % BF over which is not good to go.If you have plenty of mass you'll have abs at 15 % BF , I know I did.For some only when they get to single digit Bf they have visible abs.
Abs are not as important as portrayed in the media anyway, I know tons of people( many of them young fit women) who don't like abs that much.As long as i dont go over 18 % my midsection is still pretty tight and feel very confy.
Everyone has to find that sweet spot when it comes to off-season BF percentage, depending on his metabolism, lifestyle and preferences.

[Gorky88]

I am all for activity in the section but is it that hard to understand what Maximus is saying?

Just don't get too damn fat while bulking. Don't do dreamers bulk.

Even pro bodybuilders suffer from that sometimes. Also for overall heart health, it is not that bad to do couple cardio sessions every week or just to be goddamn active. I mean 2 cardio sessions every week won't make you Andreas Munzer. Hell, it will barely make a difference really. Diet matters soooo much more than two 30 minute sessions.

[mike8190]

not really any experience with cardio from me, i've tried adding a little in here and there, but never stuck with it to see the effects. and everybody is different in terms of ability to stay lean. i've been low bf from the beginning, but even in high school when i ate fast food 4-5x a week, and tons of junk food on top of whatever else i was eating, i gained some muscle but not very noticeable bf. fast forward to now, not really trying to build muscle anymore. but when i was not long ago, eating less calories but from ALL organic whole foods, maybe cheat meal here or there, i made so much better gains than ever. only difference i notice in definition is wen i drop the carbs or else I'm holding water, and not doing small things in the morning simply to activate my core, midsection etc. but nothing serious. That's really all it takes for some people i guess but i guess unless you have to cut away at that fat, if you're eating proper and working out hard it shouldn't be difficult to maintain low bf. It just comes down to eating and exercising how you find works best. What it comes down to, is your physique is going to reflect how you live.

Does anybody who's natty truly receive clean gains from eating "more" than they're supposed to eat? like IIFYM/youre eating more junk. People seem to think building muscle without fat is impossible. I don't really get it. If you eat right and are training hard in proportion to how much food you're eating, you shouldn't be gaining fat.

[RobberBaron13]

The bigger the caloric surplus the more fat you'll gain, but it depends on your metabolism. A lifter with a fast metabolism might 'get away' with a 20 % caloric surplus, but someone with an average metabolism will probably thrive on a 10-15 % caloric.
I for example have an average metabolism and my caloric surplus sweet spot is in the 12-15 % range.With this amount of calories I gained like 8 lb in the last bulk, i'd say lean muscle was 6 - 6.5 lb .